Antigua and Barbuda national football team

(1972) First international matches

The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association became affiliated with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) in 1970. The first official FIFA match played by Antigua and Barbuda was away against Trinidad and Tobago in Port-of Spain, Trinidad on 10 November 1972 for a home and away series during 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification. Trinidad and Tobago won the first match 11–1, making this result Antigua and Barbuda's worst loss in team history. The Soca Warriors also won the second leg in St. John's, Antigua 2–1 nine days later.

The Antigua and Barbuda national football team in Bungay, Suffolk, England on May 24th, 2008 after scrimmages against English lower division side Lowestoft Town.

(1998) Fourth place finish in the 1998 Caribbean Cup Finals

The 1998 Caribbean Cup, hosted by Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, saw Antigua and Barbuda, led by Serbian coach Zoran Vraneš, serve up a surprise as they reached the semi-finals of the competition. In the qualifying round, the Benna Boys had an unbeaten string of matches securing progression to group stages of the finals. Antigua were placed in Group 4, along with Grenada, Guyana and Anguilla. A 2–2 draw to Guyana in the opening game was followed by a 7–0 thrashing of Anguilla – in which The Benna Boys were rampant. All this before a narrow 2–1 victory over Grenada, who finished in second spot on 6 points. Winning two matches and drawing one saw Antigua and Barbuda topped the group with 7 points, sealing their progression to the group stage of the Caribbean Cup Finals.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Antigua and Barbuda	7	3	2	1	0	11	3	+8
Grenada	6	3	2	0	1	17	4	+13
Guyana	4	3	1	1	1	17	4	+13
Anguilla	0	3	0	0	3	1	35	−34

In the group stage, there were two groups. Antigua and Barbuda were put into Group A with their first match coming against a very talented Trinidad and Tobago team, a match they narrowly lost 3–2. A 2–1 win over Dominica followed, with Derrick Edwards and Winston Roberts grabbing the crucial goals that gave Antigua the platform to carry onto the final tie against Martinique, and a 5–1 hammering of the latter was assured. The performances in the aforementioned three matches saw Antigua and Barbuda get second place in the group and qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Trinidad and Tobago	9	3	3	0	0	13	3	+10
Antigua and Barbuda	6	3	2	0	1	9	5	+4
Martinique	3	3	1	0	2	7	8	−1
Dominica	0	3	0	0	3	2	15	−13

The Benna Boys' first and only qualification to the knockout round saw them pitted against the heavy favourites of the tournament, Jamaica's Reggae Boys. Antigua and Barbuda did so well to keep their fierce rivals at bay for normal time, until Onandi Lowe struck in the 110th minute of extra time to send Antigua and Barbuda into a 3rd Place Playoff with Haiti who lost to Trinidad & Tobago in the other semi-final. That would produce a magnificent encounter, with Antigua ending up the losing team in a five-goal thriller. Vaughn Christopher and Ranjae Christian bagged the duo of goals for Antigua and Barbuda but it wasn’t enough to grab third place and a bronze medal. To this day, placing fourth in this edition of the Caribbean Cup is the highest achievement for the Benna Boys.

Semifinals

29 July 1998

Jamaica	1–0	Antigua and Barbuda
Onandi Lowe  110'

Trinidad and Tobago

29 July 1998

Trinidad and Tobago	4–1	Haiti
Stern John  1', 60' Irasto Knights  15', 42'		Eddy Cesar  85'

Trinidad and Tobago

Third Place Playoff

31 July 1998

Haiti	3–2	Antigua and Barbuda
Jean Bernard Fleurial  72' Jean Robert Menelas  27' Abrahim Mackenzy  71'		Vaughn Christopher  53' Ranjae Christian  58'

Trinidad and Tobago

(2005) First UEFA opponent

On December 17, 2005 the Antigua and Barbuda national team played their first and only ever match against a European opponent after the Hungarian Football Federation invited the Benna Boys to play Hungary in an international friendly at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was the first match coached by former national striker Derrick Edwards. Antigua and Barbuda went down early in the 10th minute when Krisztian Vadocz tricky footwork saw him evade three defenders and fired past goalkeeper Elvis Anthony to make it 1–0. Then in the 32nd minute, the Hungarians doubled the scoreline when Robert Feczesin easily redirected a Daniel Tozser free kick with his head past Anthony, who failed adjust quickly enough. The Hungarians then added a third 10 minutes from time through Istvan Ferenczi, who fired home from just outside the six-yards box.^[3]

(2011–2012) Historical run in 2014 World Cup Qualifying

Kerry Skepple about to score the game-winning goal versus Haiti on November 11th, 2011 to advance to the third round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Antigua and Barbuda led by Tom Curtis made a historic run to the third round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They received a bye from the first round of CONCACAF qualifiers and were grouped with the U.S. Virgin Islands, Curaçao and Haiti in the second round. Their first match was at home to Curaçao. After conceding the first goal, the Benna Boys came back to win the match 5–2. Next, Antigua and Barbuda played away to the U.S. Virgin Islands and won convincingly 8–1. In their third fixture, Antigua and Barbuda had to play a tricky away match at Curaçao. Tamarley Thomas scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute to give Antigua and Barbuda all 3 points. Up next in their fourth fixture of the second round was a home match versus the U.S. Virgin Islands. Antigua and Barbuda wasted little time before scoring the opening goal. In this match, the Benna Boys made history with an emphatic 10–0 win that saw Peter Byers and Tamarley Thomas both scoring hat-tricks. This was the biggest win in Antigua and Barbuda football history. While Antigua and Barbuda easily beat the U.S. Virgin Islands, Curaçao drew away at Haiti. This meant that Haiti needed at least a draw in their next match in Antigua to stay alive in the competition. On November 11, 2011, Antigua and Barbuda played versus Haiti at home. This match proved difficult for the Benna Boys. For large spells of the match Haiti had majority of the possession and almost scored on a number of occasions including hitting the post twice in the first half. In the second half, Haiti was content on settling for a draw knowing that the next match was in Port-au-Prince and would be favoured to win. In the 82nd minute, Antigua and Barbuda opened up the deadlock with a strike from Kerry Skepple. After the goal, Haiti pressed for the equalizer and forced goalkeeper Molvin James to make some terrific saves. Antigua and Barbuda won this match 1–0 and advanced to the third round of CONCACAF qualifying thus eliminating Haiti with a game to spare. In the final match, the Benna Boys lost in the return leg in Haiti 2–1. Winning this group saw Antigua and Barbuda's FIFA World ranking go to 83rd, their highest ever at the time.

{{2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Second Round Group F |expanded=yes |fixtures=yes}}

The Antigua and Barbuda national team in their historic World Cup 2014 qualifying match versus the United States on October 12th, 2012 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

In the third round, Antigua and Barbuda were grouped with Jamaica, Guatemala and the United States. The first fixture in his group was an away match to the United States. Most people were expecting a convincing win by the U.S. but Antigua and Barbuda made it a competitive game. After conceding the first two goals from Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey in the 8th and the 44th minute respectively, Peter Byers scored a goal on a through pass from Mikele Leigertwood to bring the match to 2–1 in the 65th minute. The Benna Boys were somehow trying to equalize but that came to an end in the 72nd minute when Hercules Gomez scored a goal. The match ended in a 3–1 loss but Antigua and Barbuda gained respect for standing toe to toe with a CONCACAF giant. Up next was a home match to Jamaica. It ended in 0–0 draw gaining their first ever point in the third round of World Cup qualifying. Next, was another tough road test versus Guatemala in the pouring rain that saw some areas of field flooded. Surprisingly, Antigua and Barbuda opened the scoring in the 39th minute from Peter Byers and took the lead into half time. In the second half, Carlos Ruiz leveled the match at 1–1 in the 60th minute. It went from bad to worse when they were reduced to 10 men. Molvin James received a second yellow card for time wasting and Ruiz scored another goal to take the lead 3 minutes later. In the 91st minute Dwight Pezzarossi sealed the match 3–1. The return leg against Guatemala in Antigua saw Guatemala win 1–0 on a wonder strike from Carlos Ruiz in the 25th minute. A home match versus the United States was the next on the schedule. The United States opened up the scoring in the 20th minute on a header from Eddie Johnson but then 5 minutes later the Benna Boys leveled the score from Dexter Blackstock from a Peter Byers pass. The match saw both teams have chances to take the lead even though the U.S. had majority of the possession. Unfortunately, Antigua and Barbuda conceded a late goal, again off of an Eddie Johnson header in the 90th minute. The match ended in a 2–1 defeat thus eliminating them from advancing to the next round. The final match of the third round was a 4–1 loss away to Jamaica ending their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

{{2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round Group A |expanded=yes |fixtures=yes}}

(2016) Friendly arranged with Estonia

It was announced by the Estonian Football Association on May 2, 2016 that their national team will play Antigua and Barbuda in an international friendly on November 22. It will be the Benna Boys second match ever versus a European opponent. Estonia won the game 1–0.^[4]

(2018) Drug bust in Jamaica after two creditable friendly results

During the March of 2018 FIFA International window The Antigua and Barbuda Benna Boys first played Bermuda at home at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and won narrowly 3-2 through Rhys Browne in the first half, capitalizing on a defensive error and Joshua Parker from a header off of a short corner kick and two minutes later Myles Weston dribbling past a defender on the right wing and curling in a shot in the top corner of the goal. A few days later Antigua and Barbuda earned a hard fought 1-1 draw away to Jamaica at Sabina Park, levelling in the last seconds of match from a header from Peter Byers. On the team's preparation for their departure back to Antigua, assistant coach Derrick Edwards and equipment manager Danny Benjamin were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, dealing in marijuana, taking steps to export marijuana, and conspiracy at the Norman Manley International Airport. Shocked by this discovery of this crime, it is made to believe that they may have been set up by an unknown person or persons. Initially Edwards was awarded bail but Benjamin was held without bail but after a month both Edwards and Benjamin were placed under house arrest and curfew along with giving up their travel documents.^[5] Both men have since been acquitted of the crime on June 14, citing there was not enough evidence to prove their involvement in the carrying the drugs with the intention of smuggling the drugs out of Jamaica.

Antigua Recreation Ground

Antigua Recreation Ground, the original home venue of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team.

The original home stadium of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team. Located in the heart of the capital, Saint John's, right on Independence Avenue. The maximum capacity that this stadium can hold is roughly 12,000 spectators. Currently the team plays there for international friendlies and sometimes the Caribbean Cup. In 2008, FIFA banned the ABFA from using this stadium for World Cup Qualifiers, citing that it is a safety hazard. The last World Cup Qualifier at the Antigua Recreation Grounds was a 1–0 victory against Aruba on March 26, 2008.

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, home to the Benna Boys since 2008.

Another home venue for the Benna Boys, which is located in North Sound, a 10–20 minute drive from Saint John's, the capital city. This more modern, state of the art venue holds up to 10,000 people. Since 2008, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has hosted mainly World Cup Qualifiers, the first match being a 4–3 loss to Cuba on June 17, 2008.

Kit manufacturer

The current kit of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team are manufactured by British company Admiral on June 2016 in time for the second round of the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifiers. The first kit is the gold combined with black for mainly the home matches and the red with the black are the away uniforms. Before Admiral, the team kits were from China-based Peak Sportswear. The Benna Boys have worn that brand since 2012, after they qualified to the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Kit manufacturer	Period
Virma	2000–2003
Adidas	2006–2011
Peak	2012–2016
Admiral	2016–current

Kit evolution

These are some of the kits worn over the years by the Antigua and Barbuda national football team over the years.

2000 Virma Home Uniform

2006 Adidas Home Uniform

2011 Adidas Home Uniform

2011 Adidas Away Uniform

2012 Peak Home Uniform

2012 Peak Away Uniform

2016 Admiral Home Uniform

2016 Admiral Away Uniform

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did Not Enter									Did Not Enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974	Did Not Qualify									4	0	0	4	3	22
1978	Did Not Enter									Did Not Enter
1982
1986	Did Not Qualify									2	1	0	1	2	5
1990										2	0	0	2	1	4
1994										4	1	1	2	5	6
1998										2	0	1	1	4	6
2002										6	1	2	3	4	15
2006										2	1	0	1	2	3
2010										4	2	0	2	7	8
2014										12	5	1	6	32	18
2018										4	2	0	2	6	6
2022	To Be Determined									To Be Determined
2026	To Be Determined									To Be Determined
Appearances: 0/21	--	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		42	13	5	24	66	93

Gold Cup record

CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS
1991	Did Not Qualify
1993	Did Not Qualify
1996	Did Not Qualify
1998	Did Not Qualify
2000	Did Not Qualify
2002	Did Not Qualify
2003	Did Not Qualify
2005	Did Not Qualify
2007	Did Not Qualify
2009	Did Not Qualify
2011	Did Not Qualify
2013	Did Not Qualify
2015	Did Not Qualify
2017	Did Not Qualify
Appearances: 0/14	--	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Caribbean Cup record

CFU Caribbean Cup record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS
1989	Did Not Qualify
1990	Did Not Qualify
1991	Did Not Qualify
1992	Group Stage	3	0	1	2	2	12	1
1993	Did Not Qualify
1994	Did Not Qualify
1995	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	3	5	3
1996	Withdrew
1997	Group Stage	2	0	0	2	1	5	0
1998	Fourth Place	5	2	0	3	11	9	6
1999	Did Not Qualify
2001	Did Not Qualify
2005	Did Not Qualify
2007	Did Not Qualify
2008	Group Stage	3	0	2	1	3	6	2
2010	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	2	4	3
2012	Group Stage	3	1	0	2	3	3	3
2014	Group Stage	3	0	1	2	2	7	1
2017	Did Not Qualify
Appearances: 8/18	Best: Fourth Place	25	5	4	16	27	51	19

***Red border color indicates that Antigua and Barbuda was the host nation.

Key

  Champion   Runners-up   3rd Place   4th Place   Qualified

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League Qualifier versus Saint Lucia. Caps and goals updated as of April 29, 2018 after match against Jamaica.

Match Dates:
7 September 2018
Opposition:
 Saint Lucia

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Molvin James	(1989-05-08) 8 May 1989	36	0	Tryum
	1GK	Brentton Muhammad	(1990-09-11) 11 September 1990	16	0	Tindastóll
	1GK	Prince Walter	(1995-06-30) 30 June 1995	0	0	Grenades
	2DF	Quinton Griffith	(1992-02-27) 27 February 1992	52	5	Unattached
	2DF	Karanja Mack	(1987-08-04) 4 August 1987	43	0	Parham
	2DF	Zaine Francis-Angol	(1993-06-30) 30 June 1993	20	0	AFC Fylde
	2DF	Mahlon Romeo	(1995-09-19) 19 September 1995	10	0	Millwall
	2DF	Daniel Bowry	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998	2	0	Charlton Athletic
	2DF	Courtney Wildin	(1996-03-30) 30 March 1996	6	0	Nantwich
	2DF	Leroy Graham	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999	1	0	Five Islands
	3MF	Joshua Parker	(1990-12-01) 1 December 1990	26	5	Gillingham
	3MF	Calaum Jahraldo-Martin	(1993-04-27) 27 April 1993	21	3	Newport County
	3MF	Tevaughn Harriette	(1995-06-26) 26 June 1995	14	5	Parham
	3MF	Duran Martin	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996	7	0	Banbury United
	3MF	Thomas Bramble	(2001-05-09) 9 May 2001	1	0	Gillingham
	3MF	Juwan Roberts	(1996-04-05) 5 April 1996	1	0	Swetes
	3MF	Novelle Francis	(1993-03-10) 10 March 1993	1	0	Empire
	4FW	Peter Byers	(1984-10-20) 20 October 1984	84	42	SAP
	4FW	Stefan Smith	(1989-08-11) 11 August 1989	14	2	Old Road
	4FW	Javorn Stevens	(1998-05-09) 9 May 1998	8	1	Greenbay Hoppers
	4FW	Myles Weston	(1988-03-12) 12 March 1988	6	3	Ebbsfleet United
	4FW	Mervyn Hazelwood	(1991-12-06) 6 December 1991	4	1	Tryum
	4FW	Junior Benjamin	(1992-08-13) 13 August 1992	1	0	Ottos Rangers

Recent Call-ups

These are the players that were selected for the Antigua and Barbuda national football team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Connor Peters	(1996-01-26) 26 January 1996	14	0	Unattached	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
DF	Vashami Allen	(1997-05-09) 9 May 1997	4	0	Grenades	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
DF	Joel Jacobs	(1992-10-08) 8 October 1992	2	0	Swetes	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
DF	Akeem Thomas	(1990-01-05) 5 January 1990	49	3	Parham	@  Jamaica, 25 March 2018
MF	Tamarley Thomas	(1983-07-28) 28 July 1983	63	12	Greenbay Hoppers	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
MF	Adriel Jared George	(1996-12-13) 13 December 1996	3	1	North Ferriby United	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
MF	Brandon Emanuel	(1996-07-20) 20 July 1996	1	0	Five Islands	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
MF	Raheem Deterville	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999	0	0	Old Road	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
MF	Eugene Kirwan	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993	12	0	Greenbay Hoppers	@  Jamaica, 25 March 2018
MF	Luther Wildin	(1997-12-03) 3 December 1997	2	0	Stevenage	@  Jamaica, 25 March 2018
MF	Kieran Richards	(1995-06-29) 29 June 1995	2	0	Grenades	@  Jamaica, 25 March 2018
FW	Nathaniel Jarvis	(1991-10-20) 20 October 1991	9	2	Bath City	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
FW	Shalon Knight	(2000-03-24) 24 March 2000	1	0	Swetes	v.  Jamaica, 29 April 2018
FW	Rhys Browne	(1995-11-16) 16 November 1995	9	2	Yeovil Town	@  Jamaica, 25 March 2018

Current Coaching Staff

This is the current coaching staff of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team.

Current Management Staff

Name	Nat	Position
Rolston Williams		Technical Director
Derrick Edwards		Head Coach
Neil Schyan Jeffers		Assistant Coach
Fernando Abraham		Team Manager
Danny Benjamin		Equipment Coordinator
Janiel Simon		Equipment Coordinator
Julio Pichardo		Goalkeeper Coach
Julio Gonzales		Physiotherapist
Philmore Benjamin		Doctor
Troy Gibson		Media Officer

Coaching history

These are some of the head coaches of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team throughout the years.