Barbados national football team

Barbados
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameBajan Tridents
AssociationBarbados Football Association (BFA)
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachKent Hall
CaptainAndre Applewhaite
Most capsNorman Forde (74)
Top scorerLlewellyn Riley (23)[1]
Home stadiumWildey Turf
FIFA codeBRB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 178 Steady (19 January 2026)[2]
Highest92 (October 2009)
Lowest181 (July 2017)
First international
 Barbados 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago 
(Bridgetown, Barbados; 20 April 1929)
Biggest win
Barbados  7–1  Anguilla
(St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda; 24 September 2006)
Biggest defeat
 British Guiana 9–0 Barbados 
(Georgetown, British Guiana; 30 June 1931)
 Trinidad and Tobago 9–0 Barbados 
(Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; 25 March 2022)
CFU Championship / Caribbean Cup
Appearances9 (first in 1978)
Best resultRunners-up (1985)
Medal record

The Barbados national football team represents Barbados in men's international football, which is governed by the Barbados Football Association founded in 1910. It has been a member of FIFA and CONCACAF since 1968. Regionally it is a member of CFU in the Caribbean Zone.

Barbados has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but has participated twice in League B and twice in League C of the CONCACAF Nations League. Regionally, the team finished as runners-up in the CFU Championship in 1985.

Barbados' debut in international competitions was in the 1978 CFU Championship. Their first appearance in World Cup qualifiers was in the 1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification, which also served as the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The team achieved its first victory in 1929, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 3–0.

History

Beginnings (1929–1980)

Barbados played their first international match on April 20, 1929, against Trinidad and Tobago, ending in a 3–0 victory. In the 1930s, they participated in several editions of the Martínez Shield[4] where they suffered their most severe defeat against Guyana (at that time, British Guiana), in Georgetown, in 1931, 9–0.

Barbados had to wait for the qualifying tournament for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games to play its first official competition match against the amateur team of El Salvador, on July 25, 1971, in Bridgetown, a match that saw the Selecta win 0–3. Two years later, Barbados participated in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, in Santo Domingo, although it did not qualify past the first round. On August 15, 1976, Barbados defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2–1 (a brace by Victor Clarke) in the 1978 World Cup qualifiers, which doubled as qualification for the 1977 CONCACAF Championship. In the second leg, the Soca Warriors claimed their revenge (1–0) in Port of Spain, taking the tie to a third tiebreaker game, played in Bridgetown, on September 14, 1976, where Trinidad and Tobago won 1–3, eliminating Barbados.

1980–2000

In the '80s, the Bajan Braves obtained 2nd place in the 1985 CFU Championship. The following year they played the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games, where they reached the quarterfinals, before being eliminated by the hosts, Dominican Republic. At the end of the decade, Barbados hosted the first edition of the Caribbean Cup, without being able to progress beyond the group stage.

In the 90s, Barbados would return to the World Cup qualifiers, in the preliminary tournament for the 1994 World Cup, where it was again eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago (5–1). In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, after beating Dominica with an aggregate score of 2–0, Barbados was beaten down by Jamaica (0–1 in Bridgetown and 2–0 in Kingston). In the Caribbean Cup, the Bajan Braves qualified for the 1994 competition in an infamous match against Grenada where they purposefully scored an own-goal in order to force overtime and help them to advance, and in the final tournament were eliminated in the first round. Barbados subsequently failed to qualify for the annual competition from 1995 to 1999.

2000s

The 21st century started well for Barbados, who eliminated Cuba on penalties (5–4), after two 1–1 draws in Havana and Bridgetown, during the qualifying rounds for the 2002 World Cup. In the second round, they achieved a historic victory at home against Costa Rica (2–1), on July 16, 2000, with goals from Llewellyn Riley and Michael Forde. However, after winning that match, the Barbadians lost the remaining fixtures, wasting their chance to advance to the final hexagonal.

They would return in 2001 to the final phase of the Caribbean Cup, although without much luck after being eliminated again in the first round. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, the Saint Kitts and Nevis team eliminated Barbados in the first phase, with an aggregate score of 5–2. In 2005, Barbados hosted (for the second time) the XII edition of the Caribbean Cup, finishing in 4th place. They also qualified for the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, eliminated both times in the group stage. In the preliminary tournament for the 2010 World Cup, Barbados was eliminated by the United States, over two legs, with a crushing aggregate result of 9–0.

2010–present

The qualifiers heading to the 2014 World Cup were a real ordeal for the Bajan Braves who were placed into a group with Bermuda, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. They finished last in the group, with 2 goals scored and 14 conceded. After being eliminated in the preliminary phase of the Caribbean Cup in 2012 and after 17 months of inactivity, Barbados returned to play an international match, on March 2, 2014, against Jamaica, in Bridgetown, a match that concluded with victory for the Reggae Boyz, 2–0.

In the qualifying rounds for the 2018 World Cup, they would face the US Virgin Islands where they were surprised 0–1 at home, however, Barbados would overcome the deficit by a 0–4 victory on the road. Then they would face Aruba, winning 0–2 as a visitor, then beating them 1–0 at home however Barbados had fielded an ineligible player, Hadan Holligan, who was due to serve a suspension for collecting two yellow cards, therefore the second leg was awarded to Aruba 3–0, seeing them progress, eliminating Barbados.[5]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2025

9 May Friendly Dominica  0–0  Barbados Roseau, Dominica
19:00 AST UTC-4 Stadium: Technical Center
11 May Friendly Dominica  0–0  Barbados Roseau, Dominica
16:00 UTC-4 Stadium: Windsor Park
4 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Barbados  1–1  Aruba Wildey, Barbados
  • Leacock 7' (pen.)
Report (FIFA)
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Andrew Samuel (Trinidad and Tobago)
10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Saint Lucia  2–1  Barbados Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
Report (FIFA)
  • 12' Richards
Stadium: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
Attendance: 144
Referee: Sergio Reyna (Guatemala)
12 November 2025–26 CONCACAF Series Barbados  3–2  Bonaire North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium

Coaching history

Emmerson Boyce played for Barbados and managed Barbados

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF second round matches against Aruba and Saint Lucia on 4 and 10 June 2025.[7]

Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against Saint Lucia

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Jireh Malcolm (2006-11-21) 21 November 2006 5 0 Barbados Football Association Paradise
21 1GK Shaquan Phillips (2002-02-04) 4 February 2002 0 0 Barbados Football Association University of the West Indies
18 1GK Justin Griffith (2005-02-18) 18 February 2005 2 0 The Football Association Macclesfield

2 2DF Ricardio Morris (1993-04-24) 24 April 1993 51 1 Barbados Football Association Weymouth Wales
3 2DF Andre Applewhaite (2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 26 3 United States Soccer Federation Connecticut United
5 2DF Tyrique Bailey (2004-04-21) 21 April 2004 2 0 United States Soccer Federation Indian Hills Community College
12 2DF Carl Hinkson (1997-04-14) 14 April 1997 20 1 Unknown
13 2DF Romario Small (1994-12-16) 16 December 1994 1 0 Barbados Football Association Brittons Hill
15 2DF Kamari Johnson (2007-06-21) 21 June 2007 0 0 Unknown
16 2DF Jayden Goodridge (2004-11-17) 17 November 2004 0 0 Unknown
17 2DF Lemar Catlyn (2002-12-06) 6 December 2002 4 0 Barbados Football Association Ellerton
20 2DF Nicoli Brathwaite (2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 23 0 Romanian Football Federation Progresul Ezeriș

4 3MF Mario Williams (1992-08-19) 19 August 1992 58 0 Barbados Football Association Weymouth Wales
6 3MF Sheran Hoyte (2000-02-21) 21 February 2000 14 2 Barbados Football Association Britton's Hill
8 3MF Jaheim Neblett (2002-09-30) 30 September 2002 3 0 Barbados Football Association Weymouth Wales
9 3MF Tajio James (2003-12-17) 17 December 2003 15 5 United States Soccer Federation Central Arkansas Bears
10 3MF Niall Reid-Stephen (2001-09-08) 8 September 2001 22 11 United States Soccer Federation Tormenta
11 3MF Shamari Harewood (2006-05-25) 25 May 2006 3 0 Barbados Football Association Paradise
14 3MF Jaylan Gilkes (2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 7 0 Barbados Football Association Barbados Soccer Academy
19 3MF Sekani Mayers (1998-09-23) 23 September 1998 0 0 Unknown

7 4FW Omani Leacock (1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 34 5 The Football Association Wealdstone
22 4FW Devonte Richards (2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 8 1 United States Soccer Federation Central Arkansas Bears
23 4FW Khimani Cox (2005-02-14) 14 February 2005 2 0 Barbados Football Association Barbados Soccer Academy

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Kishmar Primus (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 29 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
GK Corey Bridgeman 1 0 Barbados Kick Start v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
GK Nashton Browne (2001-04-12) 12 April 2001 0 0 Barbados Paradise v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
GK Brandon Sumpter (2002-09-18) 18 September 2002 2 0 Australia South West Queensland Thunder v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
GK Kevon Allsopp (2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 1 0 Barbados Deacons v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
GK Liam Brathwaite (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 15 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
GK Raheem Agard (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 1 0 Barbados Whitehall Titans v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023

DF Nathan Walters 4 0 Canada Altitude v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
DF Darius Boyce (2004-05-20) 20 May 2004 1 0 Barbados UWI Cave Hill v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
DF Raquan Clarke 0 0 Barbados Paradise v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
DF Zachary Applewhite (2004-08-20) 20 August 2004 5 1 United States Mount Olive Trojans v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Shay Prescod (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 4 0 United States Oklahoma City Stars v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Nathan Sealy (2004-09-06) 6 September 2004 0 0 United States Murray State University v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Justin White (1991-11-10) 10 November 1991 0 0 Unattached v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Romelle Burgess (1982-03-14) 14 March 1982 39 1 Barbados Paradise v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
DF Akeem Hill (1996-11-01) 1 November 1996 33 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
DF Zachary Ellis-Hayden (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 6 0 Canada Guelph United v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023

MF Hadan Holligan (1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 62 6 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
MF Kevon Lucas (2004-03-11) 11 March 2004 7 0 Barbados Kick Start v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
MF Ethan Taylor (2005-01-19) 19 January 2005 5 1 Barbados Kick Start v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
MF Jaron Oughterson (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 4 0 Barbados UWI v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
MF Elijah Downey (1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 12 1 Barbados Wotton v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
MF Rommell Bynoe (1994-10-31) 31 October 1994 2 0 Barbados Brittons Hill v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
MF Jomo Harris (1995-02-15) 15 February 1995 45 2 Barbados Paradise v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
MF Rashad Jules (1992-06-24) 24 June 1992 39 8 Barbados Ellerton v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023

FW Ackeel Applewhaite (1999-07-17) 17 July 1999 49 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
FW Nadre Butcher (2004-03-06) 6 March 2004 22 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
FW Thierry Gale (2002-05-01) 1 May 2002 15 8 England Bolton Wanderers v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
FW Khalil Vanderpool-Nurse (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 4 0 Sweden Harnosand v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
FW Darian King (1992-04-26) 26 April 1992 1 0 Barbados Wotton v.  Guyana, 19 November 2024
FW Janash Jaunai (2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 1 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Bahamas; 15 October 2024
FW Armando Lashley (1991-11-08) 8 November 1991 43 4 Barbados Paradise v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023

Player records

As of 15 November 2025[8]
Players in bold are still active with Barbados.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Norman Forde 74 18 1998–2011
2 John Parris 64 4 2000–2011
3 Hadan Holligan 62 6 2015–present
4 Gregory Goodridge 61 16 1995–2008
Mario Williams 61 0 2015–present
6 Ricardio Morris 56 1 2012–present
7 Mario Harte 55 15 2008–2019
8 Ackeel Applewhaite 51 2 2017–present
9 Raheim Sargeant 47 3 2010–2019
10 Jomo Harris 45 2 2015–2023
Jonathan Straker 45 2 1998–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Llewellyn Riley 23 43 0.53 1995–2005
2 Norman Forde 18 74 0.24 1998–2011
3 Gregory Goodridge 16 61 0.26 1995–2008
4 Mario Harte 15 55 0.27 2008–2019
5 Niall Reid-Stephen 11 22 0.5 2018–present
Jeff Williams 11 37 0.3 2005–2014
7 Jerry Alexander 9 11 0.82 1995–2000
8 Thierry Gale 8 15 0.53 2018–present
Riviere Williams 8 27 0.3 2003–2011
Rashad Jules 8 39 0.21 2015–2023

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 and 1974 Did not participate Did not participate
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 3 5
Spain 1982 Did not participate Did not participate
Mexico 1986 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1990 Did not participate Did not participate
United States 1994 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
France 1998 4 2 0 2 2 3
South Korea Japan 2002 12 4 3 5 17 27
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 2 5
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 2 10
Brazil 2014 6 0 0 6 2 14
Russia 2018 Disqualified after qualifying for third round[9][10] 4 2 0 2 6 4
Qatar 2022 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 3 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 4 0 1 3 4 10
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/10 45 11 7 27 42 86

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup record
Year Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1963 to 1973 Did not participate
Mexico 1977 Did not qualify
Honduras 1981 Withdrew
1985 to 1991 Did not participate
MexicoUnited States 1993 Did not qualify
United States 1996
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002
MexicoUnited States 2003
United States 2005
United States 2007
United States 2009
United States 2011
United States 2013
CanadaUnited States 2015
United States 2017
Costa RicaJamaicaUnited States 2019
United States 2021
CanadaUnited States 2023
CanadaUnited States 2025
Total 0/17

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
League phase Final phase
Season Div. Group Pos. Pld W D L GF GA P/R Finals Round Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019–20 C A 3rd 6 4 0 2 14 4 Rise United States 2021 Ineligible
2022–23 B A 13th 6 1 0 5 3 9 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B B 16th 6 0 0 6 7 26 Fall United States 2024
2024–25 C A 1st 4 4 0 0 17 4 Rise United States 2025
2026–27 B To be determined 2027
Total 22 9 !0 13 41 43 Total 0/4

Caribbean Cup

CFU Championship / Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 First round 2 0 1 1 0 1
Suriname 1979 Did not participate Did not participate
Puerto Rico 1981 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
French Guiana 1983 4 1 2 1 2 3
Barbados 1985 Runners-up 2nd 3 0 3 0 2 2 Qualified as host
Martinique 1988 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 9
Barbados 1989 Group stage 5th 2 1 0 1 1 3 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 1990 Unfinished[11] 2 1 1 0 5 4 3 2 1 0 3 1
Jamaica 1991 Did not participate Did not participate
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 4
Jamaica 1993 3 2 0 1 9 2
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 3 5 2 1 0 1 4 3
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 2 1 0 1 2 2
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 2 1 1 0 3 1
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 3 1 0 2 6 9
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 5 3 1 1 9 4
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 10 3 2 1 0 9 5
Barbados 2005 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 3 6 6 4 2 0 17 5
Jamaica 2008 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 4 8 5 4 1 0 11 6
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify 3 1 2 0 6 1
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 3 2 0 1 3 2
Jamaica 2014 6 2 1 3 12 13
Martinique 2017 2 1 0 1 1 2
Total Runners-up 9/21 24 2 8 14 22 46 63 31 16 16 113 77

Honours

Subregional

Head-to-head record

As of 15 November 2025, These all-time records are exclusively class 'A' internationals matches.[12]

Key

  Winning record   Equal record   Losing record

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA
 Anguilla 2 2 0 0 8 1
 Antigua and Barbuda 9 6 1 2 16 10
 Aruba 8 5 1 2 17 11
 Bahamas 3 3 0 0 11 5
 Belize 2 0 1 1 0 1
 Bermuda 16 5 4 7 20 29
 Bonaire 2 2 0 0 7 3
 British Virgin Islands 1 1 0 0 2 1
 Canada 3 0 0 3 2 9
 Cayman Islands 3 2 0 1 11 4
 Costa Rica 2 1 0 1 2 4
 Cuba 8 0 4 4 3 12
 Curaçao 2 1 0 1 2 4
 Dominica 15 8 4 3 21 12
 Dominican Republic 5 0 1 4 3 14
 El Salvador 1 0 0 1 0 3
 Finland 1 0 1 0 0 0
 French Guiana 2 0 0 2 0 5
 Grenada 28 11 12 5 48 32
 Guadeloupe 7 1 2 4 5 8
 Guatemala 3 0 1 2 1 5
 Guyana 42 10 12 20 49 80
 Haiti 4 1 0 3 6 11
 Jamaica 23 5 6 12 23 33
 Martinique 14 2 5 7 21 30
 Montserrat 3 1 0 2 9 7
 Netherlands Antilles 5 2 1 2 4 5
 Nicaragua 3 0 0 3 1 10
 Northern Ireland 1 0 1 0 1 1
 Panama 1 0 0 1 0 1
 Puerto Rico 2 0 0 2 0 2
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 4 2 6 19 21
 Saint Lucia 10 5 2 3 19 11
 Saint Martin 2 1 0 1 4 1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 23 8 9 6 36 30
 Suriname 12 4 5 3 13 10
 Sweden 1 0 0 1 0 4
 Trinidad and Tobago 47 6 11 30 38 125
 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 2 0 0 7 0
 U.S. Virgin Islands 7 6 0 1 20 1
 United States 4 0 0 4 0 20
Total 341 105 86 150 449 576

See also

References

  1. ^ "Llewellyn Riley". www.soccer-db.info. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Martinez Shield". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ "FIFA ousts Barbados from World Cup for ineligible player". AP News. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  6. ^ Desk, Sports. "Former Barbados midfielder Kent Hall takes over as head coach of Barbados senior men's national team". Sportsmax. Retrieved 8 September 2024. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ "Barbados 🇧🇧 Tridents Squad for the upcoming CONCACAF 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers". Instagram. barbadosfa. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Barbados". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. ^ FIFA awarded Aruba a 3–0 win as a result of Barbados fielding the ineligible player Hadan Holligan. Holligan failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the competition. The match originally ended 1–0 to Barbados
  10. ^ "Barbados sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015.
  11. ^ Play was suspended when Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted a coup d'état of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament was abandoned altogether after Tropical storm Arthur forced the cancellation of the final round of games. Trinidad and Tobago were to meet Martinique in the final.
  12. ^ "Barbados national football team statistics and records: All-time record". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.