Antigua and Barbuda ended their campaign in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football) Region in the second round of qualifying matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals with another defeat on Tuesday evening.
The Antigua and Barbuda senior Benna Boys wrapped up their campaign with a 2-0 loss away to Group A winners Honduras in their fourth and final encounter at the Estadio José de la Paz Herrera Uclés in Tegucigalpa.
Following a goalless first half, Honduras took the lead in the 49th minute by Getsel Montes, who scored a header after receiving a pass from Joseph Rosales.
Anthony Lozano squandered a chance to score for the home side when his penalty kick in the 64th minute was saved by Antigua and Barbuda’s goalkeeper Shahoi Dorsett, who produced an outstanding performance for the Benna Boys.
However, Alexy Vega doubled his team’s advantage when he scored their second goal from outside the box in the 80th minute to seal the victory for Honduras.
Antigua and Barbuda finished at the bottom of the five-team Group A with one point after drawing one and losing their other three matches.
It was the fourth win in as many games for Honduras, who won Group A with a perfect 12 points. The group winners and runners-up, Bermuda, will progress to the third and final round of World Cup qualifiers.
Bermuda snatched a 2-1 victory against Cuba in their final Group A match at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Tuesday.
The Bermudans took the lead in the 6th minute with a goal from close range by Djair Parfitt-Williams.
Jorge Aguirre equalized for Cuba in the 58th minute by putting the finishing touch on a pass from Marcos Campo.
But Reggie Lambe reclaimed the lead for Bermuda by scoring his team’s winner in the 74th minute with a poised finish in the box after connecting on a through ball from Ne-Jai Tucker.
With the victory, Bermuda overtook Cuba for the second place in Group A and booked their ticket to the final round of CONCACAF Qualifiers.
Following the completion of the second round, 12 teams, comprising the group winners and runners-up, are progressing to the third and final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.
The second round of the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup featured 30 CONCACAF member associations that are also FIFA members (excluding the three World Cup hosts, Canada, Mexico, and the United States).
For the second round, the 30 participating teams were divided into six groups of five each during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers official draw on January 25, 2024.
The third and final round matches will be played during the September, October, and November 2025 FIFA Match Windows.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations and the first North American World Cup since 1994. Argentina is the defending World Cup champion.
