Guyana national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Guyana women's national football team.

Guyana

Nickname(s)	Golden Jaguars
Association	Guyana Football Federation
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Jamaal Shabazz
Captain	Elliot Bonds
Most caps	Walter Moore (77)
Top scorer	Nigel Codrington (18)
Home stadium	Providence Stadium
FIFA code	GUY
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	161 5 (24 October 2024)
Highest	86 (November 2010)
Lowest	185 (February 2004)
First international
British Guiana 1–4 Trinidad and Tobago (British Guiana; 21 July 1905)
Biggest win
Guyana 14–0 Anguilla (St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda; 16 April 1998)
Biggest defeat
Surinam 9–0 British Guiana (Netherlands Antilles; 17 February 1952) Surinam 9–0 British Guiana (Aruba; 9 February 1953) Guyana 0–9 Mexico (Santa Ana, United States; 2 December 1987)
Gold Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best result	Group stage (2019)

The Guyana national football team, nicknamed the Golden Jaguars, represents Guyana in international football and is controlled by the Guyana Football Federation. It is one of three South American nations to be a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF alongside Suriname and French Guiana. Until the independence of Guyana (1966), it competed as British Guiana. They qualified for the Caribbean Nations Cup in 1991, coming fourth, and in 2007. Guyana has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but on 23 March 2019 they qualified for the first time for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

History

British Guiana (1905–59)

Guyana (as British Guiana) played its first international football match on 21 July 1905, a 4–1 defeat against nearby and fellow British colony Trinidad and Tobago. Their next recorded game came almost 16 years later on 28 January 1921, an away 2–1 win against its neighbour Suriname. The two played again in Suriname on 27 August 1923, and on that occasion the hosts won 2–1. British Guiana did not play another match until 1937, when they lost two matches against Trinidad and Tobago in Suriname: 3–0 and 3–2. After seven years without a match, British Guiana entered a three-team tournament in Trinidad & Tobago against its national side and Barbados. They won twice against Barbados (1–0 and 3–0) before drawing 1–1 and losing 3–0 to Trinidad and Tobago. In the final of this Trinagular tournament they again lost 3–0 to Trinidad and Tobago.

In November 1947 British Guiana played in a Standard Life tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. They beat the hosts 2–1 in their opening game on 5 November before beating Jamaica 2–0 the very next day. On 10 November they drew 0–0 with Jamaica before losing 2–0 to Trinidad and Tobago in the last game on 14 November.

British Guiana played its first home games in 1950 against Trinidad and Tobago: these were British Guiana's first matches since the Standard Life tournament. British Guiana lost 1–0 and 4–1 before winning 1–0. The last match played under the name British Guiana was the next match on 2 March 1959 – a 2–2 draw against Trinidad and Tobago.

Guyana

After independence in 1966, Guyana did not play a match for five years. Their first fixtures under their new name were qualifiers for the 1971 CONCACAF Championship against Suriname. The first match, away, was lost 4–1 and the home match on 21 September 1971 was lost 3–2 as Suriname advanced 7–3 on aggregate. In 1976 Guyana entered its first ever World Cup qualification campaign with the aim of reaching the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. Guyana and Suriname were drawn in a two-legged preliminary in the Caribbean section of CONCACAF qualification and Guyana won the first leg 2–0 at home on 4 July 1976. The second leg in Paramaribo was lost 3–0 which allowed Suriname to advance.

2006

Guyana had a remarkable calendar year in 2006, with eleven successive wins, including five CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers These results boosted Guyana's spot in the FIFA World Rankings by 87 spots in little over a year. As a consequence, the team rose to the top 12 in CONCACAF and were in the third rank of seeds in the World Cup qualifying draw.

Caribbean Nations Cup 2007

At the 2006–07 Caribbean Nations Cup, Guyana finished top of Group A in Stage One, then top of Group H in Stage Two (which they hosted), and finished 3rd in the Bobby Sookram Group, missing out on a semi-final berth on goal difference alone. Had Guyana reached the semi-finals, they would have qualified for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

2014 World Cup qualifying

With the return of international coach Jamaal Shabazz, Guyana finished top of a group containing Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Bermuda to reach the third round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They qualified with one game to go with a 2–1 home win against Trinidad and Tobago on 11 November 2011.

Guyana organised friendly matches against Colombia, Bolivia, Jamaica and Panama for the first team. In the third round group, they finished last, behind Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador, with one point from their six matches.

Lack of football 2013/14

From November 2012 to October 2014 Guyana did not play a single international fixture. This amongst other factors led to FIFA stepping in and removing the GFF executive at the end of 2014.

2015 and 2016 return of the Golden Jaguars

With FIFA stepping into Guyana once again, a FIFA Normalisation Committee was installed to regularise football in Guyana. With this came the search for a National Team Head Coach with Jamaal Shabazz reinstalled initially for one game versus Barbados in Jan 2015. As Guyana had lost many first team players to retirement since 2012, the squad was a new younger group with major gaps in the goalkeeper and defensive areas.

However a 2–2 draw with Barbados was enough for Shabazz and his staff, consisting of assistant coach Wayne Wiggy Dover, Operations Manager Mark Xavier, Team Manager Faizal Khan, Kit Man Trevor Burnett, GoalKeeper Coach Andrew Hazell, Physical Trainer Anson Ambrose, Medical Officer Denzil Hernandez.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Guyana national football team results

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

2023

Guyana v Antigua and Barbuda

21 November 2023–24 Nations League	Guyana	6–0	Antigua and Barbuda	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
20:00 UTC−4	Benjamin 7' Glasgow 36' Moriah-Welsh 45' De Rosario 67' Lovell 90' Moore 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Referee: Sergio Rozenhout (Suriname)

2024

Cape Verde v Guyana

21 March 2024 FIFA Series	Cape Verde	1–0	Guyana	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3	Mendes 2'	Report		Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Referee: Shukri Al-Hunfush (Saudi Arabia)

Guyana v Cambodia

26 March 2024 FIFA Series	Guyana	4–1	Cambodia	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3		Report		Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City

Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana

13 May Friendly

Trinidad and Tobago

2–1

Guyana

Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana

15 May Friendly

Trinidad and Tobago

2–0

Guyana

Panama v Guyana

6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Panama	2–0	Guyana	Panama City, Panama
19:30 UTC−5	Martínez 62' Rodríguez 65'	Report (FIFA) Report (CONCACAF)		Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández Attendance: 8,575 Referee: Filiberto Martinez (El Salvador)

Guyana v Belize

11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Guyana	3–1	Belize	Wildey, Barbados
18:00 UTC−4	Moore 66', 72' Gordon 67'	Report (FIFA) Report (CONCACAF)	Bernárdez 89'	Stadium: Wildey Turf Referee: Reon Radix (Grenada)

Guyana v Suriname

5 September 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League	Guyana	1–3	Suriname	Leonora, Guyana
16:00 UTC−4	Glasgow 43' (pen.)	Report	Van der Kust 18' Montnor 66' Misidjan 83'	Stadium: Synthetic Track and Field Facility, Leonora Attendance: 500 Referee: Christopher Mason (Jamaica)

Martinique v Guyana

9 September 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League	Martinique	2–2	Guyana	Fort-de-France, Martinique
20:00 UTC−4	Labeau 45+2' Varane 86'	Report	Jones 14', 24'	Stadium: Stade Pierre-Aliker, Fort-de-France Attendance: 220 Referee: Kwinsi Williams (Trinidad and Tobago)

Guyana v Guatemala

11 October 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League	Guyana	1-3	Guatemala	Leonora, Guyana
21:00 UTC−6	Duke-Mckenna 31'	Report	Santis 17, 68' Castellanos 61'	Stadium: National Track and Field Leonora Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador)

Suriname v Guyana

15 October 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League	Suriname	5-1	Guyana	Paramaribo, Suriname
20:00 UTC−3	Becker 3, 10' Misidjan 33' Jubitana 51' Haps 69'	Report	Jones 13'	Stadium: Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion Referee: Steffon Dewar (Jamaica)

Barbados v Guyana

Guyana v Barbados

2025

Nicaragua v Guyana

6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nicaragua	v	Guyana	TBA
		Report		Stadium: TBA

Guyana v Montserrat

10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Guyana	v	Montserrat	TBA
		Report		Stadium: TBA

Coaching staff

As of 21 November 2023

Head coach	Jamaal Shabazz
Assistant coach	Ibraheem Anil
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Renzo Patel
Team Manager	Tyrese Stanley
Goalkeeping coach	Evon Cobaine
Kitman	Hal Portius
Head scout	Romild Christie
GFF President	Wayne Forde
Technical director	Gennarius Huxley

Coaching history

• Feroze Usman (1975–82)
• Mervyn Wilson (1983)
• Lennox Arthur (1984–1987)
• Mervyn Wilson (1988)
• Gordon Braithwaite (1991–1992)
• Mervyn Wilson (1993–1994)
• Earl O'Neal (1996)
• Deryck White (1998)
• Joseph Wilson (2000–2002)
• Neider dos Santos (2002–2004)
• Jamaal Shabazz (2005–2009)
• Wayne Dover (2009–2010)
• Jamaal Shabazz (2011–2012)
• Denzil Thompson (2014)
• Jamaal Shabazz (2015–2016)
• Wayne Dover (2017)
• Michael Johnson (2018–2019)
• Márcio Máximo (2019–2021)
• Jamaal Shabazz (2021–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League A matches against Guatemala and Suriname on 11 and 15 October 2024.

Caps and goals updated as of 15 October 2024, after the match against Suriname.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Akel Clarke	(1988-10-25) 25 October 1988	21	0	Slingerz
	1GK	Quillan Roberts	(1994-09-13) 13 September 1994	20	0	Western Suburbs
	1GK	Kai McKenzie-Lyle	(1997-11-30) 30 November 1997	13	1	Oxford City
	2DF	Colin Nelson	(1991-08-09) 9 August 1991	39	1	Guyana Defence Force
	2DF	Leo Lovell	(1996-12-06) 6 December 1996	27	2	Slingerz
	2DF	Liam Gordon	(1999-05-15) 15 May 1999	22	2	Walsall
	2DF	Terence Vancooten	(1997-12-29) 29 December 1997	21	1	Burton Albion
	2DF	Jalen Jones	(1998-11-13) 13 November 1998	17	1	Oxford City
	2DF	Curtez Kellman	(1998-03-06) 6 March 1998	17	0	Slingerz
	2DF	Jeremy Garrett	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000	15	1	Slingerz
	2DF	Reiss Greenidge	(1996-08-10) 10 August 1996	8	0	Maidstone United
	2DF	Raushan Ritch	(2000-04-05) 5 April 2000	5	0	Slingerz
	3MF	Daniel Wilson	(1993-11-01) 1 November 1993	65	1	Western Tigers
	3MF	Stephen Duke-McKenna	(2000-08-17) 17 August 2000	26	2	Harrogate Town
	3MF	Kadell Daniel	(1994-06-03) 3 June 1994	25	3	Croydon Athletic
	3MF	Nathan Moriah-Welsh	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002	20	3	Hibernian
	3MF	Ryan Hackett	(1999-09-11) 11 September 1999	11	0	Guyana Defence Force
	3MF	Nathan Ferguson	(1995-10-12) 12 October 1995	8	0	Maidenhead United
	4FW	Kelsey Benjamin	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999	36	8	Guyana Defence Force
	4FW	Omari Glasgow	(2003-11-22) 22 November 2003	28	17	Chicago Fire FC II
	4FW	Deon Moore	(1999-05-14) 14 May 1999	15	5	Woking F.C.
	4FW	Osaze De Rosario	(2001-07-19) 19 July 2001	5	1	Tacoma Defiance
	4FW	Isaiah Jones	(1999-06-26) 26 June 1999	4	2	Middlesbrough
	4FW	Benjamin Opara	(1994-04-19) 19 April 1994	0	0	Guyana Defence Force

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Jamain Cumberbatch	(1999-04-21) 21 April 1999	2	0	Guyana Defence Force	v. Cambodia; 26 March 2024
DF	Samuel Cox	(1990-10-10) 10 October 1990	35	0	Oxford City	v. Martinique; 9 September 2024RET
DF	Quincy Adams	(1989-01-07) 7 January 1989	26	1	Slingerz	v. Belize; 11 June 2024
DF	Miquel Scarlett	(2000-09-27) 27 September 2000	6	0	Chatham Town	v. Panama; 7 June 2024
DF	Terique Mohammed	(2000-01-27) 27 January 2000	1	0	Des Moines Menace	v. Trinidad and Tobago; 15 May 2024
DF	Kevin Layne	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998	10	0	Police	v. Cambodia; 26 March 2024
DF	Marcus Simmons	(2000-07-16) 16 July 2000	1	0	Sigma FC	v. Cambodia; 26 March 2024
DF	Amos Ramsey	(1991-12-20) 20 December 1991	4	0	Guyana Defence Force	v. Cambodia; 26 March 2024
MF	Elliot Bonds	(2000-03-23) 23 March 2000	21	0	Fleetwood Town	v. Martinique; 9 September 2024
MF	Darron Niles	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003	4	0	Slingerz	v. Belize; 9 June 2024
FW	Ryan Khedoo	(1999-10-27) 27 October 1999	1	1	St. Charles FC	v. Cambodia; 26 March 2024
INJ Withdrew due to injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Retired from the national team. WD Withdrew for personal reasons.

Player records

As of 15 October 2024

Players in bold are still active with Guyana.

Most appearances

Walter Moore is Guyana's most capped player with 77 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Walter Moore	77	5	2004–2019
2	Daniel Wilson	65	1	2011–present
3	Charles Pollard	60	3	1996–2012
4	Anthony Abrams	58	15	2004–2017
5	Trayon Bobb	51	12	2011–present
6	Howard Lowe	46	1	2002–2010
	Gregory Richardson	46	17	2002–2019
8	Dwain Jacobs	42	1	2008–2017
9	Kayode McKinnon	41	4	2002–2012
10	Colin Nelson	39	1	2009–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Nigel Codrington	18	26	0.69	2001–2010
2	Omari Glasgow	17	28	0.61	2021–present
	Gregory Richardson	17	46	0.37	2002–2019
4	Anthony Abrams	15	58	0.26	2004–2017
5	Trayon Bobb	12	51	0.24	2011–present
6	Neil Danns	11	25	0.44	2015–2023
	Emery Welshman	11	28	0.39	2015–present
8	Randolph Jerome	9	21	0.43	1998–2008
	Sheldon Holder	9	34	0.26	2011–2021
10	Vurlon Mills	8	32	0.25	2011–2019
	Kelsey Benjamin	8	36	0.22	2017–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup										FIFA World Cup qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1970	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1974	Did not enter									Declined participation
1978	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	3
1982										6	2	0	4	8	13
1986										2	0	1	1	1	2
1990										2	0	0	2	0	5
1994										2	0	1	1	2	3
1998										2	0	0	2	1	8
2002	Suspended by FIFA									Suspended by FIFA
2006	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	8
2010										2	0	0	2	1	3
2014										12	4	2	6	14	30
2018										2	0	2	0	6	6
2022										4	1	0	3	4	8
2026	To be determined									2	1	0	1	3	3
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/13								40	9	6	25	43	92

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Main article: Guyana at the CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter										Did not enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1977	Did not qualify										2	1	0	1	2	3
1981											6	2	0	4	8	13
1985											2	0	1	1	1	2
1989											2	0	0	2	0	5
1991											6	2	1	3	9	15
1993											3	1	0	2	3	7
1996											2	0	0	2	0	7
1998	Did not enter										Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify										5	1	2	2	19	12
2002											3	2	0	1	4	3
2003											2	1	0	1	2	2
2005	Withdrew										Withdrew
2007	Did not qualify										9	7	1	1	28	7
2009											5	1	3	1	7	5
2011											3	0	1	2	1	6
2013											8	4	0	4	15	11
2015											3	0	1	2	0	4
2017											6	3	0	3	21	12
2019	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	3	9	Squad		4	3	0	1	14	3
2021	Did not qualify										7	3	1	3	12	14
2023											8	3	2	3	9	17
Total	Group stage	1/27	3	0	1	2	3	9	—		86	34	13	39	155	148

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
League											Finals
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R		Finals	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2019–20	B	C	6	3	1	2	12	10			2021	Ineligible
2022–23	B	B	6	3	1	2	8	14			2023
2023–24	B	D	5	5	0	0	20	5			2024
2024–25	A	A	To be determined								2025	To be determined
Total	—	—	17	11	2	4	40	29	—		Total	0 Titles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Caribbean Cup

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1978	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	4
1979	Did not enter									Did not enter
1981
1983	Did not qualify									4	1	2	1	3	5
1985										2	1	1	0	1	1
1988										2	0	0	2	0	5
1989	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify									3	0	2	1	1	6
1991	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	4	14		2	1	1	0	5	1
1992	Did not qualify									3	1	1	1	4	5
1993										3	1	0	2	3	7
1994										2	0	0	2	1	4
1995										2	0	0	2	0	7
1996										2	1	0	1	3	3
1997										4	1	1	2	5	9
1998										3	1	1	1	17	4
1999										2	0	1	1	2	4
2001										3	2	0	1	4	3
2005	Withdrew									Withdrew
2007	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	4	5		6	6	0	0	24	2
2008	Did not qualify									5	1	3	1	7	5
2010	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	1	6		6	4	1	1	9	4
2012	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	11	9
2014										3	0	1	2	0	4
2017										6	3	0	3	21	12
Total	Fourth place	3/25	10	2	2	6	9	25		71	27	15	29	122	104

See also

• Guyana national under-20 football team
• Guyana national under-17 football team
• Football in Guyana

External links

• Official website
• Guyana – FIFA profile