Belize national football team

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

Belize
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Jaguars
The Unbelizeables
AssociationFootball Federation of Belize (FFB)
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationUNCAF (Central America)
Head coachDavid Pérez Asensio
CaptainEvral Trapp
Most capsDeon McCaulay (63)
Top scorerDeon McCaulay (28)
Home stadiumFFB Stadium
FIFA codeBLZ
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 182 Steady (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest114 (April–June 2016)
Lowest201 (November 2007 – January 2008)
First international
 British Honduras 1–0 Honduras 
(British Honduras; 19 February 1928)
as Belize
 El Salvador 3–0 Belize 
(San Salvador, El Salvador; 29 November 1995)
Biggest win
 Belize 7–1 Nicaragua 
(Belize City, Belize; 17 April 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Costa Rica 7–0 Belize 
(San José, Costa Rica; 17 March 1999)
 Mexico 7–0 Belize 
(Monterrey, Mexico; 21 June 2008)
Gold Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2013)
Best resultGroup stage (2013)

The Belize national football team represents Belize in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belize, a member of the Central American Football Union of CONCACAF.

Although Belize has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup tournament, it has once qualified for a CONCACAF Gold Cup championship in 2013, in which they were eliminated in the group stage. Belize has also competed in the sub-regional Central American Cup championship in which their best result was fourth place in 2013. The nickname for the players of the national team is the "Jaguars".

History[edit]

Overview[edit]

Named British Honduras whilst under British colonial rule, the country's first international game came on February 19, 1928, beating Honduras 1–0. Following independence, Belize's first game came on December 8, 1983, in a 2–0 loss against Canada in Belize.[3] Although Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1981 (and many of the UK's current colonies have international teams), Belize did not begin to regularly play international football until 1995. It made its debut at the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup and was eliminated in the first round after losing to El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Belize has never qualified for the World Cup but finished fourth in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana. Their fourth-place finish in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana gave Belize its first qualification to a major international competition, that being the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

June 2011 suspension by FIFA[edit]

On June 15, 2011, Belize kicked off its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign against minnows Montserrat, winning 2–5 away in a match played in the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad. However, the return which was scheduled for June 19 was postponed by FIFA when they suspended the FFB due to governmental interference.[4]

Team image[edit]

In February 2023 the Football Federation of Belize unveiled a new logo that would represent Belize’s national teams. Created by Rolando Ramirez, the new logo prominently features a Jaguar, the nickname of the team. The FFB hoped that the new image would promote unity and pride in the Belize football community.[5]

Stadium[edit]

FFB Stadium in Belmopan is the home stadium for the Belize national football team. Prior to this stadium, Belize had no facilities that met FIFA specifications. Apart from this Belize has many fields to play on but with no facilities for the players.

Results and fixtures[edit]

Main article: Belize 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[edit]

27 March 2022–23 Nations League Dominican Republic  2–0  Belize San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
18:00 (UTC−4)
Report Stadium: Estadio Panamericano
Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba)
8 September 2023–24 Nations League Belize  1–2  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fort-de-France, Martinique
16:00 UTC−4
  • Mensah 18'
 Report
Stadium: Stade Pierre-Aliker
Referee: Oliver Vergara (Panama)
12 September 2023–24 Nations League French Guiana  0–2  Belize Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana
16:30 UTC−3 Report
Stadium: Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama
Referee: Hakeem Harvey (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
13 October 2023–24 Nations League Belize  0–1  Bermuda Belmopan, Belize
20:00 UTC−6 Report
Stadium: FFB Stadium
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)
17 October 2023–24 Nations League Bermuda  1–1  Belize Devonshire Parish, Bermuda
19:30 UTC−3
Report
Stadium: Dame Flora Duffy National Sports Centre
Referee: David Gómez (Costa Rica)
17 November 2023–24 Nations League Belize  1–0  French Guiana Belmopan, Belize
20:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: FFB Stadium
Referee: Jefferson Escobar (Honduras)
21 November 2023–24 Nations League Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  3–0  Belize St. George's, Grenada
15:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Kirani James Athletic Stadium
Referee: Kimbell Ward (St. Kitts and Nevis)

2024[edit]

21 March Friendly Belize  1–1  Puerto Rico Belmopan, Belize
19:30 UTC−6
Report
Stadium: FFB Stadium
24 March Friendly Belize  3–0  Puerto Rico Belmopan, Belize
18:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: FFB Stadium
8 June 2024 (2024-06-08) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Belize  v  Nicaragua
Report
11 June 2024 (2024-06-11) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Guyana  v  Belize
Report

2025[edit]

4 June 2025 (2025-06-04) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Montserrat  v  Belize
Report
7 June 2025 (2025-06-07) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Belize  v  Panama
Report

Coaching staff[edit]

Name Nat Position
David Perez Asensio Spain Head coach
Philip Marin Honduras Technical director
Jack Striders Belize Technical director
Carlos Slusher Belize Assistant Head coach
Peter Jones Belize Assistant Head coach
Kent Gabourel Sr. Belize Goalkeeping coach
Shaun Woodmac Belize Physical Trainer
Thomas Rivars Belize Physiotherapist

Coaching history[edit]

Since the creation of the national team in 1995, several coaches have been in charge of managing Belize. From 1995 to 1996, Winston Michael was appointed as Belize's first ever manager. As of January 2012, the Belize national football team has had 11 managers.

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up for the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations matches against French Guiana and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 16 and 20 November 2023.[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 October 2023, after the match against  Bermuda.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Charles Tillett (2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 22) 12 0 Belize Progresso
1GK Luisito Cunil (1989-11-01) 1 November 1989 (age 34) 0 0 Belize Progresso
1GK Mateo Can 0 0 Belize Benque D.C. United
2DF Evral Trapp (1987-01-22) 22 January 1987 (age 37) 49 0 Belize Verdes
2DF Eugene Martínez (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 26) 9 1 Canada Vancouver FC
2DF Deshawon Nembhard (1994-10-08) 8 October 1994 (age 29) 9 1 United States Tormenta
2DF Collin Westby (1995-02-19) 19 February 1995 (age 29) 8 0 Belize Altitude
2DF Jahron Myvette (1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 (age 28) 4 0 Belize Verdes
2DF Allan Barillas (1999-01-13) 13 January 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Belize Altitude
2DF Makonnan Clare (1994-08-29) 29 August 1994 (age 29) 3 0 United States Dalton United
2DF Jaylen Lennan 0 0 Belize Benque D.C. United
2DF Dedron Baptist 0 0 Belize Progresso
3MF Nana-Yaw Amankwah-Mensah (1989-01-19) 19 January 1989 (age 35) 28 1 United States South Carolina United Heat
3MF Jordy Polanco (1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 (age 27) 23 2 Belize Verdes
3MF Nahjib Guerra (1994-08-18) 18 August 1994 (age 29) 11 0 Belize Benque Viejo United
3MF Eldon Reneau (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 20) 10 1 Belize Verdes
3MF Warren Moss (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 24) 8 1 United States Indiana Tech Warriors
3MF Andir Chi (2000-11-17) 17 November 2000 (age 23) 5 0 Belize Progresso
3MF Jovaunn Ramos (2002-03-24) 24 March 2002 (age 22) 5 0 United States University of Northwestern Ohio
3MF Alwin Zelaya (2001-08-29) 29 August 2001 (age 22) 1 0 Belize Progresso
3MF Latrell Middleton (1999-11-03) 3 November 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Belize Port Layola
4FW Michael Salazar (1992-11-15) 15 November 1992 (age 31) 22 3 United States Los Angeles Force
4FW Carlos Bernárdez (1992-12-28) 28 December 1992 (age 31) 13 2 Honduras Victoria
4FW Horace Ávila (1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 (age 24) 8 1 Belize San Pedro Pirates
4FW Gilroy Thurton (1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 30) 5 0 Belize Port Layola
4FW Jonard Castillo (1999-12-11) 11 December 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Belize Belmopan Bandits
4FW Félix Martínez (2005-07-09) 9 July 2005 (age 18) 1 1 Belize Verdes

Recent call-ups[edit]

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 Kenroy Tillett (2001-09-20) 20 September 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Belize Port Layola v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
GK Earl Dyck (2003-10-21) 21 October 2003 (age 20) 0 0 United States South Carolina United Heat v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
DF Kyle Flowers (1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 31) 3 0 Belize Altitude v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 12 September, 2023
DF Alence Ayala (1999-04-24) 24 April 1999 (age 24) 1 0 Belize Verdes v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 12 September, 2023
DF Donell Arzú (1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 24) 8 0 Belize Progresso v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
DF Asrel Sutherland (1993-03-08) 8 March 1993 (age 31) 6 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
DF Jordan Casanova (2004-04-30) 30 April 2004 (age 19) 1 0 United States Angelina College v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
MF Darrel Myvett (1993-12-15) 15 December 1993 (age 30) 12 0 Belize Verdes v.  Bermuda; 17 October, 2023
MF Izon Gill (1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 24) 1 0 Belize Verdes v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
MF Trimayne Harris (1997-12-20) 20 December 1997 (age 26) 6 0 Belize Verdes v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
MF Denmark Casey (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 30) 25 1 Belize Belmopan Bandits v.  Dominican Republic; 27 March, 2023
FW Michael Palacio (2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Belize Port Layola v.  Bermuda; 17 October, 2023
FW Krisean López (1998-11-02) 2 November 1998 (age 25) 24 3 El Salvador Platense v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 12 September, 2023
FW Angelo Cappello (2002-01-27) 27 January 2002 (age 22) 7 1 England Halifax Town v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 12 September, 2023
FW Moisés Hernández (1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 25) 0 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 12 September, 2023

Records[edit]

As of 24 March 2024[7]
Players in bold are still active with Belize.

Most appearances[edit]

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Deon McCaulay 63 28 2007–present
2 Elroy Smith 61 6 2004–2019
3 Ian Gaynair 57 2 2007–2022
4 Evral Trapp 53 0 2010– present
5 Woodrow West 45 0 2008–present
6 Dalton Eiley 41 0 2005–2019
Daniel Jiménez 41 2 2008–2019
8 Harrison Róchez 40 5 2004–2019
9 Trevor Lennan 37 1 2005–2019
10 Elroy Kuylen 33 6 2009–2019

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Deon McCaulay 28 63 0.44 2007–present
2 Elroy Kuylen 6 33 0.18 2009–2019
Elroy Smith 6 61 0.1 2004–2019
4 Dion Frazer 5 8 0.63 2000–2008
Harrison Róchez 5 40 0.13 2004–2019
6 Norman Nuñez 3 11 0.27 1995–2005
Carlos Bernárdez 3 14 0.21 2019–present
Vallan Symms 3 20 0.15 2000–2011
Krisean Lopez 3 26 0.12 2018–present
Michael Salazar 3 23 0.13 2013–present

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L F A Pld W D L F A
1930 to 1978 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
1982 and 1986 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1990 and 1994 Did not enter Declined participation
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 6
South Korea Japan 2002 4 0 1 3 2 10
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 0 8
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 4 11
Brazil 2014 8 4 1 3 17 13
Russia 2018 6 2 3 1 7 6
Qatar 2022 3 1 0 2 5 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/9 29 8 6 15 37 59

CONCACAF Gold Cup[edit]

Main article: Belize at the CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Championship & CONCACAF Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981
1985 Not a CONCACAF member Not a CONCACAF member
1989 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1991
Mexico United States 1993
United States 1996 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
United States 1998 2 0 1 1 1 2
United States 2000 2 0 0 2 1 12
United States 2002 2 0 1 1 3 7
Mexico United States 2003 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2005 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 0 7
United States 2007 3 0 0 3 3 7
United States 2009 3 0 1 2 3 7
United States 2011 3 0 1 2 3 8
United States 2013 Group stage 12th 3 0 0 3 1 11 Squad 5 1 1 3 2 4
Canada United States 2015 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 1 6
United States 2017 5 0 1 4 2 10
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019 4 2 0 2 6 3
United States 2021 6 2 0 4 6 12
Canada United States 2023 6 0 1 5 2 10
Total Group stage 1/18 3 0 0 3 1 11 — 49 5 5 39 34 100

CONCACAF Nations League[edit]

CONCACAF Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG Grp Pos. Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos. Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
2019−20 B A 3rd 6 2 0 4 6 12 Same position 24th United States 2020 Did not qualify
2022–23 B D 4th 6 0 1 5 2 10 Same position 28th United States 2023
2023–24 B C 4th 6 2 1 3 5 7 Fall 29th United States 2024
2024–25 C To be determined 2025
Total 18 4 2 12 13 29 29th Total — — — — — — —

Copa Centroamericana[edit]

Copa Centroamericana record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Costa Rica 1991 Did not enter
Honduras 1993
El Salvador 1995 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 5
Guatemala 1997 Preliminary round 7th 2 0 1 1 1 2
Costa Rica 1999 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 12
Honduras 2001 6th 2 0 1 1 3 7
Panama 2003 Did not enter
Guatemala 2005 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 0 7
El Salvador 2007 7th 3 0 0 3 3 7
Honduras 2009 7th 3 0 1 2 3 7
Panama 2011 7th 3 0 1 2 3 8
Costa Rica 2013 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 2 4
United States 2014 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 6
Panama 2017 6th 5 0 1 4 2 10
Total Fourth place 10/13 30 1 6 23 19 69

The 1995 tournament in El Salvador saw Belize's international debut. They played the hosts in their first-ever international on November 29 in Group A. El Salvador won 3–0 with all goals coming in the second half.[8] On December 1, Belize scored their first-ever international goal as they lost 2–1 to Costa Rica and were eliminated from the tournament. Both other teams advanced to the semi-finals and were defeated there, Costa Rica's conqueror Honduras beat Guatemala in the final.

Head-to-head record[edit]

Updated on 21 November 2023 after match against  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[9]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent P W D L GF GA GF
 Bahamas 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Barbados 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1
 Bermuda 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1
 Canada 5 0 1 4 1 14 −13
 Cayman Islands 2 0 2 0 1 1 0
 Costa Rica 6 0 0 6 1 18 −17
 Cuba 3 1 0 2 3 9 −6
 Dominican Republic 4 2 0 2 5 5 0
 El Salvador 10 0 0 10 6 29 −23
 French Guiana 6 3 1 2 6 4 +2
 Grenada 5 2 0 3 11 11 0
 Guatemala 13 0 4 9 10 23 −13
 Guyana 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1
 Haiti 1 0 0 1 0 2 –2
 Honduras 10 1 0 9 4 24 −20
 Jamaica 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
 Mexico 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9
 Montserrat 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4
 Nicaragua 12 4 3 5 19 21 –2
 Panama 6 0 2 4 3 10 −7
 Puerto Rico 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4 2 1 1 5 6 −1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 2 2 2 6 7 –1
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 1 0 0 5 0 +5
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
 United States 1 0 0 1 1 6 −5
Total 109 25 20 64 107 208 −101

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  3. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Belize". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Suspension of the Football Federation of Belize – FIFA
  5. ^ Iglesias, Rubén Morales. "Unleashing the power of The Jaguars: Football Federation of Belize reveals new Belize National Football Team logo by Rolando Ramirez". Breaking Belize News. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  6. ^ "Squad List". Facebook. Football Federation of Belize - FFB.
  7. ^ "Belize". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Belize - List of International Matches". Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
  9. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Belize". Elo Ratings. Retrieved October 24, 2018.

External links[edit]

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