Can Guyana realistically make the FIFA 2026 World Cup?

By Jafar Gibbons

Every country dreams of having their national team play at the FIFA World Cup, these are the aspirations of our country’s President and with the hype of the President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Guyana has started on its journey to make it the 2026 World Cup.

We now have a chance of entering, as the reason is, come 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be expanding from its current format of 32 teams to 48 teams. So, can Guyana realistically make the World Cup, with this new development?

My concern is that presently, Guyana does not have the necessary facilities to aid in the development in the sport to such heights, Mr. Forde (President of the GFF), recently commented that we only have 3 facilities.

The Guyana National Stadium at Providence is not always available since Cricket is given preference, the artificial facility at Providence does not have lights to accommodate night matches, and Leonora has to undergo upgrades, while it was made known recently that it cannot host international matches. Concerns can be raised as to whether we can actually make it at the next world cup with just 3 years of preparation.

Our Elite League, which features, at least on paper, the top clubs in Guyana, hasn’t been played in years, and local tournaments, sadly, cannot be used to justify or indicate development in the sport. Comparing that, with the youth programs of the nations above us in rankings, along with their incorporation into the senior team, viable senior leagues, the exportation of exceptional talent, along with prudent administration at all levels, I believe Guyana football lacks even more.

Our infrastructural crisis, can be remedied by investment in new and upgraded facilities. However, with stadiums still not built, and a realistic timeline of 2025-2026, I’m afraid, that is still too short a time to expect players to develop, in order to beat other powerhouses of the region, to qualify for the World Cup.

This development must be complemented by competent Guyanese coaches such as Former players, the likes of Christopher Nurse, Walter Moore, and Kayode McKinnon, who have qualified themselves in football, must be given the opportunity to mold our next generation of talent.

Lastly, regular football at all levels must be played. There must be a bigger investment in playing on FIFA match dates, along with exploring options to play opponents outside of the Caribbean region I am of the opinion that we must expose ourselves to increased competition level, if we are to comparably match them, or do better, these are things that we have to start, and should have started since yesterday.