The last time that the inhabitants of
Anguilla
, a small island in the Caribbean that belongs to the territory of Great Britain, had shouted a goal for a
Qualifying match,
smartphones
did not yet exist
(nor obviously everything that this technological creation entails). For this reason, the penalty goal that he scored this Tuesday to make it 1-1 as a visitor against
Turks and Caicos
, which later allowed him to win the maximum penalty definition to advance to the second round of the
Concacaf
qualification for the
2026 World Cup
meant history. pure
Before halftime, defender
Luke Paris
(who plays for Uxbrige FC in the British Seventh Division) scored from eleven meters and scored
Anguilla's first goal since 2000
, when he had achieved it against the Bahamas. Twenty-four years of waiting, of a suppressed cry that would not be the only nor the last in the Caribbean night, because the best was still to come.
HISTORY, HISTORY, THIS IS HISTORY!!!!
ANGUILLA IS HISTORY 🇦🇮🇦🇮🇦🇮🇦🇮 pic.twitter.com/E53qBeTaeG
— Anguilla Football 🇦🇮 (@AnguillaTeam) March 27, 2024
In the penalty shootout, the British island won 4-3 thanks to
Kian Duncan
's final finish and unleashed a
crazy celebration
from the entire Angolan delegation, to the frustration of the locals, who had been excited about winning the title. ticket to the second round after the 0-0 obtained in the first leg.
Anguilla, which according to the latest official data for 2023 has a population of close to
15,000 inhabitants , already knows how it will continue its path towards the ultimate dream of reaching a World Cup for the first time: it will have the difficult task of facing
El
in Group F.
Salvador
,
Puerto Rico
,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.
Although it was after two draws, it is the first qualifying bracket that Anguilla overcomes, although in any case it has
the second longest world streak without victories for a National Team
, behind San Marino, which is precisely the only team that is below in the FIFA ranking made up of 210 countries.
Anguilla's celebration 🇦🇮: the small group of islands with 14 thousand inhabitants passed the final phase for the 1st time in the Cup qualifiers, and continues without ever having won a qualifying game. Superou Turks & Caicos 🇹🇨 our penalties. pic.twitter.com/XKM4ySRpHF
— Non Sense Football (@_NSenseFootball) March 27, 2024
The thing is that Anguilla
has not won an official match since October 6, 2010
, when 35 matches have passed.
“I am extremely proud of the boys and remain grateful for the work of our management team, coaches and officials.
It's so incredible that it finally happened: Anguilla's first victory in World Cup qualifying. I am speechless
and honored to be a part of this historic moment. I can't wait to welcome you all home and celebrate together. We are looking forward to June,” said Girdon Connor, the president of the Anguilla Football Federation.
The Virgin Islands classic gave the last place
The last ticket to the second round of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers to be organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada was resolved in the
Virgin Islands classic
, where the British emerged victorious against the Americans in a
dramatic, exciting definition that was also resolved through criminal proceedings
.
The British Virgin Islands, ranked 207th in the FIFA ranking, then made it to the next stage for the first time in history, since their first attempt at Korea and Japan 2002.
Thus, the British Virgin Islands will be in group E along with
Jamaica
,
the Dominican Republic
,
Guatemala
and
Dominica
.
The rest of the groups in the Concacaf Qualifiers
Group A: Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Honduras.
Group B: Bahamas, Costa Rica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago.
Group C: Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Haiti, Saint Lucia.
Group D: Belize, Guyana, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama.
Four games will be played between June 2024 and June 2025, so that the first two in each group advance to the next round, where another draw will be held to divide the 12 teams into three groups of four. There will be two wheels (round trip) between September and November 2025, and the three group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup.
The two best third parties will advance to the intercontinental playoffs, which will include one country from each confederation of South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.