Cayman men’s national football team, buoyed by a recent positive run, will face their toughest task this season when they play Guadeloupe on 15 Nov., with a trip to the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup prelims up for grabs.
The fixture between the two squads is part of the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League play-in, where Cayman will contest home-and-away matches against Guadeloupe.
Cayman will have the home advantage for the first leg, with the game set to kick off at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex at 3pm, before travelling to play Guadeloupe on 19 Nov., at the Stade Roger Zami grounds.
The two fixtures follow Cayman’s historic promotion to League B after playing with determination in the group stage of the Nations League, where defender D´Andre Rowe named to the best 11 from League C.
Cayman eyeing historic Gold Cup entry in final Nations League match
In accordance with CONCACAF’s regulations for the tournament, the play-in matchups are decided based on the group stage standings. Since Cayman finished as the best second-place team from League C, they are slated to play Guadeloupe, the best fifth-place team from League A.
The last time the two teams were matched up was in 2008, when Cayman lost 7-1 to Guadeloupe at the CAC Games.
However, this is a different age for the Cayman squad, led by head coach Joey Jap Tjong, who is urging the team to stay focused, saying that the results will follow.
“I really believe in this group and what they can accomplish,” Jap Tjong said. “They have already made Cayman Islands football history in this tournament and, if they play disciplined and they play together, there’s no limit on what they can achieve.”
After Cayman plays those two matches against Guadeloupe, the aggregate score winner will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup preliminary stage – which would mark the first time for the senior men to participate at that level.
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