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The Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team is the national team of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and is controlled by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association. They are affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they did qualify for their first CONCACAF Gold Cup appearance in 2023.
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Sugar Boyz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association | ||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CFU (Caribbean) | ||
| Head coach | Francisco Molina | ||
| Captain | Julani Archibald | ||
| Most caps | Gerard Williams (85) | ||
| Top scorer | Keith Gumbs (24) | ||
| Home stadium | Warner Park | ||
| FIFA code | SKN | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 143  2 (24 October 2024)[1] | ||
| Highest | 73 (October 2016, March 2017) | ||
| Lowest | 176 (November 1994) | ||
| First international | |||
 Saint Christopher and Nevis 2–4 Grenada  (Saint Christopher and Nevis; 18 August 1938) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10–0 Montserrat  (Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis; 17 April 1992)  Saint Martin 0–10 Saint Kitts and Nevis (The Valley, Anguilla; 14 October 2018) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Mexico 8–0 Saint Kitts and Nevis (Monterrey, Mexico; 17 November 2004) | |||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2023) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2023) | ||
Medal record | |||
They are nicknamed The Sugar Boyz due to the sugar cultivation on the island of St. Kitts.[citation needed]
History
editBeginnings (1938–1990)
editSaint Kitts and Nevis played their first match on 18 August 1938, against Grenada, a match that ended in a 2–4 defeat.[3] They participated in the Leeward Islands Tournament from 1949 however had to wait until 1979 to play their first official matches, in the qualifying rounds for the 1979 CFU Championship, losing twice to Jamaica, both results finishing 2–1.[citation needed] They would again fail to qualify for the final phase of the 1983 CFU Championship, after advancing due to Jamaica's withdrawal, they'd be eliminated by Martinique, who won 12–0 on aggregate.[citation needed]
1990–2000
editThe Sugar Boyz qualified for their first tournament at the 1993 Caribbean Cup, defeating Dominican Republic (3–2) and British Virgin Islands (5–0) to top their qualifying group.[citation needed] In the tournament proper, they finished second behind Jamaica to reach the semi-finals, before losing to Martinique on penalties.[citation needed] In the match for third place, they were defeated 3–2 by Trinidad and Tobago.[citation needed] Saint Kitts and Nevis finished bottom of their group in 1996 but in the 1997 Caribbean Cup, they advanced into the knock-out after finishing level on points with both Trinidad and Tobago and Martinique, then defeated Grenada 2–1 in extra-time with both goals scored by Keith Gumbs, but they succumbed to Trinidad and Tobago 0–4 in the final.[citation needed] Since they'd reached the final, Saint Kitts and Nevis were entered into a play-off against Cuba – runner-up in the 1996 Caribbean Cup – for the last ticket to the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but they lost 2–0.[citation needed]
Saint Kitts and Nevis participated for the first time in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[citation needed] After benefiting from the withdrawal of the Bahamas, they beat Saint Lucia 5–1 in Basseterre and 1–0 in Castries, but fell in the third knockout round against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, losing thanks to the away goals rule.[citation needed]
2000s
editIn the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, after comfortably beating the Turks and Caicos Islands with an aggregate result of 14–0, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines once again dispatched the Sugar Boyz, winning both in Kingstown (1–0) as in Basseterre (1–2).[citation needed] However, the situation would improve in the 2006 qualifiers, since Saint Kitts and Nevis advanced to the second group phase after leaving the US Virgin Islands and Barbados on the way.[citation needed] They shared Group 3 with Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but as expected, finished in last place, with 6 losses in as many appearances.[citation needed] They also experienced the worst defeat in their history, 8–0 against Mexico.[citation needed] In the preliminary round for the 2010 qualifiers, they were unable to repeat what they had done four years ago and were unceremoniously eliminated by Belize, who won 4–2 on aggregate.[citation needed]
In the Caribbean Cup, the Sugar Boyz did not repeat the successes of the '90s and could only qualify to the final phase of the 2001 Caribbean Cup, although they did not advance beyond the group phase.[citation needed] They have not returned to a final phase since that edition.[citation needed]
2010–present
editQualifying directly to the second round of the 2014 qualifiers, Saint Kitts and Nevis was drawn in Group D along with Canada, Puerto Rico and Saint Lucia.[citation needed] They finished in 3rd place, with 7 points.[citation needed] It was only defeated by Canada in Toronto (4–0).[citation needed] In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Saint Kitts and Nevis defeated the Turks and Caicos Islands in the first round by a lofty aggregate 12–4[citation needed] before falling in the second phase, at the hands of El Salvador, 6–3 on aggregate,[citation needed] but not before obtaining a 2–2 draw at home.[citation needed] In November 2015, they played 2 friendlies against European teams, Andorra (1–0) and Estonia (0–3).[citation needed] Devaughn Elliott scored the only goal in the victory over Andorra, becoming the first St. Kitts and Nevis player to score against a European side.[4] The result was also the first away victory for a CFU team over a European side on their home soil.[5]
In October 2016, it reached its highest ranking in the FIFA world ranking (73rd place) thanks to its good performance in the 2nd round of the 2017 Caribbean Cup of Nations qualifiers.[citation needed] However, two defeats against French Guiana (0–1) and Haiti at home (0–2 a.e.t.) stopped the Sugar Boyz in the 3rd round of these qualifiers.[citation needed] The year ends with a 1–1 draw in Basseterre against Estonia on November 19, 2016, in a friendly match, one year after playing against the same team in Tallinn.[citation needed]
In June 2017, the team went on a second European tour and played Armenia on June 4 in Yerevan[citation needed] and Georgia three days later in Tbilisi.[citation needed] Both games ended in equally bad losses, 5–0 and 3–0, respectively.[citation needed] St. Kitts and Nevis continues its pattern of international tours and travels in August 2017 to Mumbai to meet Mauritius and India in a friendly tournament, the 2017 Hero Tri-Nation Series.[citation needed] Both matches ended in draws acquired by the same score of one goal each.[citation needed]
The Sugar Boyz played Andorra again on March 25, 2022, six and a half years after their first confrontation, for a friendly match in Andorra la Vella.[citation needed] This time the Principality's selection wins against Saint Kitts and Nevis on its home stadium (1–0).[citation needed]
They qualified for their first ever CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023.[citation needed]
National football stadium
edit| Stadium | Capacity | City |
|---|---|---|
| Warner Park Football Stadium | 3,500 | Basseterre |
Results and fixtures
editThe 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| 16 November 2023–24 Nations League | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0–0 | | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| 19:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium: SKNFA Technical Center Attendance: 120 Referee: David Gómez (Costa Rica) |
| 19 November 2023–24 Nations League | Guadeloupe | 5–0 | | Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe |
| 15:00 UTC−4 |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade Municipal de Sainte-Anne Referee: Daniel Quintero (Mexico) |
2024
edit| 20 March Friendly | San Marino | 1–3 | | Serravalle, San Marino |
| 20:45 CET | Report |
|
Stadium: Olympic Stadium of Serravalle Referee: Deborah Bianchi (Italy) |
| 24 March Friendly | San Marino | 0–0 | | Serravalle, San Marino |
| 20:45 CET | Report | Stadium: Olympic Stadium of Serravalle Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (Switzerland) |
| 6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Costa Rica | 4–0 | | San José, Costa Rica |
| 20:30 UTC−6 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica Referee: Julio Luna (Guatemala) |
| 11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1–0 | | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| 16:00 UTC−4 |
|
Report (CONCACAF) | Stadium: Warner Park Sporting Complex Attendance: 539 Referee: Walter López Castellanos (Guatemala) |
| 7 September 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League | Cayman Islands | 1–4 | | George Town, Cayman Islands |
| (15:30 UTC−5) |
|
Report | Stadium: Truman Bodden Sports Complex Referee: Jonathan Leiton (Costa Rica) |
| 10 September 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–0 | | George Town, Cayman Islands |
| 16:30 UTC−4 | Williams |
Report | Stadium: Truman Bodden Sports Complex Referee: Andrew Samuel (Puerto Rico) |
| 9 October 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League | British Virgin Islands | 1–3 | | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| --:-- UTC−4 |
|
Report | Stadium: Warner Park Sporting Complex Referee: Vimarest Díaz (Dominican Republic |
| 15 October 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1–1 | | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Report |
|
Stadium: Warner Park Sporting Complex Referee: Shekiel Jokil (Suriname) |
| 14 November 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification play-in | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–1 | | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| 19:00 UTC−4 | Report |
|
Stadium: SKNFA Technical Center Referee: Tori Penso (United States) |
| 18 November 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification play-in | Cuba | v | | Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| 15:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Antonio Maceo |
2025
edit| 10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Saint Kitts and Nevis | v | | |
| --:-- UTC−4 |
Coaches
editCarlos Cavagnaro (1988)
Alistair Edwards (1996–1997)
Leonard Taylor (2008)
Jacques Passy (2015–2019)
Leonardo Neiva (2021)
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- The following players were called up for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League Play-in matches against Cuba on 14 and 18 November 2024.[6]
- Caps and goals correct as of: 15 November 2024 after the match against
Cuba
Recent call ups
edit| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ash-on Maynard | 0 | 0 | v. | ||
| GK | Joshua Warde | 14 August 2001 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Vibert Stephens | 21 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Xander Parke | 17 November 2003 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Zaykeese Smith | 24 February 2000 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Omarion Liburd | 3 March 2003 | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Marvin McSheen | 17 September 2001 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ethan Bristow | 27 November 2001 | 3 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Jameel Ible | 26 November 1993 | 9 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Jal'den Myers | 15 September 2003 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Yusuf Saunders | 27 February 1997 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Anwa Springer | 4 April 2002 | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Kieran Cooney | 20 January 2005 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ruben Freeman | 2 | 0 | v. | ||
| DF | Cayden Bennett | 9 September 2006 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Jay Williams | 4 October 2000 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ezrick Nicholls | 13 September 1999 | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Gerard Williams | 4 June 1988 | 85 | 2 | v. | |
| MF | Trimar Samuel | 0 | 0 | v. | ||
| MF | Jahlyan Burt | 23 October 2003 | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Jahmarli Conner | 0 | 0 | v. | ||
| MF | Theo Wharton | 15 November 1994 | 21 | 2 | v. | |
| MF | Tyrique Davis | 27 March 2002 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Raheem Somersall | 5 July 1997 | 26 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Ronaldo Belgrove | 15 September 1998 | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Shevene Boston | 1 January 1997 | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Javern Matthew | 25 March 2001 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Devion Harvey | 0 | 0 | v. | ||
| FW | De'quan Hamilton | 15 May 2007 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Harry Panayiotou | 28 October 1994 | 38 | 12 | v. | |
| FW | Diego Edwards | 19 June 2004 | 5 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Kwame Thomas | 28 September 1995 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
Player records
edit- As of 15 November 2024[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Saint Kitts & Nevis.
Most appearances
edit| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerard Williams | 85 | 2 | 2006–present |
| 2 | Thrizen Leader | 76 | 1 | 2004–2021 |
| 3 | Julani Archibald | 70 | 0 | 2008–present |
| 4 | George Isaac | 53 | 22 | 1996–2011 |
| 5 | Orlando Mitchum | 49 | 6 | 2004–2019 |
| 6 | Romaine Sawyers | 48 | 7 | 2012–present |
| 7 | Jevon Francis | 47 | 23 | 2000–2011 |
| 8 | Ian Lake | 46 | 20 | 2002–2012 |
| 9 | Yohannes Mitchum | 44 | 1 | 2017–present |
| 10 | Atiba Harris | 42 | 10 | 2003–2019 |
Top goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Gumbs | 24 | 41 | 0.59 | 1993–2011 |
| 2 | Jevon Francis | 23 | 47 | 0.49 | 2000–2011 |
| 3 | George Isaac | 22 | 53 | 0.42 | 1996–2011 |
| 4 | Ian Lake | 20 | 46 | 0.43 | 2002–2012 |
| 5 | Harry Panayiotou | 12 | 38 | 0.32 | 2014–present |
| 6 | Austin Huggins | 11 | 36 | 0.31 | 1993–2004 |
| 7 | Tiquanny Williams | 10 | 20 | 0.5 | 2021–present |
| Atiba Harris | 10 | 42 | 0.24 | 2003–2019 | |
| 9 | Alexis Saddler | 9 | 26 | 0.35 | 2000–2011 |
| 10 | Vernon Sargeant | 8 | 24 | 0.33 | 1993–2004 |
Competitive record
editFIFA World Cup
edit| FIFA World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| Part of |
Part of | ||||||||||||||
| 1934 to 1990 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| Did not enter | Declined participation | ||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 26 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||
| To be determined | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | – | 0/8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 73 | 66 | |
CONCACAF Gold Cup
edit| CONCACAF Gold Cup record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | |
| Not eligible | ||||||||||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||||
| Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | Squad | ||
| Total | Group stage | 1/16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | – | |
CONCACAF Nations League
edit| 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 | A | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | Ineligible | ||||||||||
| 2022–23 | C | B | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2023–24 | B | A | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 12 | |||||||||||
| 2024–25 | C | C | To be determined | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | — | — | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 24 | — | Total | 0 Titles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Caribbean Cup
edit| Caribbean Cup record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| Did not qualify | |||||||
| Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 8 | |
| Did not qualify | |||||||
| Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| Runners-up | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Did not qualify | |||||||
| Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | |
| Did not qualify | |||||||
| Total | 5/18 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 26 | 43 |
Honours
editRegional
edit- Caribbean Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1997
References
edit- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie. "Saint Kitts and Nevis – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "St. Kitts and Nevis vs. Andorra". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "'Sugar Boyz' defeat Andorra in historic European win". miyvue.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "SQUAD LIST FOR HOME MATCHES REVEALED". St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association Facebook Page. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Saint Kitts and Nevis". National Football Teams.