Trinidad and Tobago U-20s play to Bermuda draw

In November, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda played to a 2-2 draw as the teams ended their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualification campaigns. On February 24 in Alajuela, Costa Rica, the two nations again showed there was precious little to choose between them as their men's under-20 football teams battled to a 2-2 draw to kickstart their qualifying campaigns towards the 2027 Fifa Men's Under-20 World Cup. 

With Costa Rica on a bye to start group E of the Concacaf qualifiers, TT and Bermuda had the chance to take an early lead in the group after Barbados and Sint Maarten played to a draw earlier in the day. At the end of a scrappy and sometimes chaotic affair at the windy Costa Rican Football Federation Field venue, neither coach should say their team's display warranted all three points. 

TT's lineup was an enticing one on paper, as speedy forwards Malachi Wibb and captain Derrel "Zum Zum" Garcia flanked striker Phillip Nelson up top, while ball-playing midfielders Josiah Ochoa and Caden Trestrail operated as a double-pivot in the middle of the park. Whether down to nerves or the trying breezy conditions, TT never really found fluidity in their build-up play, although they did create a handful of chances in transition. 

Trinidad and Tobago's men's under-20 football team line up for friendly action. Photo courtesy TTFA

Without a true "number six" or gritty ball-winner in the middle of the park, TT often looked bare on the defensive end as Bermuda broke down their lines with ease. In the 24th minute, TT should have taken the lead, but Garcia blazed a volley well over the bar after Nelson went on a mazy run through the heart of the Bermuda defence. 

In the 38th minute, TT's own defensive shortcomings were found out as Kennahz Fray split the defence with a raking pass out to the left flank, allowing Jace Donawa to coast past right back Talan McMillan and round goalie Bryan Gafiuk to score. 

Coach Marvin Gordon's response was immediate for TT, as he made a triple substitution at halftime, which saw Jadon McShine, Dominic Joseph, and Chaz Williams enter the game for Trestrail, Webb, and Colin Joseph, who started in the number ten role behind Nelson. Mere moments into the second half, TT were fortunate not to have Ochoa sent off, as the midfielder committed a naughty foul while already on a booking. The St Benedict's College man was swiftly subbed off in the 53rd minute, with winger Giovanni Hospedales taking his place. 

Though the team's buildup play remained disjointed, the speedy threat on the counter-attack also persisted. Just past the hour mark, Hospedales was denied by goalie David Martin after being played in by Garcia, while Dominic had a stinging right-footed shot brilliantly tipped over in the 64th minute. In between those TT chances, Gafiuk kept his team in the game when he saved with his feet to deny a surging Donawa, who had been played in with a long ball. 

With TT supposedly running out of answers, lively Swansea City Academy player Josiah Kallicharan provided a much-needed spark off the bench. In the space of a minute, the lanky Kallicharan played a hand in two goals as TT stunned Bermuda to take a 2-1 lead. In the 78th minute, Kallicharan squared from the byline into the six-yard box, with defender Emeer Peets unfortunately bundling the ball past his own keeper with Nelson in hot pursuit. Just seconds later, Kallicharan slipped in Dominic, who spanked a right-footer into the corner to give TT the unlikely lead. 

In a game which saw TT conceding numerous needless free kicks, Bermuda responded with an 84th-minute equaliser as substitute James Morrison beat Gafiuk with a looping header from a deep Khari Sharrief set piece. 

Both teams tried desperately for a late winner, but settled for a share of the spoils. With only the group winner advancing to the Concacaf Under-20 Championship later this year, TT will surely need improved performances if they are to top the hosts and win this group. TT will next play Barbados on February 26. 

TT starting team (4-2-3-1): 1.Bryan Gafiuk (GK); 14.Talan McMillan, 3.Sheridan McNish, 4.Adam Pierre, 5.Jaydon Caprietta; Caden Trestrail, 8.Josiah Ochoa; 7.Malachi Webb, 12.Colin Xavier Joseph, 10.Derrel Garcia (c); 9.Phillip Nelson. 

Trinidad and Tobago land March 15 friendly with Bolivia

Trinidad and Tobago's men's football team are likely to have a busy period over the next month, as they have landed a March 15 friendly with Bolivia. The Bolivia friendly will be followed by matches in the Fifa Series against Venezuela and Gabon on March 27 and 30, respectively. The Bolivia friendly comes outside of the Fifa international match window, which runs from March 23-31. 

The upcoming matches for the Dwight Yorke-coached team were confirmed by the TT Football Association (TTFA) on February 23. 

The Bolivia game will be played at the Estadio Ramon Tahuichi, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. When TT Bolivia met in a friendly in Sucre in January 2022, the then Agus Eve-coached team suffered a heavy 5-0 loss. Some of the players who featured in that game for TT were Justin Garcia, Neveal Hackshaw, Alvin Jones, Molik Jesse Khan, Reon Moore, Noah Powder, and Ryan Telfer.  

Trinidad and Tobago men's football team line up for a World Cup qualifier against Bermuda at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in November 2025. Photo courtesy TT Football Association 

TT are currently 97th on the Fifa rankings, with Bolivia ranked at 76th. Bolivia placed seventh in CONMEBOL's World Cup qualifying. The match comes at a contrasting time for the two teams as Bolivia are preparing for a Fifa 2026 World Cup intercontinental playoff with Suriname on March 26, while TT will be involved in the Fifa Series in Uzbekistan, having missed out on a spot in this year's World Cup. The winner of the playoff match between Bolivia and Suriname will take on Iraq for a place at the World Cup. 

The TTFA release said details regarding squad announcements and match coverage will be communicated via its official platforms in due course. 

Six-hitting Windies crush Zimbabwe by 107 runs

West Indies opened their Super 8s campaign at the 2026 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's T20 World Cup with a storming 107-run win over Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 23. 

Both teams started the day with unbeaten records from the group stage, but Zimbabwe proved no match for the powerful Windies, who smashed 19 sixes in their innings en route to posting 254 for six – the second-highest total in the history of the Men's T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe were never in the hunt in the chase, as they were bowled out for just 147, with the left-arm spin pair of Gudakesh Motie (four for 28) and Akeal Hosein (three for 28) doing the bulk of the damage. 

After captain Sikandar Raza called correctly at the toss, the Zimbabweans had a good start to the power play as pacers Richard Ngarava (two for 47) and Brad Evans (one for 46) accounted for the pair of Brandon King (nine) and Shai Hope (14), respectively. In the fourth over, though, Zimbabwe missed a big trick when Tashinga Musekiwa dropped Shimron Hetmyer on the backward square leg boundary with the Windies score on 26 for one. Hetmyer was on nine at the time, and the left-hander went on to take Raza (0 for 52) and leg-spinner Graeme Cremer (one for 38) to the cleaners in a game-changing innings of 85 from 34 balls.

West Indies star batsman Shimron Hetmyer. Photo courtesy ICC

Dropped by Musekiwa for a second time when on 70, Hetmyer crashed seven sixes and seven fours and shared in a 122-run partnership for the third wicket with former captain Rovman Powell (59 off 35). It was Hetmyer's highest score in T20 Internationals, with his belligerent knock pushing him to 219 runs in the tourney, just a run shy of the tournament's leading run scorer, Sahibzada Farhan. 

It was also a nice return to form for Powell, who had scored 47 runs in his three previous innings in this year's tourney. With some lusty blows from Sherfane Rutherford (31 not out off 13), Jason Holder (13 off four), and the returning Romario Shepherd (21 off ten), the West Indies didn't let up at the back end and hammered 75 runs off the last five overs to get the highest score at this year's World Cup. 

Facing a near-impossible task, the Zimbabweans slipped to 20 for three by the third over as Hosein joined the party by dismissing Brian Bennett (five) and Ryan Burl (duck) in quick succession. Dion Meyers got to 28 off 15 before he was cleaned up by Motie in the seventh over, while Raza made 27 off 20 and shared in a 42-run partnership with Tony Munyonga (14) before both batsmen were outdone by the guile of Motie in the middle overs. 

With Zimbabwe reeling at 103 for nine, Evans (43 off 21) brought some respectability to his team's total by smashing massive sixes off Holder (one for 25) and Shamar Joseph (0 for 35) in consecutive overs. The match result was never in doubt, though, as Matthew Forde (two for 27) returned in the 18th over to get the scalp of Evans with a slower ball to seal West Indies' commanding victory. 

The Windies will return to action on February 26 with a matchup against South Africa, while Zimbabwe will face co-hosts and tournament holders India later that same day. 

The top two teams in the two Super 8 groups will progress to the semis. 

Summarised Scores: 

WEST INDIES – 254/6 from 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 85, Rovman Powell 59, Sherfane Rutherford 31 not out; Blessing Muzarabani 2/42, Richard Ngarava 2/47) vs ZIMBABWE – 147 from 17.4 overs (Brad Evans 43, Dion Myers 28, Sikandar Raza 27; Gudakesh Motie 4/28, Akeal Hosein 3/28). West Indies win by 107 runs.