Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team

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 but qualified for their first ever CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023.

Saint Kitts and Nevis
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Sugar Boyz
AssociationSt. Kitts and Nevis Football Association
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachAustin Huggins
CaptainJulani Archibald
Most capsGerard Williams (81)
Top scorerKeith Gumbs (24)
Home stadiumWarner Park
FIFA codeSKN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 146 Decrease 1 (21 September 2023)[1]
Highest73 (October 2016, March 2017)
Lowest176 (November 1994)
First international
British Leeward Islands 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
Appearances1 (first in 2023)
Best resultGroup stage (2023)

They are nicknamed The Sugar Boyz due to the sugar cultivation on the island of St. Kitts.

History

Beginnings (1938–1990)

Saint Kitts and Nevis played their first match on 18 August 1938, against Grenada, a match that ended in a 2–4 defeat.[2] 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. 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.

1990–2000

The 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. In the tournament proper, they finished second behind Jamaica to reach the semi-finals, before losing to Martinique on penalties. In the match for third place, they were defeated 3–2 by Trinidad and Tobago. 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. 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.

Saint Kitts and Nevis participated for the first time in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 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.

2000s

In 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). 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. 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. They also experienced the worst defeat in their history, 8–0 against Mexico. 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.

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. They have not returned to a final phase since that edition.

2010–present

Qualifying 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. They finished in 3rd place, with 7 points. It was only defeated by Canada in Toronto (4–0). 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 before falling in the second phase, at the hands of El Salvador, 6–3 on aggregate, but not before obtaining a 2–2 draw at home. In November 2015, they played 2 friendlies against European teams, Andorra (1–0) and Estonia (0–3). 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.[3] The result was also the first away victory for a CFU team over a European side on their home soil.[4]

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. 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. 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.

In June 2017, the team went on a second European tour and played Armenia on June 4 in Yerevan and Georgia three days later in Tbilisi. Both games ended in equally bad losses, 5–0 and 3–0, respectively. 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. Both matches ended in draws acquired by the same score of one goal each.

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. This time the Principality's selection wins against Saint Kitts and Nevis on its home stadium (1–0).

They qualified for their first ever CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023.

National football stadium

StadiumCapacityCity
Warner Park Football Stadium3,500Basseterre

Results and fixtures

The 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

23 March Nations League Saint Martin  1–3  Saint Kitts and Nevis The Valley, Anguilla
16:00 UTC−4 Arné 31' Report Stadium: Raymond E. Guishard Stadium
Referee: Steffon Dewar (Jamaica)
26 March Nations League Saint Kitts and Nevis  2–0  Aruba Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
18:00 UTC−4
  • Freeman 45+1', 80'
Report Stadium: Warner Park
Referee: Benjamín Pineda (Costa Rica)
16 June Gold Cup qualification Curaçao  1–1
(2–3 p)
 Saint Kitts and Nevis Fort Lauderdale, United States
21:00 UTC−4
Report
  • Terrell 83'
Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)
Penalties
28 June Gold Cup Saint Kitts and Nevis  0–6  United States St. Louis, United States
20:30 UTC−5 Report
Stadium: CityPark
Attendance: 21,216
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)
2 July Gold Cup Jamaica  5–0  Saint Kitts and Nevis Santa Clara, United States
16:00 UTC−7
Report Stadium: Levi's Stadium
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (Mexico)
7 September Nations League Saint Kitts and Nevis  1–2  Guadeloupe Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
19:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: SKNFA Technical Center
Referee: Filiberto Martínez (El Salvador)
10 September Nations League Saint Lucia  2–0  Saint Kitts and Nevis Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
19:00 UTC−4
  • President 49'
  • Stanislas 75'
Report Stadium: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
12 October Nations League Sint Maarten  2–3  Saint Kitts and Nevis The Valley, Anguilla
15:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Raymond E. Guishard Technical Centre
Attendance: 122
Referee: Josué Ugalde (Costa Rica)
15 October Nations League Saint Kitts and Nevis  0–1  Sint Maarten Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
19:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: SKNFA Technical Center
Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba)

Coaches

Players

Current squad

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
18 1GK Julani Archibald (captain) (1991-05-18) 18 May 1991 51 0 Honduras CD Victoria
1 1GK Jamal Jeffers (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 13 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis St. Paul's United
23 1GK Xander Parke (2003-11-17) 17 November 2003 0 0 England Shrewsbury Town

3 2DF Gerard Williams (1988-06-04) 4 June 1988 79 2 India TRAU
6 2DF Lois Maynard (1989-01-22) 22 January 1989 20 0 England Oldham Athletic
4 2DF Andre Burley (1999-09-10) 10 September 1999 11 0 England Oxford City
20 2DF Raheem Hanley (1994-02-24) 24 February 1994 10 0 England West Didsbury & Chorlton
2 2DF Malique Roberts (2001-08-01) 1 August 2001 7 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Cayon Rockets
5 2DF Jameel Ible (1993-11-26) 26 November 1993 4 0 England Guiseley
13 2DF Ezrick Nicholls (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 1 0 United States University of Tampa
12 2DF Dihjorn Simmonds (1998-11-02) 2 November 1998 1 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Cayon Rockets

19 3MF Romaine Sawyers (1991-11-02) 2 November 1991 35 6 Wales Cardiff City
8 3MF Yohannes Mitchum (1998-04-06) 6 April 1998 28 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis Newtown United
14 3MF Raheem Somersall (1997-07-05) 5 July 1997 17 0 United States North Carolina FC
11 3MF Tyquan Terrell (1998-04-16) 16 April 1998 10 2 Saint Kitts and Nevis St. Peter's
15 3MF Mervin Lewis (2000-08-26) 26 August 2000 4 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Cayon Rockets
22 3MF Ronaldo Belgrove (1998-09-15) 15 September 1998 0 0 United States Miami City

21 4FW Omari Sterling-James (1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 19 4 England Ebbsfleet United
9 4FW Carlos Bertie (1995-09-10) 10 September 1995 18 3 Saint Kitts and Nevis Cayon Rockets
16 4FW Keithroy Freeman (1993-10-16) 16 October 1993 13 6 Saint Kitts and Nevis St. Paul's United
17 4FW Rowan Liburd (1992-08-28) 28 August 1992 13 4 England Ramsgate
7 4FW Tiquanny Williams (2001-09-10) 10 September 2001 7 2 Saint Kitts and Nevis Old Road Jets
10 4FW Jacob Hazel (1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 5 0 England Darlington

Recent call ups

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Adrian Samuel (1990-01-13) 13 January 1990 1 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Conaree 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
GK Zaykeese Smith (2000-02-24) 24 February 2000 0 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Village Superstars 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
GK Stephen Vibert (2005-01-21) 21 January 2005 0 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Bath United v.  Aruba, 26 March 2023

DF Raheem Francis (1996-05-28) 28 May 1996 5 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Village Superstars 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
DF Rico Browne (2003-12-28) 28 December 2003 0 0 England Birmingham City 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
DF Mikkel Hirst (2000-07-27) 27 July 2000 0 0 England Romulus 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE

MF Kimaree Rogers (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 28 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis Village Superstars 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
MF Theo Wharton (1994-11-15) 15 November 1994 19 2 Wales Newtown 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
MF Kalonji Clarke (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 4 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis St Paul's United 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
MF Tyrese Shade (2000-06-09) 9 June 2000 2 0 England Swindon Town 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE

FW Tishan Hanley (1990-08-22) 22 August 1990 34 3 Thailand Prime Bangkok 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE
FW Harry Panayiotou (1994-10-28) 28 October 1994 30 11 Gibraltar Bruno's Magpies 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualificationPRE

Player records

As of 10 September 2023[6]
Players in bold are still active with Saint Kitts & Nevis.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Gerard Williams 82 2 2006–present
2 Thrizen Leader 76 1 2004–2021
3 Julani Archibald 57 0 2008–present
4 George Isaac 53 22 1996–2011
5 Orlando Mitchum 49 6 2004–2019
6 Jevon Francis 47 23 2000–2011
7 Ian Lake 46 20 2002–2012
8 Atiba Harris 42 10 2003–2019
9 Keith Gumbs 41 24 1993–2011
10 Romaine Sawyers 39 6 2012–present

Top goalscorers

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 11 30 0.37 2014–present
Austin Huggins 11 36 0.31 1993–2004
7 Atiba Harris 10 42 0.24 2003–2019
8 Alexis Saddler 9 26 0.35 2000–2011
9 Vernon Sargeant 8 24 0.33 1993–2004
10 Keithroy Freeman 6 17 0.35 2016–present
Romaine Sawyers 6 39 0.15 2012–present
Orlando Mitchum 6 49 0.12 2004–2019

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not enter Declined participation
France 1998 Did not qualify 422083
South Korea Japan 2002 4202153
Germany 2006 104061826
South Africa 2010 201124
Brazil 2014 614168
Russia 2018 42111510
Qatar 2022 630388
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total0/2236148147262

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
United States 1991 to United States 2021 Did not qualify
Canada United States 2023 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 0 14 Squad
TotalGroup stage1/173003014

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R Rank
United States 2019−20 B A 6 1 2 3 8 8 Fall 25th
United States 2022–23 C B 4 3 1 0 9 4 Rise 32nd
Total 10 4 3 3 17 12 25th

Caribbean Cup

Caribbean Cup record
Year Round Pld W D* L GF GA
Barbados 1989Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1990
Jamaica 1991
Trinidad and Tobago 1992
Jamaica 1993Fourth place5212168
Trinidad and Tobago 1994Did not qualify
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995
Trinidad and Tobago 1996Group stage3012310
Antigua and BarbudaSaint Kitts and Nevis 1997Second place420248
Trinidad and TobagoJamaica 1998Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1999Group stage300309
Trinidad and Tobago 2001Group stage311178
Barbados 2005Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 2007
Jamaica 2008
Martinique 2010
Antigua and Barbuda 2012
Jamaica 2014
Martinique 2017
Total5/181853102643

References

  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. Courtney, Barrie. "Saint Kitts and Nevis – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. "St. Kitts and Nevis vs. Andorra". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  4. "'Sugar Boyz' defeat Andorra in historic European win". miyvue.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  5. "⚽️🇰🇳The final squad list for the St. Kitts and Nevis Senior Men's National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup prelims has been released today by the SKNFA on the eve of the Sugar Boyz crucial encounter versus Curacao". St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  6. "Saint Kitts and Nevis". National Football Teams.
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