Guyana Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz has finalised his 24-man squad for the June 6 match against Panama in Panama City, including MSL players Chicago Fire striker Omari Glasgow and Seattle Sounders striker Osaze De Rosario.
The match is the beginning of the Golden Jaguars’ campaign in the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Coach Shabazz selected the squad after a two-week training camp in Brazil, which concluded on Sunday, June 2.
The Golden Jaguars will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign this week
Alongside tactical drills and fitness sessions, the Golden Jaguars engaged in four test matches against Brazilian clubs, including Flamengo FC, one of Brazil’s premier clubs with the second-largest global fanbase.
Shabazz shared that the players have put in a lot of work over two weeks, and the coaching staff have seen improvement from the first couple of days to now.
“The matches in Brazil provided a good dress rehearsal for us. Our tactical patterns are ambitious, but clearly understood by the players. We have a couple more days to complete our work.”
The team read:
Goalkeepers: Quillan Roberts, Kai McKenzie Lyle, and Akel Clarke.
Defenders: Curtez Kellman, Jalen Jones, Colin Nelson, Terrence Vancooten, Quincy Adams, Leo Lovell, Liam Gordon, Terique Mohammed, and Miquel Scarlett.
Midfielders: Nathan Ferguson, Ryan Hackett, Elliot Bonds, Daniel Wilson, Nathan Moriah Welch, Stephen Duke McKenna, Kadel Daniel, and Darron Niles.
Forwards: Kelsey Benjamin, Omari Glasgow, Deon Moore, and Osaze De Rosario.
The Guyanese team face a challenging journey for World Cup qualification between June 2024 and 2025.
Drawn in Group D alongside Panama, Nicaragua, Montserrat, and Belize, they face formidable opponents starting with their opening fixture against Panama, currently ranked third on the CONCACAF Index as of March 31.
Guyana currently occupy the 19th position on the table.
The squad is set to take on Belize, currently ranked 29th by CONCACAF, in Barbados on June 11.
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde wished the team a good start to their World Cup journey, adding: “They have the full backing of the Federation and the support of the Guyanese people. We are confident that the players will represent the country with pride.”
The qualification process comprises three stages, involving 32 FIFA-affiliated CONCACAF Member Associations. In the initial round, the lowest-ranked Member Associations, such as Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, United States Virgin Islands, and Anguilla, competed.
Moving into the second round, the first-round victors and the remaining 28 participating Member Associations, including Guyana, will partake in a series of four matches. Only the group winners and runners-up will progress to the third and final round of Qualifiers.
In the final round, the second-round group winners and runners-up – comprising 12 teams – will be divided into three groups of four teams each.
These teams will battle it out in six home-and-away matches across the FIFA international match windows of September, October, and November 2025. The victorious trio from these groups will secure their places in the prestigious World Cup.
Guyana’s ambition is to secure one of these three spots for direct qualification, aiming to make their debut appearance in the World Cup alongside hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The GFF urges Guyanese, both at home and abroad, to rally behind the Golden Jaguars as they pursue their ambitions for the 2026 World Cup.
