Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Football Team, the Golden Jaguars, will open their Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League 2026/27 account tomorrow, Thursday, September 24, with a clash against Puerto Rico.
The Golden Jaguars were drawn in Group A of League B, alongside Puerto Rico, Dominica and the Cayman Islands.
Currently based in Dominica, the national team will follow up Thursday’s clash with a battle against the Cayman Islands on Sunday, September 27.
Ultimately, the Golden Jaguars will have a packed international window, playing four games in 11 days across two countries, a factor that has been discussed by recently appointed Head Coach Marco Bonofiglio.
The Gaffer said ahead of his first assignment in the role, “So, I think the most important thing is that the staff has prepared specifically for this camp. It’s a situation where we have four matches in 11 days; that’s no easy task. So, when you look, our first objective was to prepare the boys physically and be ready, and we’ve done that.”
“As you can see behind us, we have Coach [Ahjton] Roberts preparing them in the warm-up. But he’s done a fantastic job in the preparation, along with all the other staff that we’ve got to prepare with in-in-class sessions.”
“We’re at a place where the lads feel comfortable, and I can see the team bonding, and it’s important to have that family unity here, that we’re creating. Like I said, having four matches in 11 days isn’t easy, but we’re off to a great start, and we’re looking forward to that first match against Puerto Rico,” Bonofiglio went on to reiterate.
However, from both the coach’s and the player’s perspective, preparation has been good thus far.
Bonofiglio said, “We’re in a good place right now. We’re here where the players have arrived; we’re here where the players are able to perform their duties that are asked by the coaching staff. The coaching staff are already prepared in advance for the three training sessions for the first game against Puerto Rico.”
On the other hand, Elliot Bonds shared, “Yeah, I think training’s been good. Obviously have a new manager, someone who’s been around before, so he knows the boys. But yeah, it’s been good; we just have the drive and intensity, do what we do best, and I think we’re in a good position going into the game on Thursday.”
According to Bonds, the Golden Jaguars are capable of topping the group but need to “put their money where their mouth is”.
He explained, “I’ve obviously played in the Gold Cup, so I know how much of a blessing it is to make that; most of the boys haven’t. So, yeah, even in all the meetings, we’ve spoken about how important it is for us to make it. We know, based on form and the ability of the team, we should qualify. We believe that, and if we weren’t, we’d be disappointed.”
“So, yeah, excited for the games ahead. We need to put our money where our mouth is, in terms of performance, but I believe in us. I think we’re going to do well, and like I said, we just have to show that come Thursday and, in every game going forward, to be honest,” the player went on to reason.
Both matches in Dominica will kick off at 15:00h local time. The Golden Jaguars will then jet off to Puerto Rico for back-to-back clashes with Dominica on October 1 and 4.
Guyana will head into the Puerto Rico encounter with some favour behind them, having defeated the same opposition twice when they last met in the Nations League in 2023.
If the Golden Jaguars are to top their group, they will advance to the league’s championship to compete for the title of League B Champions and seal promotion to League A. In addition, those top four teams [group winners] will directly qualify for the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup, while the two best group runners-up will secure a spot in the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims.
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