Haiti emerged as the Caribbean’s highest-placed team at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, finishing 61st overall, while Guyana secured 10th place among the Caribbean participants, despite finishing 149th in the overall tournament standings.
Haiti narrowly edged regional rivals Jamaica, who finished 63rd overall, by just two places. Cuba placed third among Caribbean teams at 88th, followed by Trinidad and Tobago at 94th and the Dominican Republic at 99th.
The remaining regional standings saw Aruba finish 111th, Bermuda 117th, Puerto Rico 136th, St Vincent and the Grenadines 144th and Guyana 149th, rounding out the Caribbean’s top 10.
Haiti ended its campaign on a high with a 3-0 victory over Iraq, while Jamaica also closed its participation with a win, defeating El Salvador 3-2.
The placements represent the teams’ overall positions in the tournament and are not senior FIFA world rankings.
For Guyana, the tournament provided the Young Golden Jaguars with an opportunity to gain valuable international experience, test themselves against teams from other countries and assess their development at the youth level.
Following the conclusion of the competition, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde met with the squad to congratulate the players and commend their efforts.
The GFF described the tournament as a historic experience for the young players, providing valuable lessons and memories that could shape their future development in the sport.
The challenge now is to translate that international exposure into sustained progress through improved coaching, regular competitive opportunities and greater investment in youth football.
Guyana’s 10th-place finish among Caribbean teams provides a regional benchmark for the country’s youth programme. Building on the experience in Baku will require consistent preparation, stronger technical development and opportunities for the players to compete regularly at a high level.
For the Young Golden Jaguars, the tournament may have marked the end of their first major international experience, but the real test will be how much progress they make from it.
