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By Neto Baptiste
Technical director for football, Sowerby Gomes, says the Antigua and Barbuda Benna Girls will face an uphill battle against the likes of Jamaica and Nicaragua after being drawn in Group B for the first round of qualifiers in the Concacaf Women’s Championships slated to start in November.
Speaking with Observer media, the former national defender said the squad will be a young and inexperienced one but the players are enthusiastic and upbeat as they begin preparations for the qualifiers.
“The challenge definitely will be one that is going to push our girls. What I can say is that we will have a very young outfit in terms of national team and it’s something that they’re looking forward to and hungry for in this particular tournament. It’s not a walk-in-the-park tournament and there’s no team in there that they can look and say, oh, we’re going to take this team. Each game is going to be of a major challenge for us, and as a result, we have to prepare that way. The coaching staff, they are up for the challenge, and they’re looking forward to that,” he said.
The other teams in Group B are Guyana and Dominica and each team will play four matches, with two away and two at home.
Gomes said the FA intends to enter negotiations with the management of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to host the country’s home clashes as they seek to accommodate as much fans as possible.
“We are going to be writing for the use of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, and as you rightly said, definitely, we need seating capacity for the spectators who will be watching these games … so that we can open up for Antigua to come out to watch the game. Here at the Technical Centre, we are limited in terms of the number of people that we can allow to enter, and in our last couple of national teams outing right here, we had to turn back people even though they have their money to pay. We just can’t seat the number that we wish at this particular training facility,” he said.
The W Championship will be played in November 2026 and serve as the Confederation’s qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 and the 2028 LA Summer Olympics.
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