BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands won nerve-jangling penalty kick shootouts on Tuesday to create history by qualifying for the second round of Concacaf qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Anguilla, ranked 209th in the latest Fifa men’s rankings, clipped the wings of hosts Turks & Caicos Islands 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw at the TCIFA National Stadium in Providenciales, and BVI, ranked 207th, knocked out the visiting United States Virgin Islands 4-2 on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Ground in Road Town, Tortola.
It is the first time that Anguilla and BVI have made it out of the first round of Concacaf qualification for a World Cup. Still, the road ahead looks quite challenging for the two sides in the second round, where they will face formidable opposition.
BVI advances to Group E of the second round of qualifying, where they will face Caribbean Football Union No. 1 Jamaica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Dominica. Meanwhile, the Anguillans move into Group F, where their opponents will be El Salvador, Suriname, Puerto Rico, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The BVI and the USVI played a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Bethlehem Soccer Complex in the St Thomas capital of Charlotte Amalie.
Both teams generated scoring chances in the first half, including Troy Caesar for USVI, whose shot midway through the half flashed slightly wide, while a BVI header right before half-time bounced wide of the post.
The exchanges continued in the second half, with each side knowing that a single goal could easily make the difference. However, the defenses remained steadfast, and there were still no goals after regulation, resulting in extra time.
In the additional frame, BVI had several chances to score, but their finishing let them down, so matters had to be settled from the penalty spot. BVI goalkeeper Frankie Beckles made two saves before Azarni Callwood converted the winning kick.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Raymond Guishard Stadium in the Anguilla capital of The Valley, the hosts proved superior from the spot.
TCI took the lead in the first half of regulation time when their all-time scoring leader and most-capped player, Billy Forbes, scored his second career World Cup qualifying goal in the 23rd minute.
But the Anguillans responded a little before half-time when Luke Paris converted from the penalty spot for the first goal in qualifying for the home team since 2000 against The Bahamas and in a sign of things to come.
No other goals could be found in regular or extra time, so the teams went to the penalty spot to determine the winner, where Anguilla sealed the deal.
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