Warriors booked for Uzbekistan tourney in March; friendlies promised for Men’s U17, U20 teams

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team should return to action in late March as part of the invitational Fifa Series tournament, which comprises nine four-team groups involving participants from different confederations.

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards revealed that the Soca Warriors will travel to Uzbekistan to face the host nation as well as Gabon and Iceland.

Uzbekistan, ranked 50^th in the world by Fifa, will debut at the Fifa World Cup in 2026 while Iceland and Gabon are ranked 74^th and 78^th respectively. Trinidad and Tobago are ranked 98^th in the world.

Edwards, in a TTFA Media statement, noted that a win for the Men’s National Senior Team in Uzbekistan “helps us in terms of our […] moving up the rankings”.

Trinidad and Tobago coach Dwight Yorke has led the Soca Warriors into 11 games against higher ranked opponents. His record in those outings are zero wins, five draws (Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Curaçao [twice] and Jamaica) and six losses (Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Jamaica [twice], Ghana, and the USA).

Edwards confirmed Yorke will lead the team into the March 2026 Fifa Series and that the local football body is “in discussions with coach Dwight Yorke and his staff currently in terms of next steps”.

However, he was tight-lipped as to whether they would seek to retain the fledgling international coach. Edwards noted only that the FA hopes to “build on the [current] programme”, which he feels is stacked with talented young players.

The Edwards-led executive’s decision to present Yorke and his staff with a contract that expired in mid-2026—rather than at the end of the 2026 World Cup qualifying series, with an option to extend, if successful—is likely to cost upwards of US$280,000 (TT$1.6 mil) for the additional eight-month period.

The TTFA never revealed Yorke’s salary but it is believed to be in the range of US$30,000 to US$35,000 per month, which makes the former 2006 World Cup captain the two-island republic’s most expensive coach in close to 20 years.

There would also be the additional cost of Yorke’s technical staff members, including assistant coach Russell Latapy.

The Trinidad and Tobago Government is believed to be footing the bill for the Men’s National Senior Team technical staff with taxpayers’ money, based on an agreement between the TTFA and former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley.

The Soca Warriors have just two remaining match windows before Yorke’s contract ends, with the second one running from 1 to 9 June 2026.

Edwards also promised international practice games for the Men’s National Under-17 and Under-20 teams next month, as they both prepare for Concacaf competition in February.

The Women’s National Under-17 Team also start their Concacaf campaign in late February. Coached by Ayana Russell, the Under-17 Women finished bottom of the 2025 Jewels of the Caribbean invitational tournament this month.

Remarkably, the National Under-17 Women lost 1-0 in their final Jewels of the Caribbean game to a SSFL combined team, coached by Brian London and Desiree Sarjeant, which was constructed—with school players who did not make the national team—roughly three days before the friendly tournament kicked off.

Edwards, incidentally, suggested that the TTFA would bankroll a Girls Premier Division competition in 2026, after their attempt to do so this year was knocked back at a Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) general council meeting, due to a lack of timely consultation between the SSFL executive, led by president Merere Gonzales, and the relevant member schools.

Edwards, in a 13-minute address, also credited his FA with its support for primary schools in terms of equipment and coach education. And he suggested that the TTFA’s retention of a financial consultant—in a company that manages millions of dollars annually—was a positive “change”.

“Every dollar we get within the FA, we do audits on,” said Edwards.

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