PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago – With the Soca Warriors now on the cusp of soccer’s greatest stage, the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Soccer Affiliation (TTFA), Kieron Edwards, has issued a passionate attraction for important monetary help, warning that with out correct funding, the workforce’s 2026 World Cup hopes might fade earlier than liftoff.
Throughout a candid interview on i95.5 FM’s Isports program on Sunday, Edwards outlined the scope of the problem forward because the nationwide males’s workforce gears up for the ultimate spherical of CONCACAF qualifiers, which can decide who advances to the following World Cup set throughout Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
The highway forward: Jamaica, Curaçao, and Bermuda stand in the way in which
The Soca Warriors are set to sq. off in opposition to regional rivals Jamaica, Curaçao, and Bermuda within the third and ultimate qualifying spherical. Solely the group winner earns a assured place on the World Cup, whereas the 2 greatest second-place finishers will transfer on to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off Event in March 2026.
With such excessive stakes, Edwards emphasised that success can’t be left to likelihood — or underfunding.
Edwards: “Costa Rica spent US$12 million — that’s the benchmark”
Citing regional rivals, Edwards made it clear that severe monetary funding is now not non-obligatory if Trinidad and Tobago hopes to be aggressive.
“While you take a look at Costa Rica and the way a lot they spent final World Cup — they spent US$12 million behind their workforce to qualify within the final part. That is Costa Rica; I’m not even speaking in regards to the U.S. or Mexico,” Edwards burdened.
The TTFA president painted a sobering image of the disparity in help techniques, noting that international locations like Costa Rica and Jamaica have already made important monetary commitments and preserve giant help employees contingents, typically numbering over 50 personnel, to make sure their gamers are in peak situation.
Authorities dedication a begin, however extra wanted
Edwards acknowledged that whereas there was a governmental dedication of US$1 million, it falls considerably brief of what’s required to mount a severe qualification marketing campaign.
“We’ve got a dedication of a further US$1 million from the earlier authorities with the Cupboard be aware, however at the moment we didn’t know what we had been getting ourselves into at this level,” he stated.
“I actually imagine wherever between US$6 million to US$9 million ought to get us the place we must be.”
Coaching, employees, and peak efficiency — what the cash will do
The requested funding, Edwards defined, can be channeled into complete coaching regimens, hiring and dispatching coaches as private trainers, securing high-performance assets, and creating an elite-level preparation setting for the squad.
“We’re speaking about sending coaches to be private trainers, getting our boys to peak efficiency… We want that form of construction if we’re to compete.”
2026 or bust: Time for a nationwide push
Because the countdown to qualification intensifies, Edwards’ message is as strategic as it’s pressing: Trinidad and Tobago should make investments now, or threat watching others have fun in 2026.
The TTFA president’s impassioned attraction is just not merely a plea for {dollars} — it’s a name to motion, for the federal government, company companions, and soccer stakeholders to rally behind a once-in-a-generation alternative to return the Soca Warriors to the world stage.
Will the nation reply that decision? The clock is ticking — and so is the dream.
