PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago — With the countdown to the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers well underway, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), Kieron Edwards, has issued a resounding vote of confidence in head coach Dwight Yorke, backing the former Manchester United star to steer the Soca Warriors through a challenging Group B and into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Drawn alongside regional heavyweights Jamaica (ranked 63rd), Curaçao (90th), and Bermuda (168th), 100th-ranked Trinidad and Tobago face an uphill task in their quest to secure automatic qualification to the sport’s biggest stage, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Only the group winner will earn a direct ticket to the 2026 finals. The format is unforgiving—each team will play six round-robin matches (three home, three away) spread across the September, October, and November FIFA international windows.
Unshaken belief in a historic return
Despite the rankings and early matchups against the group’s top contenders—Jamaica and Curaçao—Edwards remains unwavering in his optimism. Speaking recently on i95.5 FM’s Isports program, the TTFA president expressed his firm belief in Yorke’s leadership and the team’s trajectory.
“This is the coach’s team until he qualifies us for the World Cup, and I truly believe he will qualify us for the World Cup—I’m positive of that,” Edwards asserted.
“I truly believe that we will qualify out of the group, and Coach Dwight Yorke has the right mindset, the right approach with this group of guys.”
Momentum, mentality, and motivation
Yorke, who has been at the helm during a period of rebuilding and renewed ambition, has evidently won the full backing of the TTFA executive. Edwards pointed to the squad’s visible progress under Yorke’s stewardship and dismissed any thoughts of a poor start to the campaign.
“Since the draw, I’ve never thought of the possibility of getting no points, even in the first two matches,” he said. “I’ve been here with the team, and the team has been progressing.”
With Trinidad and Tobago seeking to return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since their historic debut in 2006, Edwards emphasized his total support:
“I’m totally 100 percent behind Coach Dwight and his staff to get us to the World Cup.”
As anticipation builds for the September kickoff, Yorke’s Soca Warriors now carry not just the hopes of their supporters, but the full endorsement of the TTFA’s top leadership. If they are to rise from underdog status to regional glory, belief—both within and beyond the dressing room—will be their most crucial weapon.
