Cuba national football team
Encyclopedia
The Cuba national football team is the national team of Cuba
and is controlled by the Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba
. They are affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union
of CONCACAF
.
They were the first Caribbean
team to make the World Cup
, which they did in 1938
. There, they defeated Romania
in a replay 2–1 after drawing against them 3–3. They were then eliminated in the quarter-finals by Sweden
, 8–0. Cuba has not returned to the World Cup since.
Cuba finished second in the Caribbean Cup
in 1996, 1999 and 2005.
(then a British colony) 3-1 in Havana. Four days later they beat Honduras
7-0. Cuba were managed by José Tapia
, who remained in charge until after Cuba's 1938 FIFA World Cup
campaign.
Cuba's first World Cup qualification campaign was for the 1934 FIFA World Cup
in Italy. All of the CONCACAF entrants were placed in Group 11. The winner of a best-of-three tournament between the two weakest nations, Cuba and Haiti
would produce a winner to play 1930 qualifiers Mexico
in another round of best-of-three. The winner of that would play 1930 semi-finalists the United States
of America for a place in the finals.
All of the matches between Cuba and Haiti in the first round were staged at Parc Leconte in Port-au-Prince
, Haiti, on 28 January, 1 February and 4 February 1934. Cuba won the first match 3-1 with Mario Lopez opening from a penalty and Hector Socorro
scoring the second. The second match was a 1-1 draw with Lopez equalising in the 85th minute. In the final match Cuba won 6-0 with two Lopez goals, one from Hector Socorro and one from his brother Francisco.
The second round against Mexico consisted of three matches at Parque Necaxa
in Mexico City
. Its first match, on 4 March 1934, saw Mexico go 3-0 up with a hat-trick by Dionisio Mejia
, his goals scored in the 12th, 14th and 16th minutes. Mario Lopez scored twice for Cuba with one in each half, but Mexico won 3-2.
A week later Mejia scored another hat-trick as Mexico won 5-0, and seven days later Mexico won 4-1 after Lopez opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Mexico did not qualify, their 4-2 play-off defeat to the United States was held in Rome during the finals, as the two teams had forgotten to stage it earlier
was poorly received in the Americas, who had hoped for it to return to South America after the 1934 World Cup in Italy. All nations in South America except Brazil
withdrew, and all CONCACAF nations except Cuba, thus the two qualified by default.
The tournament was held as a straight knock-out tournament of 16 nations. Cuba were drew to play their first-ever World Cup finals match against Romania
(who were making their third finals appearance) at Stade Chapou in Toulouse
, on 5 June 1938. Silviu Bindea
put Romania ahead after 35 minutes and Hector Socorro
equalised nine minutes later. With three minutes remaining Tomas Fernandez
gave Cuba the lead, but within a minute Iuliu Baratky forced extra time with a Romanian equaliser. Romania went 3-2 up in extra-time by Stefan Dobay
's goal on 105 minutes, but Juan Tunas
equalised for Cuba with three minutes of extra-time remaining.
The replay was held at the same stadium, on 9 June. This was at the same time as Switzerland
's 4-2 replay win over Germany
. Dobay put Romania 1-0 up at half-time with a 35th minute goal, but in the second half Cuba equalised through Socorro in the 51st minute. Six minutes later Carlos Oliviera scored the winning goal as it ended 2-1.
In the quarter-final Cuba lost 8-0 to Sweden
at Stade du Fort Carre
in Antibes, on 12 June. Sweden's Tore Keller
and Gustav Wetterstrom
each scored hat-tricks.
The NAFC Championship 1949 served as CONCACAF's qualification group for the 1950 FIFA World Cup
in Brazil
. Cuba, the United States of America and Mexico played each other twice in a tournament held in Mexico City
in September 1949. The top two would qualify. Cuba came third and did not qualify, their only point was gained from their second match, a 1-1 draw against the United States on 14 September.
, but the 1982 qualifiers represented a significant breakthrough- Cuba reached the final round of qualifying, and were only 2 points short of reaching the 1982 World Cup. In recent years, Cuban football has seen an improvement in results. They reached the Quarter-finals of the 2003 Gold Cup (where they were beaten by the USA) by defeating Canada 2–0 in the Group Stage. During the 2006 World Cup qualifiers Cuba faced Costa Rica and were only eliminated on away goals. They held Costa Rica to a draw in Havana 2–2 and later battled it out for a 1–1 draw in Costa Rica.
During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers Cuba faced Antigua & Barbuda and drew 3–3 against Antigua & Barbuda. Later in Pedro Marreo Cuba won 4–1 to advance to the semifinal round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. Cuba was with United States, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Cuba finished in the fourth place with only a victory against Guatemala 2–1 with a goal scored by Aliannis Urgellés.
They finished in third place in the Caribbean Cup 2010 to take a place in Gold Cup 2011.
.
and Osvaldo Alonso
) have made the move to the United States in recent years. During the 2002 Gold Cup
in Los Angeles
, two Cuban players Rey Angel Martinez
and Alberto Delgado
chose to remain in the United States. Striker Maykel Galindo
did so during the 2005 Gold Cup
. Two more, Osvaldo Alonso
and Lester More
did so during the 2007 Gold Cup
.
In 2008, defections occurred during two separate tournaments held in the United States. In March, seven players from the U-23 national football, including Yeniel Bermudez
, Yordany Alvarez
and Yendry Diaz
defected during the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament while the team was based in Tampa, FL. In October, two days before the country's World Cup Qualifier versus the USA, Reynier Alcantara and Pedro Faife
walked away from the team's hotel near Washington, D.C.. During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
, Yosniel Mesa defected while the team was in Charlotte, North Carolina
.
(1930–38) Marcelino Minsal (1947–49) František Churda (1963–64) Karoly Kocza (1966)
Laszlo Mohaczy (1967) Kim Yong Ha (1970–71) Sergio Padrón (1976) Tibor Ivanicz (1980–81)
Giovanni Campari (1990–92) William Bennett (1998) Miguel Company
(2000–04) Armelio Luis (2005)
Reinhold Fanz
(2006–08) Raúl González Triana
(2008–)
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and is controlled by the Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba
Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba
The Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba is the official governing body of the sport of football in Cuba including the Cuban National Team. The league is composed of one professional division with total of 8 teams....
. They are affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union
Caribbean Football Union
The Caribbean Football Union, often referred to by the acronym CFU, is the nominal governing body for Caribbean football. It represents 25 FIFA member nations, as well as 5 territories that are not affiliated to FIFA. Its member associations compete in the CONCACAF region...
of CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
.
They were the first Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
team to make the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, which they did in 1938
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
. There, they defeated Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in a replay 2–1 after drawing against them 3–3. They were then eliminated in the quarter-finals by Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, 8–0. Cuba has not returned to the World Cup since.
Cuba finished second in the Caribbean Cup
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup, formerly known as the Copa Caribe, is the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition was contested in 1989 in Barbados. The Caribbean Cup also serves as a qualification tournament among...
in 1996, 1999 and 2005.
Debut
Cuba played its first international football match on 16 March 1930 at that year's Central American and Caribbean Games. They beat JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
(then a British colony) 3-1 in Havana. Four days later they beat Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
7-0. Cuba were managed by José Tapia
José Tapia
José Tapia was a Cuban football coach who managed Cuba in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.-References:...
, who remained in charge until after Cuba's 1938 FIFA World Cup
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
campaign.
1934 World Cup qualification
| Rank | Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 5.00 | 5 | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0.20 | 1 |
Cuba's first World Cup qualification campaign was for the 1934 FIFA World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
in Italy. All of the CONCACAF entrants were placed in Group 11. The winner of a best-of-three tournament between the two weakest nations, Cuba and Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
would produce a winner to play 1930 qualifiers Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in another round of best-of-three. The winner of that would play 1930 semi-finalists the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
of America for a place in the finals.
All of the matches between Cuba and Haiti in the first round were staged at Parc Leconte in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti, on 28 January, 1 February and 4 February 1934. Cuba won the first match 3-1 with Mario Lopez opening from a penalty and Hector Socorro
Héctor Socorro
Héctor Socorro was a Cuban footballer. He represented Cuba at the 1938 World Cup in France, scoring two goals in the two matches against Romania.-References:...
scoring the second. The second match was a 1-1 draw with Lopez equalising in the 85th minute. In the final match Cuba won 6-0 with two Lopez goals, one from Hector Socorro and one from his brother Francisco.
| Rank | Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 4.00 | 6 | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 0.25 | 0 |
The second round against Mexico consisted of three matches at Parque Necaxa
Parque Necaxa
Parque Necaxa was a multi-use stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. It was initially used as the stadium of Club Necaxa matches. It was replaced by Estadio Azul in 1950. The capacity of the stadium was 22,000 spectators....
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Its first match, on 4 March 1934, saw Mexico go 3-0 up with a hat-trick by Dionisio Mejia
Dionisio Mejía
Dionisio Mejia Vieyra was a Mexican football forward who made one appearance for the Mexican national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup.-External links:...
, his goals scored in the 12th, 14th and 16th minutes. Mario Lopez scored twice for Cuba with one in each half, but Mexico won 3-2.
A week later Mejia scored another hat-trick as Mexico won 5-0, and seven days later Mexico won 4-1 after Lopez opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Mexico did not qualify, their 4-2 play-off defeat to the United States was held in Rome during the finals, as the two teams had forgotten to stage it earlier
1938 World Cup
The decision to stage the 1938 World Cup in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was poorly received in the Americas, who had hoped for it to return to South America after the 1934 World Cup in Italy. All nations in South America except Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
withdrew, and all CONCACAF nations except Cuba, thus the two qualified by default.
The tournament was held as a straight knock-out tournament of 16 nations. Cuba were drew to play their first-ever World Cup finals match against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
(who were making their third finals appearance) at Stade Chapou in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, on 5 June 1938. Silviu Bindea
Silviu Bindea
Silviu Bindea was a Romanian football player.He represented Romania at the 1934 and 1938 World Cups as a forward, scoring twice in a first-round game in 1938.-References:...
put Romania ahead after 35 minutes and Hector Socorro
Héctor Socorro
Héctor Socorro was a Cuban footballer. He represented Cuba at the 1938 World Cup in France, scoring two goals in the two matches against Romania.-References:...
equalised nine minutes later. With three minutes remaining Tomas Fernandez
Tomás Fernández
Tomás Fernández , was a Cuban footballer.He represented Cuba at the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, scoring a goal against Romania-References:...
gave Cuba the lead, but within a minute Iuliu Baratky forced extra time with a Romanian equaliser. Romania went 3-2 up in extra-time by Stefan Dobay
Stefan Dobay
Ștefan Dobay , native name István Dobay, was a Austrian-Hungarian native Romanian footballer.He played for Ripensia Timișoara and the Romania national football team for whom he got 41 caps, scored 20 goals and he appeared at the 1934 and 1938 World Cups as a forward and scoring a goal in each...
's goal on 105 minutes, but Juan Tunas
Juan Tuñas
Juan Tuñas Bajeneta, nicknamed "Romperredes" was a Cuban footballer. He played for the Cuban clubs Juventud Asturiana and Centro Gallego, and was the oldest surviving member of the Cuba national football team that played at the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, scoring a goal against Romania .After...
equalised for Cuba with three minutes of extra-time remaining.
The replay was held at the same stadium, on 9 June. This was at the same time as Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
's 4-2 replay win over Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. Dobay put Romania 1-0 up at half-time with a 35th minute goal, but in the second half Cuba equalised through Socorro in the 51st minute. Six minutes later Carlos Oliviera scored the winning goal as it ended 2-1.
In the quarter-final Cuba lost 8-0 to Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
at Stade du Fort Carre
Stade du Fort Carré
Stade du Fort Carré is a multi-use stadium in Antibes, France, home ground of the FC Antibes. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium is able to hold 7,000 people. During the 1938 World Cup, it hosted one game, between Sweden and Cuba....
in Antibes, on 12 June. Sweden's Tore Keller
Tore Keller
Tore Keller was a Swedish football striker.He was a member of the Swedish team, which won the bronze medal in the football tournament ath the 1924 Summer Olympics....
and Gustav Wetterstrom
Gustav Wetterström
Gustav Wetterström was a Swedish football striker.He played for IK Sleipner Norrköping and the Sweden national football team, for whom he appeared in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He scored a hat trick in Sweden's 8-0 victory over Cuba, although many sources outside of FIFA have credited him with...
each scored hat-tricks.
1950 World Cup qualification
| Team | Pts | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | Dif | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | ||
The NAFC Championship 1949 served as CONCACAF's qualification group for the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Cuba, the United States of America and Mexico played each other twice in a tournament held in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in September 1949. The top two would qualify. Cuba came third and did not qualify, their only point was gained from their second match, a 1-1 draw against the United States on 14 September.
1950-present
Cuba did not compete in World Cup qualification again until 1966. They returned to participation in qualification for 19781978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
, but the 1982 qualifiers represented a significant breakthrough- Cuba reached the final round of qualifying, and were only 2 points short of reaching the 1982 World Cup. In recent years, Cuban football has seen an improvement in results. They reached the Quarter-finals of the 2003 Gold Cup (where they were beaten by the USA) by defeating Canada 2–0 in the Group Stage. During the 2006 World Cup qualifiers Cuba faced Costa Rica and were only eliminated on away goals. They held Costa Rica to a draw in Havana 2–2 and later battled it out for a 1–1 draw in Costa Rica.
During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers Cuba faced Antigua & Barbuda and drew 3–3 against Antigua & Barbuda. Later in Pedro Marreo Cuba won 4–1 to advance to the semifinal round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. Cuba was with United States, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Cuba finished in the fourth place with only a victory against Guatemala 2–1 with a goal scored by Aliannis Urgellés.
They finished in third place in the Caribbean Cup 2010 to take a place in Gold Cup 2011.
World Cup record
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 19301930 FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930... |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 19341934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19381938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:... |
Quarter-Final | 8th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
 19501950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19541954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game... |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 19581958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European... |
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 19621962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... |
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 19661966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19701970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by... |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 19741974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded... |
||||||||
 19781978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19821982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
||||||||
| 1986 1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 19901990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19941994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... |
Withdrew | |||||||
| 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
  20022002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
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 20062006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
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 20102010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
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 20142014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014.... |
To Be Determined | |||||||
 20182018 FIFA World Cup The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was... |
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 20222022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve... |
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| Total | Quarter-Final | 1/19 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
Gold Cup record
- 19911991 CONCACAF Gold Cup-Group B:---------------------Bracket:-Semifinals:-----Third place match:-Final:-Top scorers:4 goals Benjamin Galindo3 goals Dale Mitchell Eduardo Bennet Luis Cálix Carlos Hermosillo...
– Withdrew - 19931993 CONCACAF Gold Cup-Group B:---------------------Bracket:-Semifinals:-----Third place match:-Final:-Top scorers:11 goals Zaguinho5 goals Luis Miguel Salvador4 goals Eduardo Bennett3 goals Juan Arnoldo Cayasso Octavio Mora...
– Did not enter - 19961996 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the third edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
– Did not qualify - 19981998 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
– Round 1 - 20002000 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fifth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego. The format of the tournament changed from 1998; it was expanded to twelve teams,...
– Did not qualify - 20022002 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
– Round 1 - 20032003 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the seventh edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
– Quarterfinals - 20052005 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...
– Round 1 - 20072007 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
– Round 1 - 20092009 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...
– Withdrew - 20112011 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...
– Round 1
CONCACAF Championship record
- 19631963 CONCACAF Championship-Group A:Results-----------------------------------------Group B:Results-------------------------Final round:-------------------------External links:*...
– Did not enter - 19651965 CONCACAF Championship-Qualifying Tournament:-------------Final tournament:-------------------------------------------------------------See also:...
– Did not enter - 19671967 CONCACAF Championship-Final tournament:-------------------------------------------------------------See also:...
– Did not qualify - 19691969 CONCACAF Championship-Awards:-Scorers:3 Goals Víctor Ruiz César Melgar Marcio Fión2 goals Cascante Roy Sáenz J. Grant Regales Loefstok Martljin Adelbert Toppenberg Ulrich Haynes...
– Did not enter - 19711971 CONCACAF Championship-Final tournament:-------------------------------------------------------------Result:-External links:****...
– 4th place - 19731973 CONCACAF ChampionshipThe 1973 CONCACAF Championship, the 6th staging of the CONCACAF Championship, was held in Haiti from November 29 to December 18. All matches were played at Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince. This is the first edition to double as qualification for the World Cup. Haiti became winners for the...
– Did not enter - 19771977 CONCACAF ChampionshipMexico qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup.-See also:*1978 FIFA World Cup qualification*1978 FIFA World Cup qualification *1978 FIFA World Cup qualification *1978 FIFA World Cup qualification...
– Did not qualify - 19811981 CONCACAF Championship-External links:*...
– 5th place - 19851985 CONCACAF Championship-Group 2:Canada advanced to the second round.---------------------Group 3:Costa Rica advanced to the second round.---------------------Final round:Canada qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.--------...
– Did not enter - 19891989 CONCACAF ChampionshipThe 1989 CONCACAF Championship was the last edition of the CONCACAF Championship held under the format of serving as qualification to the 1990 FIFA World Cup and having no host nation for the final round....
– Did not qualify
NAFC Championship record
- 19471947 NAFC ChampionshipThe North American Football Confederation Championship was the football championship for the North American Football Confederation....
– Runner-up - 19491949 NAFC ChampionshipMexico: Raúl Córdoba, Felipe Zetter, Carlos Laviada, José Antonio Roca, Mario Ochoa, Héctor Ortíz, Antonio Flores, Luis Luna, Horacio Casarín, Luis "Pirata" de la Fuente, Carlos Septién...
– Third place
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...
.
Defection and economic migration by Cuban athletes
As well as Cuban athletes in other sports, a number of football players (such as Maykel GalindoMaykel Galindo
Maykel Galindo is a Cuban footballer currently playing for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.-Cuba:A rising star in the youth ranks of the Cuban national team, he made his debut in a January 2002 friendly match against Guatemala...
and Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso Moreno is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
) have made the move to the United States in recent years. During the 2002 Gold Cup
2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, two Cuban players Rey Angel Martinez
Rey Ángel Martínez
Rey Ángel "Boom-Boom" Martínez is an Cuban soccer player who last played for Real Maryland Monarchs in the USL Second Division.-Professional:...
and Alberto Delgado
Alberto Delgado
Alberto Delgado y Pérez is a Cuban soccer player. As of 2005, he plays as a forward for Sevilla FC Puerto Rico of the Puerto Rico Soccer League.-Defection to the United States:...
chose to remain in the United States. Striker Maykel Galindo
Maykel Galindo
Maykel Galindo is a Cuban footballer currently playing for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.-Cuba:A rising star in the youth ranks of the Cuban national team, he made his debut in a January 2002 friendly match against Guatemala...
did so during the 2005 Gold Cup
2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...
. Two more, Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso
Osvaldo Alonso Moreno is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
and Lester More
Lester Moré
Lester Moré is a Cuban soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Azul Legends in the USL Premier Development League.-Club:...
did so during the 2007 Gold Cup
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
.
In 2008, defections occurred during two separate tournaments held in the United States. In March, seven players from the U-23 national football, including Yeniel Bermudez
Yeniel Bermudez
Yeniel Bermudez is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Los Angeles Blues in the USL Professional Division.-Cuba:...
, Yordany Alvarez
Yordany Alvarez
Yordany Álvarez is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, on loan from USL Pro side Orlando City.-Cuba:...
and Yendry Diaz
Yendry Diaz
Yendry Diaz is a Cuban footballer.-Professional:Diaz defected to the United States from Cuba just after his team's Olympic qualifying game against the United States on March 11, 2008, along with several teammates, including Loanny Cartaya...
defected during the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament while the team was based in Tampa, FL. In October, two days before the country's World Cup Qualifier versus the USA, Reynier Alcantara and Pedro Faife
Pedro Faife
Pedro Faife is a Cuban soccer player who currently plays for Miami FC in the USL First Division.-Club:Faife began his soccer career with his hometown team, Villa Clara, and played with the team until his defection to the United States in 2008, helping the team win the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol...
walked away from the team's hotel near Washington, D.C.. During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...
, Yosniel Mesa defected while the team was in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
Coaches
José TapiaJosé Tapia
José Tapia was a Cuban football coach who managed Cuba in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.-References:...
(1930–38) Marcelino Minsal (1947–49) František Churda (1963–64) Karoly Kocza (1966)
Laszlo Mohaczy (1967) Kim Yong Ha (1970–71) Sergio Padrón (1976) Tibor Ivanicz (1980–81)
Giovanni Campari (1990–92) William Bennett (1998) Miguel Company
Miguel Company
Miguel Alejandro Company Chumpitazi is a Peruvian football coach, ex-football player , and sports reporter....
(2000–04) Armelio Luis (2005)
Reinhold Fanz
Reinhold Fanz
Reinhold Fanz is a German former professional footballer and formerly manager of the Cuba national football team.-Playing career:...
(2006–08) Raúl González Triana
Raúl González Triana
Raúl González Triana is the Cuba national football team head coach.During his time as head coach of Cuba, he qualified for the 2010 Caribbean Championship.-External Links:*http://edicionesanteriores.trabajadores.cu/fijos/deportes/entrevistas/busca.htm...
(2008–)
External links
- Cuba at FIFA.com