Roneil Walcott
MATCH day three of the 2025/26 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) season could see some adjustments as national men’s football team coach Dwight Yorke tries to get in some practice for his charges ahead of their crucial Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica and Bermuda at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on November 13 and 18 respectively.
Via a November 3 memo to TTPFL tier one clubs, the league’s acting CEO Yale Antoine said a shift could be on the cards for this weekend’s matches which were originally scheduled for November 7-9.
“Pursuant to discussions held during our meeting on November 1, 2025, please be advised that we’re in the process of adjusting the fixtures for match day three,” Antoine said.
“The adjustment follows a request from our senior men’s national team head coach, Dwight Yorke, as part of the team’s preparations for the upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica and Bermuda.”
The proposed practice game will see the national team rubbing shoulders with a TTPFL select XI, which is still to be finalised. The likely date for the practice game is November 7, while Antoine’s memo said the TTPFL games for match day three are now all tentatively scheduled for November 9 in Trinidad. Interestingly, the Fifa match window runs from November 10-18.
On the first match day of the season on October 24, the game between Terminix La Horquetta Rangers and hosts 1976 FC Phoenix at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago was postponed because of flight delays, which were caused by an “unexpected restriction on airspace operations” according to the TTPFL.
Up to press time on November 3, TTPFL officials were trying to arrange flights and accommodation for Phoenix for this weekend as they were originally scheduled to host MIC Central FC Reboot in Tobago on November 8.
We’re mindful that logistical arrangements, particularly for inter-island travel, have already been put in place, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we finalise the details for this weekend,” Antoine’s correspondence to clubs read.
“These upcoming qualifiers carry great significance for the national football landscape, representing an important opportunity to advance our country’s position on the regional and global stage.”
The league’s acting CEO said further updates on the arrangements concerning the TTPFL’s rescheduling and the practice game with the national team will be given on November 4.
At present, TT are third in group B of Concacaf’s final round of qualifying on five points, with the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica (nine points) and Curacao (eight points) occupying the top two spots in the group. At the end of the final round, the group winners will advance to next year’s World Cup, while the two best second-placed teams will move on to Fifa’s intercontinental playoffs.
