Guadeloupe national football team

International success

Guadeloupe was a surprise qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007. The regional team earned qualification to the tournament after finishing in 4th place at the 2006–07 Caribbean Nations Cup. The appearance in the Gold Cup marked Guadeloupe's first in the competition and they opened the campaign on 6 June 2007 with a 1–1 draw against Haiti. In the team's following match against Canada, Guadeloupe recorded a 2–1 victory in front of 20,000 spectators at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The team finally succumbed to defeat losing 1–0 to the reigning champions of UNCAF, Costa Rica, to close out group play.

Guadeloupe advanced to the knockout stage of the competition as a result of being the best performing third-place team in group play. In the quarterfinals, Guadeloupe were pitted against Honduras and earned an upset victory defeating the Hondurans 2–1 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston. Prior to its elimination, Honduras had been equal to the task of Guadeloupe having beaten Mexico 2–1 and dominating Cuba 5–0. In the ensuing round, Guadeloupe were defeated by Mexico 1–0. However, despite the loss, Guadeloupe were praised for its strong defensive performance. Guadeloupe's finish in the tournament was the best finish by a Caribbean island team since Trinidad and Tobago reached the semifinals of the 2000 tournament.

Guadeloupe's respectable third-place finish in the 2008 Caribbean Championship meant a consecutive appearance in the Gold Cup. Ahead of the competition, regional team coach Roger Salnot sought to increase Guadeloupe's chances of winning by calling up players of Guadeloupean descent who were born in metropolitan France. Salnot named notable players to his preliminary squad such as goalkeeper Yohann Thuram, defenders Daniel Congré, Michaël Ciani, Ronald Zubar, midfielders Étienne and Aurélien Capoue, and Ludovic Sylvestre, and attackers Alexandre Alphonse, Claudio Beauvue, and Richard Socrier. All players had been effective players in Ligue 1 and abroad. However, despite calling up an abundance of talent, only Alexandre Alphonse was allowed participation by his club. Every other player either personally turned down the invite or was denied by his parent club with Salnot expressing his disappointment at the latter issue.

In the tournament, Guadeloupe were inserted to Group C alongside Mexico, Panama, and Nicaragua. The team started off the group with two straight victories defeating Panama 2–1 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and systematically disabling the Nicaraguans 2–0 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston. In the team's final group stage match against Mexico, Guadeloupe was beaten 2–0 in Phoenix. Guadeloupe's second-place finish in the group meant another appearance in the knockout stage, where the team was pitted against Costa Rica in the quarter-finals at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In the match, it was Costa Rica who dominated scoring twice within the first 20 minutes of the match. Costa Rica finished the match with five goals with Guadeloupe getting a consolation goal from Alphonse in the second half.

Current squad

The following footballers were called for 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification match against Dominica on 6 June 2016..

Results

2010 Coupe de l'Outre-Mer

2010 Caribbean Cup qualifying

2010 Caribbean Championship

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Last updated: 14 June 2011

Gold Cup record

Guadeloupe has participated in three of the eleven CONCACAF Gold Cups contested. The team's first appearance in the competition was in 2007. The team, surprisingly, reached the semi-finals where they were defeated by Mexico. Two years later, in 2009, Guadeloupe made their second consecutive appearance in the competition and, for the second straight time, reached the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. In the quarterfinals, Guadeloupe were defeated by Costa Rica.

Caribbean Cup record

Guadeloupe have appeared in seven Caribbean Cups. The regional team has yet to win the competition, but has finished in third place on three occasions in 1989, 1994, and 2008. Since the 2007 competition, Guadeloupe has finished inside the top four teams in the proceeding Caribbean Cups. In 2010, the team finished runner-up to Jamaica losing 5–4 on penalties.

Coupe de l'Outre-Mer record

Guadeloupe has participated in both editions of the Coupe de l'Outre-Mer, which was established in 2008. In both editions, the team finished in third place behind Martinique and Réunion with the latter team winning the first edition and Martinique winning the second.

CFU Championship record

From 1978–1985, Guadeloupe participated in the CFU Championship, a precursor to the Caribbean Cup. Of the six championships played, Guadeloupe featured in two final rounds and departed each tournament without a single win.