Guam bows out of World Cup qualification with 1-0 loss to Singapore

[October 17, 2023 – Harmon, Guam] A single goal against Guam was the eventual game-winner and official ticket for Singapore to Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 26™ and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Joint Preliminary Qualification in the teams’ second-leg fixture at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Tuesday afternoon.

Although entering the second-leg fixture with a one-goal advantage on aggregate, Singapore was not assured a place in Round 2 without at least a draw against Guam. An 82nd minute goal by Shawal Anuar gave Singapore a wide enough cushion to defend through to the final whistle.

Guam Head Coach Ross Awa gave the nod to all five active World Cup qualification goal scorers a start for the Matao – Jason Cunliffe, Isiah Lagutang, Marcus Lopez, John Matkin, and Travis Nicklaw – as well as Dallas Jaye, Guam’s lone goalkeeper with clean sheets in World Cup qualification. At the conclusion of the match, the result showed inconsistency in international competition for the relatively young squad.

“What this result shows is that we need to compete in more international matches,” said Awa, in the post-match press conference. “Before the match against Singapore a few days ago, the team last played in 2021. The loss is disappointing for us at this early stage of qualification, but the close matches show the potential the team has and what needs to be done to get the results that truly reflect this team’s capabilities.”

Awaiting Round 2 opponents for Singapore are Korea Republic, China PR, and Thailand.

Despite bowing out of World Cup qualification, Guam will still have an opportunity to move through qualification stages for the 2027 edition of the AFC Asian Cup, with a spot in the AFC Asian Cup™ Qualifiers Playoff Stage. Teams that did not advance in FIFA World Cup 26™ Qualifiers Round 1 – Guam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Macau, Maldives, Bhutan, Laos, Brunei Darussalam – will be placed in the Playoff Stage.

According to the AFC Web site, “it was noted that the NMIFA, which is an ordinary member of the AFC and has yet to receive FIFA ordinary membership, was eligible to participate in the qualifiers of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ but not the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Therefore, it was agreed that the NMIFA may participate in the AFC Asian Cup™ by entering the Qualifiers Playoff Stage, where they will join the losing teams from the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 (PJQR1) to contest for a place in the AFC Asian Cup™ 2027 Qualifiers Final Round.”