Cuba national football team
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| Nickname(s) | Leones del Caribe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Association | Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba |
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| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Reinhold Fanz |
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| Home stadium | Estadio Panamericano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | CUB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 109 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 46 (November 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 175 (December 1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 52 (February 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 143 (January 1965) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cuba 3 - 1 Jamaica  (Cuba; March 16, 1930) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cuba 9 - 0 Puerto Rico  (Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.; May 27, 1995) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sweden 8 - 0 Cuba (Antibes, France; June 12, 1938) |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1938) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Second Round, 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 4 (First in 1998) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Quarterfinals, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Cuba national football team is the national team of Cuba and is controlled by the Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba. 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 tying them 3-3. They were then eliminated in the second round by Sweden, 8-0. The Cuban team has not returned to the World Cup since. Football (soccer) is not followed as strongly in Cuba as it is in many other countries, as baseball is the national sport. Nevertheless, recent showings in the Caribbean region may signal a rise in the team's future.
Cuba finished second in the Caribbean Cup in 1996, 1999 and 2005.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early History
Cuba has a long-standing football tradition, although the sport has never been as popular there as baseball, and were early participants in World Cup qualifying. Cuba were given a walkover into the 1938 World Cup and reached the second round by beating Romania.
[edit] Post-war history
The post-war years were not so kind to Cuban football. They participated in the 1950 qualifiers, but it was not until the 1966 qualifiers that they would again participate.
They returned to participation in qualification in the 1978 series, 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 fortunes. 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 1-1 draw in Costa Rica.
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 - Did not enter
- 1934 - Did not qualify
- 1938 - Second Round
- 1950 - Did not qualify
- 1954 - Entry not accepted by FIFA
- 1958 to 1962 - Did not enter
- 1966 - Did not qualify
- 1970 - Entry not accepted by FIFA
- 1974 - Did not enter
- 1978 to 1982 - Did not qualify
- 1986 - Did not enter
- 1990 - Did not qualify
- 1994 - Withdrew
- 1998 to 2006 - Did not qualify
- 2010 - Qualifying underway
[edit] Gold Cup record
- 1991 - Withdrew
- 1993 - Did not enter
- 1996 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Round 1
- 2000 - Did not qualify
- 2002 - Round 1
- 2003 - Quarterfinals
- 2005 - Round 1
- 2007 - Round 1
[edit] NAFC Championship record
[edit] Defection/Economic Migration By Cuban Athletes
At times Cuban players, like those from many other countries, leave home in order to move to the United States. When the motivation in such cases is political these are considered defections, when the primary motive is to obtain a higher income or standard of living this is considered economic migration. When Cuban athletes move to the US - such as most notably baseball players, including pitchers Jose Ariel Contreras and brothers Livan and Orlando Hernandez - these are usually referred to in the press as defections, partly as this simply makes for a more interesting story and headline. The specific motivation for such moves, however, is always case specific, and ultimately, regardless of statements for public consumption, are known only to the individual in each case.
As well as athletes in other sports, a number of football players have made the move to the United States in recent years. During the 2002 Gold Cup in Los Angeles, Cuban players Alberto Delgado and Rey Ángel Martínez chose to remain in the United States. In the 2005 Gold Cup, Cuban striker Maykel Galindo did likewise, as did two Cuban players, striker Lester Moré and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, in the 2007 Gold Cup. On March 13, 2008 seven players of the U-23 national football team decided to remain in the US, follwing a 1-1 tie against the United States national team in the qualifying round for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Tampa.
[edit] Current Squad
Head coach: Reinhold Fanz
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[edit] References
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International football
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