The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) has named its final 21-man roster for the 2026 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, fielding a squad that blends locally developed talent with players based across Europe and North America. According to Antigua News Room, the team departs for Mexico on July 2 for a 43-day programme ahead of the tournament, which runs from July 24 to August 9.
Antigua and Barbuda qualified as the sole Eastern Caribbean representative and is one of four Caribbean nations in the 12-team competition, alongside Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti.
Headlining the squad is 17-year-old Vaughn Jackson Jr., who made his senior international debut as a substitute during a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cuba in June 2025. Jackson attends Brooke House College in England, where he has participated in trials with clubs across the United Kingdom and Europe. Born September 4, 2008, he remains one of the youngest players in the squad.
Jackson is among a sizeable overseas contingent that also includes Blake Philogene-Bidace, Gavin Gonsalves, Dajari Barthley, Seth Black-Layne, Marco Micheal, Greg Williams, Conroy Browne, Tegan Gumbs, Brenden Skilling and Zidaan Williams.
The ABFA noted that several squad members have continued their development through professional academies and international programmes. Philogene-Bidace, born October 28, 2009, holds an elite scholarship at Tottenham Hotspur Academy and continues to develop within the club's Under-18 programme. Goalkeeper Gonsalves recently signed an academy contract with Miami FC for the 2026 USL Championship season, becoming the fifth academy player to earn a first-team contract at the club this year.
Barthley developed through Bede's Senior School in England and has twice been nominated for the National Junior Sportsman of the Year award. Marco Micheal recently completed a trial with Spanish club FC Andorra — backed by former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué — through Future Pro's UK pathways programme. Greg Williams attends Ackworth PSG Academy, while Conroy Browne plays for SG Wattenscheid 09 in Germany.
The United States-based contingent includes Seth Black-Layne of Combine Academy in North Carolina, Tegan Gumbs of Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he competes in NCAA Division I, and Brenden Skilling of ONE FC in Florida. Gumbs was instrumental during the qualifying campaign, recording four consecutive clean sheets as Antigua and Barbuda won all four matches without conceding a goal.
The country's place at the championship was secured when Jamaica-based striker Brandon Stachell scored a late winner against the Dominican Republic during the February qualifying tournament in Costa Rica. The remainder of the squad is drawn from locally based players who have progressed through the Antigua Premier Division and represented the country at various youth levels.
Antigua and Barbuda have been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against host nation Mexico on July 24, before facing Guatemala on July 27 and Costa Rica on July 30 at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla. The top eight teams will advance to the knockout stage, with the championship final scheduled for August 9 at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. The tournament also serves as a qualifying pathway to both the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and the Olympic Games.
Head coach Shyan Jeffers said the squad has earned its opportunity to compete on one of the region's biggest stages.
"This group has earned the right to be in Mexico," Jeffers said. "We have players who have developed across the UK, Germany and the United States, and a strong domestic core that has come through the Premier Division. Together, we are going to Mexico to compete."
The coaching staff includes team manager Roderick Williams, assistant coaches Donavan Peart and Derrick Edwards, goalkeeping coach Janiel Simon, trainer Coull Graham and physiotherapist William Richards.
