Belize Misses Championship, Earns Respect

On Tuesday, Belize completed an impressive run at the 2026 Concacaf Under-20 Qualifiers in Managua, Nicaragua. Ending the qualifiers in third place, team Belize is not advancing to the championships. But the nation celebrated every single game the team played, because of their outstanding performance on the field and exceptional show of sportsmanship. Some football enthusiasts are even calling for this team to stay together and one day become Belize’s Senior Men’s National Team. We spoke with sixteen-year-old Marlon Meza Junior, one of the strong performers in the Under Twenty Qualifiers.

 

Marlon Meza Junior, Football Athlete, U-20 National Team

“As you may know the tournament was a very tough one. I believe that our team, our Belize team did a good job. We really worked hard. We fought and I believe we gave it our all out there. Honestly, as you may know, I have been on a couple of these trips before. So that has given me experience and feeling of how the professional world feels like in football. And also, Mount Pleasant, the Academy that I am attending in Jamaica has really helped me gain confidence and help me to improve as a player. So I believe they helped play a significant role in my development. It was a play that we had like practiced. Once I am with the ball I need to try and get it inside the box and find my teammate that will always be running to support me. So, it was a team goal. And it was a great finish from my teammate. When I have the ball I feel confident and I just passed it to my teammate and he finished lovely. There was a counter attack from the back. There was three against one or two players. My teammate passed me the ball and the only thing that was going through my head was that I need to score. I need to score for my team. So, it was a bit of reaction. I was not really thinking. I had support, but the only thing going through my head was to score a goal. So I just said score a goal and that is what I did.”

 

And tonight, fans say this young squad’s grit and growth prove they’re already building the foundation for Belize’s football future.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: