The first matchday of Group A CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying concludes on Thursday when Cuba travel to Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles to battle Honduras.
La H are winless in 2024, playing to a 1-1 draw in a friendly versus El Salvador in March, while the Cubans won their only match this year, 1-0 over Nicaragua.
Match preview
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After a dismal 2022 World Cup qualification campaign, the Hondurans implemented a youth movement, and time will tell if these youngsters can handle the pressure of trying to make the finals.
Their recent matches suggest they are not ready for this big stage, going winless in four successive encounters in all competitions and failing to qualify for the Copa America.
Given what transpired during their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, you would think that things can only go up for this side heading into this cycle after finishing bottom of the Octagonal table four years ago while failing to register a single triumph.
Re-appointing Reinaldo Rueda was supposed to revive this program after the Colombian led them to the finals in 2010, but he has only won three of his 10 matches at the helm in all competitions.
Honduras failed to hang onto an early lead in their Copa America playoff with Costa Rica this year, their first defeat suffered after scoring the opening goal since losing a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica (2-1) in March 2022.
They are unbeaten in their last seven encounters against the Cubans, and have not conceded a single goal over that stretch.
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Even though their form of late has been inconsistent, Cuba seem to have some positive momentum heading into this qualification cycle.
That is because they put forth a solid showing at the most recent Nations League tournament, collecting points in three of four contests and keeping three clean sheets.
It means that they will remain in League A of that competition next season, and they will fancy their chances of moving beyond the first round of World Cup qualifying for the first time since the 2018 cycle in a group that includes the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Antigua and Barbuda.
A victory over Nicaragua earlier this year ended a nearly three-year winless run for them versus Central American opposition, with their previous triumph against that region coming in November 2021 (3-0 over Nicaragua).
Yunielys Castillo's men have not won consecutive matches in all competitions since claiming a pair of 1-0 triumphs versus Barbados and Guadeloupe, respectively, in March 2023.
It has been over a half-century since the Cubans emerged victorious in a match versus Honduras in November 1971 (3-0), which was also the last time they scored a goal against them.
Team News
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Francisco Martinez and Javier Arriaga were the only uncapped Honduran players selected for this encounter, captain Anthony Lozano can make his 50th career appearance for La H on Thursday and Andy Najar is two away from achieving that same milestone.
Alexander Lopez was the only player chosen for their opening two qualifiers who netted in their 2022 qualification campaign, while Edrick Menjivar posted consecutive clean sheets versus the Cubans at the most recent Nations League competition.
Eduardo Hernandez picked up his 10th cap for Cuba in their friendly versus Nicaragua earlier this year, and Karel Perez made his second appearance in that encounter, entering in the latter stages of that match in place of Daniel Diaz.
Maikel Reyes had the only goal in their victory over the Nicaraguans, his eighth for the national team, while Ismael Morgado made just his second appearance between the sticks and collected a clean sheet.
Honduras possible starting lineup:
Menjivar; Nunez, Najar, Santos, Decas; Ruiz, Arriaga, Flores; Palma, Lozano, Rochez
Cuba possible starting lineup:
Arozarena; Calvo, Y. Perez, Morejon, Casanova; Paradela, Rodriguez, Hernandez, Torres; Sanchez, Reyes
We say: Honduras 2-0 Cuba
During the previous Nations League campaign, the Cubans showed that they are a challenging team to break down defensively but have yet to impress when in possession versus some of the stronger CONCACAF sides, which is why we project a tight match but a narrow victory for the Hondurans.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
