Football in Bermuda

Association football is one of the biggest sports in Bermuda, along with the sport of cricket.

Football in Bermuda
CountryBermuda
Governing bodyBermuda Football Association
National team(s)Men's national team
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions
CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF League
Caribbean Club Shield
FIFA Club World Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup (National Team)
CONCACAF Nations League (National Team)
FIFA World Cup (National Team)
CONCACAF Women's Championship (National Team)
FIFA Women's World Cup (National Team)

The sport was brought to Bermuda by the British. It is governed by the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) and is a full-member of FIFA, CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union. The BFA organizes the Bermuda national football team. Despite the small size of the island, they have traditionally punched above their weight.

Today Bermuda's top domestic league is the Bermudian Premier Division.

History of Bermudian football

The game of football was brought to the island by British in the early 1900s. In 1928 the national federation, the Bermuda Football Association, was founded, although it took the federation 34 years before getting affiliation with FIFA and CONCACAF.

In 1963 the federation started the Bermudian Premier Division which is to be the top division of Bermudan Football and still is today. In 2006 the BFA started a new professional club known as the Bermuda Hogges which started play in the USL Second Division, the 3rd tier of the United States in 2007. In 2009 the club moved down to the USL PDL, the 4th tier of the United States. After the 2011 season however the United Soccer Leagues announced the teams for the 2012 season with the Bermuda Hogges not being in the league alignment.

League system
Level League(s)/Division(s)
1 Premier League
11 clubs (from 2020-2021 season)
↓↑ 2 clubs
2 First Division
9 clubs

Qualification for CONCACAF competition

The club that wins the Bermuda Premier Division is eligible to enter the preliminary stage of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield.

Competition Who Qualifies Notes
CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield Club finishing 1st in the Premier Division No Bermudian club has entered since inception of competition

National teams
Main article: Bermuda national football team

The Bermuda national football team is the national team of Bermuda and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF, it is not among its strongest teams.[1][2]

They were runners up in the 1967 tournament of the Pan-American Games, losing to Mexico in the final.

However, the side has badly slipped down the FIFA rankings, losing to non-UEFA members such as Gibraltar 2–0 in the 2007 Island Games in Rhodes.[3]

Notable Bermudan Footballers
gollark: Apionautokohazards, which control fleets!
gollark: How about apionuktohazards, which are camouflaged somehow by removing visibility in an area around them??
gollark: Sounds good. But you need apionomohazards which can manipulate it.
gollark: Apio*oro*hazards, which climb mountains?
gollark: Apiotuchohazards, which are EXTREMELY LUCKY via RNG hax?

References
  1. "Bermuda a small island dreaming big at Gold Cup". SI.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. Araos, Christian (14 June 2019). "'We're small but mighty': Bermuda's plan to emulate Iceland's World Cup run". Retrieved 17 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  3. "NatWest Island Games XII Rhodes 2007 - Sports - Football - Men's Football - Knockout Matches - Result". www.rhodesresults2007.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
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