PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – In a damning and frank assessment of Trinidad and Tobago’s failed 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, former Technical Director Anton Corneal has pointed to a critical lack of “dying passion” within the squad and raised serious questions over the financial feasibility of retaining head coach Dwight Yorke.
Speaking on the i95.5fm ISPORTS programme with host Andre Errol Baptiste on Thursday, the well-renowned FIFA Technical Coaching Officer did not mince words, labelling the recent Concacaf second-round exit a “missed opportunity without a doubt.”
Corneal, whose expertise is respected across the globe, dissected the campaign by highlighting specific moments where the national team let precious points slip through their fingers.
“When you look back at the games, you can say, you know what, we probably should have beaten Curacao in Trinidad and in Curacao, that’s six points,” Corneal stated, emphasising the magnitude of those two results alone.
He also pointed to misfortune in the away loss to Jamaica, noting, “We were unlucky in Jamaica, not to have gotten any of those disallowed goals, and of course, through VAR it did show that they were offside.” However, he was quick to add that the team failed to create its own fortune, repeating, “We did not make our luck.”

Beyond tactics and luck, Corneal identified a deeper, more concerning issue plaguing the national setup.
“If there’s an area where I sit on the outside looking in, that dying passion to get a result might have been missing,” he revealed. He described this essential ingredient as a “passion that’s based on desire, commitment that must come from the heart.”
The conversation then turned to the future and the uncertain status of head coach Dwight Yorke. Corneal suggested that the decision to keep the former Manchester United star and his staff may not be purely a footballing one, but a financial one.
“People will have to understand what are all the pros and cons. I can’t say that I know financially. What will be the setback if we can even continue with somebody that probably demands a little bit more money?” Corneal questioned.
He directly linked the funding of the senior men’s team to government support, asking, “Are we able to approach the government to say, is this someone that we can afford to pay? I don’t know the financial situation. So, in saying that, that will be a setback.”
Corneal concluded that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) now faces a pivotal crossroads, weighing the cost of a high-profile coach against the urgent need to rebuild. “We have to think about whether we are prepared to build a team from now, or if we are going to wait. So there are so many areas.”
The Soca Warriors finished their Group B campaign with one win, four draws, and one loss, scoring seven goals and conceding six for a total of seven points, a return that Corneal and many fans believe was well below the team’s potential.