Bermuda head into their final Concacaf Nations League fixture against the Dominican Republic tonight assured of a place in the Gold Cup preliminary tournament.

With a game to play, Bermuda are guaranteed to finish as one of the two best runners-up in League B after their nearest rivals, St Lucia and Puerto Rico, both lost their final group matches last night.

Those results mean Bermuda will feature alongside teams including Guatemala, Nicaragua, Martinique, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago in the 2025 Gold Cup preliminary competition, which takes place in the weeks leading up to the main tournament in the US and Canada in June next year.

Bermuda still have an outside chance of automatic qualification for the Gold Cup but would need to beat group leaders Dominican Republic by six goals to progress.

The Gombey Warriors head into their final match fresh off a 2-1 defeat of Antigua & Barbuda at the weekend and are keen to extend their winning streak, which stands at four under coach Michael Findlay.

Danté Leverock, the deputising Bermuda captain, says the squad are aware of the situation they find themselves in and are focusing solely on extending their good recent form.

“We came into these two games knowing that it was always going to be difficult to get direct qualification,” Leverock told The Royal Gazette.

“Obviously, Dominican Republic is a good team. They have scored goals against Dominica and Antigua, which has put us in a position, but regardless, we want to win the game. No matter the score, we want to get five on the bounce.

“So that’s our focus at any point, whether it’s first or second, to get into the Gold Cup because we believe we deserve that, but again, we’re still trying to qualify directly.

Bermuda will be without experienced striker and former captain Nahki Wells, who featured in the recent win over Antigua but has since rejoined Sky Bet Championship side Bristol City in England.

“Obviously we are losing Nahki, who has to go prep for his game with Burnley, but it’s always good having him in,” Leverock said.

“He’s a leader, a good person, and a mentor to a lot of us, especially the young guys. They look up to him, so it’s always good having him in camp and welcoming him back.”

Rejoining the national set-up for this match is experienced forward Zeiko Lewis, who enjoyed success after his Union Omaha team secured the USL League One Championship courtesy of a 3-0 win over Spokane Velocity in the title game at Werner Park in Nebraska at the weekend.

“Obviously, Zeiko is coming off a high with winning USL League One,” Leverock said.

“He is a good friend of mine, so I’m proud of him, but it’s always good to have him back, and his experience in the team is always an asset. He’s been on good form for us as well.”

The 32-year-old central defender and former professional player is relishing donning the captain’s armband again in the absence of goalkeeper Dale Eve, who was unavailable for the final two Nations League fixtures due to personal reasons.

“It’s always an honour wearing the armband,” Leverock said.

“Obviously, I’ve worn it before and had some success, but I’ve never stopped trying to be a mentor and a leader to the young group.

“For me, wearing the armband has been a childhood dream, and it is great that I get to realise it again and lead this new group of Bermudian players of the next generation.”

Kick-off at the Cibao Stadium in the Dominican Republic is at 7pm.