Bermuda have qualified for the next stage of the Caribbean Cup after French Guiana’s 3-0 victory at home to Cuba in Cayenne last night.

Andrew Bascome’s side faced a nervous wait after defeating French Guiana 2-1 at the National Stadium last weekend to leave group three delicately poised.

French Guiana finished top of the group thanks to their superior goal difference, with Bermuda in second place and Cuba bottom.

All three teams finished tied on three points, with the top two sides advancing to the second round.

Bermuda started their campaign with a 2-1 defeat away to Cuba last Tuesday, with Jonté Smith, the Lewes striker, scoring a last-minute consolation goal.

They returned to the island for their final group game against French Guiana, coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 with goals from Tre Ming and Reggie Lambe.

Larry Mussenden, the Bermuda Football Association president, hopes Bascome’s side can now move a step closer to becoming one of the best teams in the region.

“The result is a favourable one for Bermuda,” he said. “Our preparation in Bermuda will continue so that we can work towards our long-stated aim of being one of the best in the Caribbean.

“I want to encourage the fans to get behind our team and plan to fill the National Stadium for the home game in the next round.”

The second round of the competition will be played from May 15 to 21, with the third round being held from October 3 to 11.

The finals are to take place in 2017. The top four teams will qualify for the next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup, which will be held from July 9 to 30.

Bermuda had not entered in the Caribbean Cup since 2012 when Bascome’s side failed to qualify from their group, losing 2-1 to Puerto Rico, 3-1 to host nation Haiti before finishing off with an 8-0 thrashing of St Martin.

The format for this Caribbean Cup has been altered with countries now playing against each other once rather than the original format, which featured home and away legs.

Another amendment allowed only the top two countries from each of the seven groups advancing to the second round, and not the top two plus the next best team as originally planned.