Bermuda football coach Michael Findlay has challenged his squad to seize the opportunity of taking a major step towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

In the draw for the second stage of the Concacaf qualification process, Bermuda were placed in group A alongside Honduras, Antigua & Barbuda, Cuba and Cayman Islands.

With only the winners and runners-up from each of the six groups automatically progressing through to the final stage of qualification, Findlay warned Bermuda’s players must relish the challenge of high-level competition if they are to fulfil their aspirations.

“My first thoughts watching the draw was excitement,” Findlay said.

“Just as the players get excited about being involved in big competitions, so do I. It conjures up that excitement because it is not often you get the chance to be involved in a World Cup qualifying campaign.

“This will be my third and sitting there watching the draw was just great, because it makes you pleased for the players, the staff and the fans to be involved in such a big tournament.

“We will all be confident and excited and ready to be competitive in each of the games. The aim is to finish inside the top two and so the squad will have to apply themselves to the best possible level to be in that position.

“I have to remind the players that not everyone gets the opportunity to represent their country in a World Cup qualifying campaign. It is an amazing opportunity that cannot be taken for granted and should be seized on.”

Bermuda will open the campaign with a trip away to Antigua & Barbuda before hosting group favourites Honduras during the first window in June. The second fixture window in June of next year will include the visit of Cayman Islands before concluding with an away game against Cuba.

Findlay is content at the prospect of hosting Honduras, the highest-ranked country in the group at 76th, highlighting not only the advantages of a home fixture but also minimising the extent of travelling during the campaign.

“With the format of the competition we knew that we would get a team from each pot and so we were always going to face a high-calibre team like Honduras,” added Findlay, who is also well aware of the threat posed by each of the opposition, with Cuba (169) also above Bermuda (171) in the Fifa world rankings.

“The big positive of the draw is that we won’t be having to travel to Honduras and it’s for us to have that fixture at home.

“The nature of travelling in this region can be very challenging and so that is a major plus. That gives us a greater chance of being in a better physical condition to go out and get the victory.

“We know the teams we are facing and are aware of the threat they pose. We know it will be an incredible challenge, but one that we have to look forward to. If we want to compete at the highest level then we face the best teams in the region.”

Bermuda’s previous international campaign ended in frustration, with a 3-0 defeat away to French Guiana in November dashing any hopes of promotion to the top tier of the Concacaf Nations League.

While he was left bitterly disappointed, Findlay, who took the reins in August, is adamant there were positives to take and vital lessons learnt from the experience.

“When I look back on the previous campaign, while we were disappointed that it didn’t go our way, we were still playing for promotion in that final game and were in a position to be competing for something,” he said.

“To me that’s a relative success because I can see the progress that has been made and that’s a positive.

“Yes, there are issues that need to be addressed still, but I’m happy with the way the squad is progressing. I haven’t been in this role long and so I look at that as Phase 1; now we are moving into Phase 2 and so it is about what comes next and the greater expectations going forward.

“We have to look at what it takes physically, mentally and emotionally to reach those next levels and achieve our goals. We have an even greater challenge coming up, but I feel good about this group and where we are going.”

In preparation for announcing his squad, Findlay revealed that the Bermuda Football Association will be hosting a camp for locally based under-23 players this month.

For the head coach, it will be an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the talent available on island, as well as giving the club’s coaches a chance of greater involvement with the national set-up.

“The camp will allow us to assess the players on island and get a better idea of the talent we have among that age group,” added Findlay, who has also been keeping a close eye on the progress of players based overseas.

“It is a good chance for myself to have a look at the younger players on island. To this point I have had to lean on my assistant coaches Kenny [Thompson] and JB [John Barry Nusum] because they have that knowledge of the island.

“We will also be engaging the coaches of all the clubs and asking them for players to put forward because they need to be a part of the process and feel they are more involved.

“I will be heading overseas in June to meet up with some players and see how they are.

“It is really pleasing to see the progress that those players are making. They are in environments where they are being exposed to a good level and so are in a position to improve.

“We have a lot of players making good progress and that is exactly what we need.”