As Bermuda head into their final home encounter of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Curaçao, coach Michael Findlay is hoping to finish the campaign on a high.

Having come close to snatching a point away to Curaçao when losing 3-2 in September, Findlay is hoping that Bermuda can pick up their first points in the group at Flora Duffy Stadium tonight (8pm).

But that will not be easy as the Gombey Warriors come up against a side still in contention to make it to the World Cup, with Dick Advocaat’s side a point behind Jamaica with two games left to play.

“We are all disappointed that we haven’t been able to position ourselves to have the ultimate dream,” Findlay said.

“But we’re still proud and very honoured to have been able to compete at this level against these teams. The ultimate goal for us coming into the last round is to get results, to get points and foil a few other teams’ dreams.

“We are looking for good performances, results and hopefully be able to finish off the qualifying on a high, knowing that we’ve got 2026 coming, which is a qualifying year for Gold Cup in 2027.”

Despite results not going the way Findlay would have wanted, he is convinced that the players retain their motivation and will give their all tonight.

“I think all the players are still motivated because they’re still trying to establish themselves as a consistent selection for Bermuda,’’ Findlay said.

“That’s the most important thing when we talk about the long list, we are actually talking about internal competition.

“When I first came in, in August 2023, the team sort of picked itself. What we instilled in this group and in the staff and the BFA, and you have to congratulate the BFA on pushing this idea is that we needed to create a dilemma for myself and the rest of the staff.

“We now have players that have stepped up to the category. That's why it's nice to see youth coming in here to push against senior players and ones who have been established in this group.

“That’s something that we have to use as a tool for these players to want to come and compete. They have great honour and this is not just showing up. They’re representing their country. So I think there’s always something to play for, no matter what the results will give you at this moment in time.”

A number of new players have been called up, with the latest being Brighton Morrison, who was selected following an injury picked up by Kieron Richardson.

“There has been some changes that we’ve incorporated into the final window for games against Curaçao and Trinidad & Tobago,” Findlay said.

“Some of them are planned and some of them are replacements for players that aren’t available due to the circumstances that dog us as a nation that plays in Concacaf.

“Many nations go through this, but we’re really excited about what we have done in terms of incorporating some youth. That’s a very important component of our entire plan long-term.

“One of the key components is to try to invest in the youth and give them experience. We have to get a really good idea of exactly what we have potentially going forward into the next cycle, which is going to start very quickly in 2026.”