For the first time in years, both sides of the Flora Duffy Stadium were sold out as Bermuda hosted Jamaica in September in a World Cup qualifying match.

Bermuda had reached the final stage of qualifying for the first time after winning 2-1 away in Cuba in June, when Djair Parfitt and Reggie Lambe struck to ensure the Gombey Warriors would take on some of Concacaf’s giants as they attempted to grace the biggest tournament in the world.

So, when the Reggae Boyz rolled into town led by Steve McClaren, the former Manchester United assistant manager and England manager, anticipation was high that Bermuda could upset one of the region’s superpowers, especially with Nahki Wells back leading the attack.

In front of nearly 5,000 passionate supporters, including a significant number supporting the Caribbean country, Jamaica struck an early blow in just the sixth minute before going on to win 4-0 and bring Bermuda hopes crashing back to earth.

The Gombey Warriors showed plenty of heart through the rest of the six-game group, eventually picking up a sole point in a battling 2-2 draw away to Trinidad & Tobago last month.

The final home game, a crushing 7-0 defeat by Curaçao, featured the international retirement of Reggie Lambe, an attacking midfield stalwart over three decades. Lambe, who turns 35 in February, made his debut for the country at the age of 16, was the first Bermudian to reach 50 caps and holds the record for most appearances — 63 with 14 goals.

It was not only Bermuda’s footballers attempting to reach the pinnacle of their sport in 2025, as the national team cricketers travelled to Canada with the aim of getting to the ICC T20 World Cup, which takes place in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026.

But the Americas Regional Final got off to the worst possible start with Bermuda bowled out for just 95 runs, their fourth-lowest score in a T20 international, as they attempted to chase down Canada’s total of 205.

It was a tournament of highs and lows for Bermuda, who finished second behind Canada in the four-team group but also suffered a first-ever defeat by Cayman Islands.

Former captain Delray Rawlins finished as the tournament’s third-highest run scorer with 200 runs across the six games, with Dominic Sabir and Derrick Brangman the island’s leading wicket-takers with six apiece.

Bermuda’s netballers are candidates for team of the year after an uplifting performance at the Battle of the Isles tournament in Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius in October. A runner-up finish to Canada in their first international tournament for seven years — largely made possible through their own initiative — was sufficient to earn the Longtails an all-time high ranking of 20th by World Netball.

In an odd-numbered year, there were no major Games to focus on at senior level, with a pared-down Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Scotland) and the Central American Caribbean Games (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) scheduled for 2026.

So, while the more familiar names took time out of the spotlight, some of the country’s budding stars got the stage to themselves at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay, in August.

Bermuda sent 24 athletes across seven sports ― archery, athletics, cycling, golf, rugby sevens, sailing and swimming ― with three medals won across the 14 days of competition.

The first to stand on the podium to watch the Bermuda flag raised aloft was Jack Harvey, who won a bronze medal in the 100 metres backstroke. He was followed a few days later by former junior world champion Sebastian Kempe, who won silver in the ILCA 7 sailing fleet. Sprinter Caitlyn Bobb rounded out the medals with silver in the 400 metres.

Away from the international stage, Somerset retained the Cup Match trophy after a tempestuous match at Wellington Oval finished in a draw.

A stalemate was always likely to be on the cards after the final day’s play was delayed by three hours as heavy rain made its way across the island.

Somerset’s personal milestones included captain Terryn Fray scoring half-centuries in both innings, and Tre Manders and Dion Stovell making 59 and 65 respectively in the first innings.

Rawlins batted superbly for St George’s, falling just two runs short of his century when an attempted nudge down the leg side against Malachi Jones rebounded off his hip and on to the stumps, while Zeko Burgess took five wickets in Somerset’s first innings.

After several unsavoury incidents on the pitch over the course of the two days, St George’s issued an apology for the behaviour of their players, with former captains Onias Bascome and Macai Simmons sanctioned for their conduct.

Otherwise for the East End Club, it was a case of back to the future, as Neil Paynter ended the year as president after the sudden resignation of Mishael Paynter for personal reasons in October.

The more senior Paynter, who had previously led the club for 22 years, has committed to being in charge only until St George’s next host Cup Match in 2027.

In domestic football, North Village completed the double after winning the Premier Division and beating Devonshire Cougars 2-0 in the FA Cup Final.

In regional competition, cyclist Nicholas Narraway was crowned Caribbean time-trial champion, beating Conor White into second, while Gabriella Arnold picked up silver in the women’s road race and bronze in the time-trial.

The women’s beach volleyball team of Hailey Moss and Megan Hands, and the men’s team of Benjamin Barnett and Sean Tucker won silver medals at the Eastern Caribbean Championships.

Bermuda won two medals at the Carifta Track and Field Championships with Cameron Adkins finishing runner-up in the under-17 boys 1,500 metres and Tatiana Sousa also winning silver in the under-17 girls javelin.

Thomas Cechini pulled off a hat-trick of bronze medals in the Carifta Aquatic Championships after finishing third in the 200, 400 and 1,500 metres freestyle.

Bermuda picked up 11 medals, including golds for Rory Shepherd and Naomi MacGuinness, at the Carifta Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships in Trinidad & Tobago.