Trinidad and Tobago recruit Dwight Yorke to lead national team 2026 qualification challenge – Inside World Football

November 3 – Former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke has been named the new manager of his native Trinidad and Tobago. He will succeed Angus Eve.
In a statement, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFA) revealed that the talisman Yorke will take charge of the Soca Warriors with a view to next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
“With World Cup qualification in our sights, we’re thrilled to welcome Dwight Yorke as the new head coach of our Men’s National Team,” said TTFA president Kieron Edwards. “Dwight’s experience, leadership, and commitment to the red, white, and black are exactly what we need to inspire our players and our nation.”
“Dwight’s journey from a standout player to a seasoned leader in football brings a unique vision that aligns with our ambitions.”
Yorke’s managerial experience is limited to a seven-month stint at Macarthur in Australia. He guided the club to their first-ever Australia Cup title, but his reign ended in acrimony after 13 matches – Yorke had called his team a ‘pub team’.
In September, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) awarded him $290,000, ruling that the club had breached the parties’ contract, ending the employment without just cause. Last month, FIFA slapped Macarthur with a transfer ban until 2026 unless the club pays Yorke.
The terms of Yorke’s new contract at home were not released, nor were details of the length of his contract or his backroom staff.
“The opportunity to work with this talented, close-knit group of players is something I look forward to,” said Yorke. “Having helped Trinidad and Tobago to the semi-finals of the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2000, captained the side at the 2006 World Cup and been an assistant manager, my love and commitment to my national team are well documented.”
Yorke retired after a career that included stints at Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn, and Birmingham. He scored 18 goals in 73 internationals for Trinidad and Tobago and is the country’s most famous player.
He captained the island nation at the 2006 World Cup in Germany where the Soca Warriors finished bottom of a group that included England, Sweden and Paraguay. In 2018, the team prevented the United States from making that year’s World Cup in Russia under another of the 2006 World Cup legends, Dennis Lawrence.
Yorke’s first task will be to guide Trinidad and Tobago to qualification for the 2025 Gold Cup. In 2023 the country qualified via the preliminary round play-offs, coming third in a group that contained the USA and Jamaica.
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