MIAMI, Florida – The Draw for the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims yielded a number of intriguing results with some fairly familiar foes set to do battle.

(4) Cuba vs. French Guaina

In Match 4, Cuba will take on French Guiana in what will be the third official meeting between the two sides. While these two sides have previously qualified for Gold Cups, they have yet to meet in the tournament.

The first clash took place on December 10, 2012 in Group B of the 2012 Caribbean Cup in Antigua and Barbuda with Cuba earning a 2-1 victory thanks to an Ariel Martinez brace to outweigh Gary Pigree’s goal for Les Yana Dokos. 

The two teams would meet again almost two years later on November 11, 2014 in the 2014 Caribbean Cup in Jamaica in a Group A fixture. Once again Martinez proved to be the dangerman for Cuba, netting the opening goal, only for French Guiana to pull out a point in the final seconds thanks to Mickael Solvi’s equalizer for a 1-1 final.

(6) Bermuda vs. Barbados

The history is even longer in Match 6 between Bermuda, who made their Gold Cup debut in 2019, and a Barbados side seeking their first ever Gold Cup berth.

There have been 13 previous meetings between the two Caribbean sides, and the results are pretty even with five wins for Bermuda, four wins for Barbados and four draws.

The majority of the matches between the two nations have been friendlies, including their last two encounters with Barbados winning 3-2 in 2017 and a 0-0 draw in 2018.

The first official match between the Gombey Warriors and Bajan Tridents occurred in the Second Round of Qualifying for the 2007 Caribbean Cup. On November 23, 2006 at the Barbados National Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados earned a 1-1 draw against Bermuda to top Group G and secure their place in the next round of Qualifying.

Fans would have to wait nearly five years for the next matches, this time coming in the Second Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Brazil 2014. Drawn together into a four-team Group B, Bermuda collected two of their three wins in the group with successive 2-1 victories over Barbados.

(5) Guadeloupe vs. Bahamas

Match 5 will present an unknown as for the first time ever three-time Gold Cup participant Guadeloupe will take on a Bahamas team searching for their first Gold Cup appearance. Each team won their respective group in League C of the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, so the quality and talent are there on both sides to make for an unforgettable debut match between the two.