The Guatemala selection is just a few days after defining a large part of its sports calendar for this 2025. On March 21 He will play in Barbados the first leg of the repechage towards the Gold Cup against Guyana and will define the series on Tuesday 25 in national territory.
This series against Guyana is of great importance for the aspirations of the national team both in sports and economic, since although the classification to the Gold Cup 2025 is not the main objective of Luis Fernando Tena (it is to go to the 2026 World Cup), Your project could face criticism and wobble if you do not dispute the tournament and at least match what was done in 2023 when it reached the quarterfinals.
The first meeting against Guyana will be Friday, March 21 (7:00 p.m.) at the Wildey Turf Stadium in Barbados, while the second leg will take place on Tuesday 25 in the Cementos Progreso Stadium at 6:30 p.m.since Doroteo Guamuch Flores is disabled by remodeling work.
In addition to the sports challenge, the pass to the 2025 Gold Cup is playing in just five days, traveling to Barbados and then hosting the second leg in a stadium of lower capacity than Doroteo Guamuch Flores, is presented as an economic challenge for Guatemala, since only The series against Guyana will cost around Q3.3 million.
Why do Q3.3 million cost the games against Guyana?
The economic issue is one of the most have caught attention in the series against Guyana, especially after it transpired that the cost of the selection to Barbados is about US $ 430 thousand (or Q3.3 million).
Given this situation, Free press The president of the National Football Federation of Guatemala, the engineer Gerardo Paiz, was focused and he explained the reasons for that amount.
In Paiz’s words, the series against Guyana will cost around Q3.3 million, but it is not just the trip to Barbados, but also the expenses of both the first leg, as well as the return and also A significant percentage goes to the players of the National Team.
“The transport in Barbados, Hotels and the spending in Hotel de Guatemala, plus the players’ awards add that amount,” said the leader.
“We are talking about the Players Award is more or less US $ 200 thousand (Q1.5 million). In expenses in Guatemala, hotel in Barbados, aerial tickets, more economic reward of the players, add up to quantity, “he said.
The cost of the operation would also be the reason why The price of tickets increased For the return meeting in Guatemala on March 25, since according to Paiz’s words, Fedefut seeks to cover the expenses of the series against Guyana with the Cementos Progreso stadium box office.
The cost of the series that defines the future of the selection
Classifying the Gold Cup would not only be a positive result in sports for Guatemala and Luis Fernando Tena’s project, since the economic issue goes hand in hand with the successes he obtains.
Going to the Concacaf tournament would also be a positive result in the Fedefut coffers, since the entity that governs football in the region gives a prize of US $ 250 thousand only for being in the group stage, which could be increased if you advance rounds.
So the series against Guyana depends not only part of the sports success of the Guatemala selection, but also the economic one.