It may not be as glamorous as Soccer City, there may not be 84490 fans in attendance and the reward is not the ultimate prize in world football, but today world cup qualifying for 2014 gets underway as Montserrat host Belize in Couva, Trinidad. This encounter kicks off the lengthiest football tournament in the world, with no fewer than 832 matches expected to be played across the six confederations to determine which 31 of the 203 participating countries will be battling for Planet Football’s most coveted crown alongside automatically qualified hosts Brazil in June/July 2014.
Montserrat are ranked 202nd in the FIFA rankings and have never won a match in world cup qualifying. Coach Kenny Dyer: "We've got players who work in McDonald's, accountants, a few full-time professionals, policemen. Some players are seeing each other for the first time. It's about team spirit and camaraderie. It's a big ask, but it's about 90 minutes and we can play well."