Trinidad and Tobago Football Association
The national governing body for association football in Trinidad and Tobago.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the national governing body for association football in Trinidad and Tobago. Based in Port of Spain, it administers the sport across the country and represents Trinidad and Tobago within the international football system. Its responsibilities include overseeing amateur and professional football, organizing and sanctioning competitions, registering and regulating clubs, supporting referee development, and managing the country's men's and women's national teams and youth selections. The organization has operated under its present name since 1 July 2013. From 1992 until that change, it was known as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF). The rebranding reflected a return to the Football Association designation commonly used by national governing bodies, while its core responsibilities remained substantially the same. The TTFA's sporting importance is closely connected with the development of Trinidad and Tobago's national teams. The men's senior team began World Cup qualifying in the 1960s and came close to reaching the 1974 tournament after a controversial qualifying campaign involving Haiti. The team again approached qualification for the 1990 World Cup, but a decisive defeat to the United States ended that attempt. Trinidad and Tobago eventually qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the first World Cup appearance in the country's history. The team drew with Sweden in its opening match, held England scoreless for most of their meeting, and finished the tournament with one point. The federation's administration has also been marked by serious financial and legal difficulties. After the 2006 World Cup, sixteen players disputed the distribution of World Cup-related and preparatory-match revenues. The players maintained that they were entitled to half of the relevant federation profits under an agreed bonus arrangement, while the federation supplied changing accounts of its income and expenses. The dispute led to litigation, arbitration attempts, allegations that players had been excluded from subsequent national-team selection, and continuing court proceedings. A 2008 arbitration ruling supported the players' entitlement to a share of qualifying and friendly-match profits, although the matter subsequently moved into the Trinidad and Tobago court system. Financial pressure continued into the following decade. In 2012, the federation moved offices after equipment was seized in connection with unpaid obligations. In 2020, the federation's conflict with FIFA escalated when FIFA appointed a normalization committee and the TTFA challenged that intervention in a local court. FIFA suspended the association's membership on 24 September 2020. The suspension was lifted on 19 November 2020 after the TTFA agreed to end its legal action against FIFA, restoring its membership rights and eligibility to participate in international football structures. The TTFA's football ecosystem includes the men's and women's senior national teams, multiple boys' and girls' youth teams, the TT Pro League, the National Super League, women's competitions, school leagues, youth organizations, and veteran football bodies. It has also sponsored the FA Trophy, a nationwide knockout competition open to affiliated clubs, since 1927. The association presents annual Trinidad and Tobago Footballer of the Year awards to male and female players. Its role is therefore broader than national-team representation: it is the institution responsible for coordinating the country's competition pyramid, development pathways, officiating structure, and international football relationships.
History
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is the institution responsible for organizing and governing association football in Trinidad and Tobago. Its historical remit covers both elite and grassroots football, including domestic leagues, affiliated clubs, referees, tournaments, national teams, and youth development. The association is based in Port of Spain and participates in the FIFA and CONCACAF football systems. The men's national team entered its first FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in 1965, seeking a place at the 1966 tournament. Trinidad and Tobago did not advance from the first round. The country later came close to qualification for the 1974 World Cup. In a decisive 1973 match against Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago lost 2–1 after five of its goals were disallowed, an episode that became one of the most controversial moments in the country's qualifying history. The national team returned to serious contention during qualification for the 1990 World Cup. It needed only a draw in its final home match against the United States, but Paul Caligiuri scored the only goal in the 38th minute, sending the United States to the tournament instead. Trinidad and Tobago's breakthrough came during the 2006 qualifying cycle. The team qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Germany for the first time, becoming the smallest country to reach the tournament at that time. In Group B, it faced England, Sweden, and Paraguay. A draw with Sweden gave Trinidad and Tobago its first World Cup point, while the team also remained level with England for 83 minutes before losing. It completed the tournament with a record of no wins, one draw, and two defeats. The 2006 success was followed by a major governance and financial dispute. Sixteen members of the World Cup squad said they had agreed to share half of federation income connected with the tournament. The TTFF initially reported income of TT$18.25 million and expenses of TT$17.97 million, producing a stated net figure of TT$282,952 and an offer of TT$5,600 per player. The players rejected this and also rejected a later figure based on TT$950,000 in qualifying revenue. They requested access to unaudited accounts. The players later alleged that they had been effectively excluded from national-team selection; the federation attributed selection decisions to coach Wim Rijsbergen. The players began legal proceedings in June 2007. A government inquiry under freedom-of-information procedures subsequently indicated that the federation's income may have been understated by at least TT$173.5 million, excluding a TT$32 million government bonus and television revenues from European friendlies. The dispute moved toward arbitration in London after the federation lifted the alleged selection ban. In May 2008, arbitrator Ian Mill QC ruled that the players were entitled to half of profits from 2006 qualifying and pre-World Cup friendlies. The proceedings later shifted back toward the Port of Spain High Court after the federation challenged the continuation of London arbitration, citing alleged breaches of confidentiality. The dispute remained unresolved for years. In February 2011, the High Court ordered an interim payment of US$100 to the footballers and rejected accounting documents submitted by the federation. Financial stress also affected the association's operations. In 2012, court-related seizure of equipment over unpaid obligations led the federation to move to new offices in Woodbrook. The association was known as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation from 1992 until 1 July 2013, when it adopted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association name. The change did not alter its basic function as the country's national football authority. Relations with FIFA deteriorated in 2020. FIFA had appointed a normalization committee to reform the TTFA, but the federation challenged the intervention in a Trinidad and Tobago court. FIFA suspended the TTFA on 24 September 2020. The suspension was removed on 19 November 2020 after the TTFA agreed to discontinue its legal action against FIFA. Its FIFA membership rights, including participation in international football competitions, were consequently restored. The TTFA continues to oversee the men's and women's senior teams, age-group national teams, domestic competitions, referee structures, affiliated clubs, and football development. Its associated football environment includes the TT Pro League, National Super League, women's leagues, school competitions, youth leagues, and veteran organizations. The association has sponsored the FA Trophy, a nationwide competition for affiliated clubs, since 1927, and awards male and female Trinidad and Tobago Footballer of the Year honors.
- 2020
FIFA suspension and reinstatement
[1]FIFA suspended the association in September and restored its membership rights in November after the TTFA ended its court action against FIFA.
- 2013
Return to Football Association name
[1]On 1 July, the organization changed its name from Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
- 2006
First FIFA World Cup appearance
[1]Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Germany, earning a draw with Sweden and its first World Cup point.
- 1999
TT Pro League founded
[1]The TT Pro League was established as the country's first-division professional football competition.
- 1992
Federation name adopted
[1]The organization became known as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
- 1990
Qualification narrowly missed
[1]Trinidad and Tobago needed a draw against the United States in its final qualifying match but lost 1–0.
- 1973
Controversial 1974 qualification campaign
[1]The national team came close to qualification for the 1974 World Cup but lost a decisive match to Haiti amid disputed disallowed goals.
- 1965
First World Cup qualifying campaign
[1]Trinidad and Tobago entered its first World Cup qualification campaign, seeking a place at the 1966 tournament.
- 1927
FA Trophy sponsorship begins
[1]The association began sponsoring the nationwide FA Trophy competition for affiliated clubs.
Products and positioning
National football governing association responsible for regulating, developing, and representing association football in Trinidad and Tobago.
National team
Men's national football team
The TTFA administers and represents Trinidad and Tobago's senior men's national team in international football. The team's most significant achievement was qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where it drew with Sweden and earned the country's first World Cup point.
National team
Women's national football team
The senior women's national team forms part of the TTFA's national-team structure. The association is responsible for its administration, international representation, competition participation, and player development.
Youth development
Youth national teams
The TTFA oversees boys' and girls' age-group teams, including under-23, under-20, under-19, under-17, and under-15 programs. These teams provide national pathways for developing players and connect domestic football with international youth competition.
Domestic cup competition · 1927
FA Trophy
The FA Trophy is a nationwide knockout tournament open to clubs affiliated with the national football authority. The association has sponsored the competition since 1927, making it one of the long-running components of Trinidad and Tobago's domestic football calendar.
Sports governance
Domestic football administration
The TTFA sanctions and coordinates domestic leagues and organizations, including professional, amateur, women's, school, youth, and veterans' football. Its regulatory role includes club affiliation, tournament approval, referee sanctioning, and administration of the national competition structure.
Controversies
2020
FIFA governance conflict and suspension
The TTFA challenged FIFA's appointment of a normalization committee in local court. FIFA suspended the association's membership in September 2020, and lifted the suspension in November after the TTFA agreed to terminate its court action.
2007
2006 World Cup bonus and accounting dispute
Sixteen players from Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup squad disputed the TTFF's calculation and distribution of tournament-related revenues. The dispute involved alleged under-reporting of income, access to accounts, player selection claims, litigation, and arbitration. A 2008 arbitration ruling supported the players' entitlement to half of relevant profits, although subsequent legal proceedings continued.
Brand decisions
2020
End court action against FIFA to restore membershipOtherBackground
FIFA suspended the TTFA after the association challenged the appointment of a normalization committee through local court proceedings.
Action taken
The TTFA agreed to terminate its legal action against FIFA.
Aftermath
FIFA lifted the suspension on 19 November 2020 and reinstated the association's membership rights, including access to international competitions.
2013
Rename the federation as the Football AssociationStrategyBackground
The organization had used the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation name since 1992.
Action taken
It adopted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association name on 1 July 2013.
Aftermath
The association continued its existing national governing role under the TTFA identity.
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