With Antigua and Barbuda’s 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes now extinguished, head coach Jacques Passy is turning his focus toward the future, determined to lay the groundwork for a bold new era in Benna Boys football.

Following a 2-0 defeat to Honduras on Tuesday that left Antigua and Barbuda winless and at the bottom of Group A in the Concacaf qualifiers, the Mexican-born tactician expressed both disappointment and optimism in a candid post-match interview. His sights are now set firmly on development and continuity, and he plans to present an ambitious rebuilding strategy to the national federation.

"I am going to present a plan to the FA, a very ambitious plan, one that will include friendly matches, one that will include my vision of how we should move forward from here,” Passy told Observer media.

"We have theoretically—because Concacaf has not confirmed this—Nations League qualifiers in November and March, but we cannot wait until November," he added.

Since taking the helm, Passy has opted to field a younger squad, banking on the long-term benefits of exposing emerging talent to high-level competition. Despite back-to-back defeats in the current window, the coach believes significant progress has been made.

"We need to have a plan that continues to have these young players, plus other international young players I might start bringing in, to grow and to have games like the (Honduras clash) in which we were exposed to very good players,” he said.

"Yes, we lost both games, but I think we improved dramatically. I was very happy to see the young players that play locally go out there without fear or conflict and fight according to the game," Passy noted.

Antigua and Barbuda ended the World Cup qualifying campaign with a solitary point, but Passy remains confident that the groundwork has been laid for a resurgence, as he is eager to keep momentum alive in the interim.