Trinidad and Tobago's only World Cup goalscorer put the ball in his own net

Trinidad and Tobago has only ever been to one World Cup. It was in 2006, in Germany, and for nearly twenty years it held the record as the smallest nation, by population, ever to qualify for a World Cup — a record Curaçao took from them on the way to the 2026 tournament. They arrived without any big names beyond Dwight Yorke, their captain, already near the end of his career, and left the tournament without a single win — but they didn't embarrass themselves either: they held Sweden to a 0-0 draw while playing most of the second half with a man down, and lost 2-0 to England, with both goals coming in the final seven minutes.

Their third and final match was against Paraguay, with nothing left to play for on either side. In the 25th minute, a Paraguayan free kick deflected off defender Brent Sancho, who put the ball into his own net. Paraguay went on to win 2-0.

Sancho's own goal wasn't just the opener of that match. It is, and remains to this day, the only goal ever credited to a Trinidad and Tobago player in World Cup history — no one from that national team has ever scored for their own side. Their only "goalscorer" is a defender who put the ball into his own net, in the country's only World Cup appearance.

It's probably not an achievement Sancho looks back on fondly, but it did earn him, without meaning to, a permanent place in the tournament's history: for as long as the World Cup exists, Trinidad and Tobago will have exactly one goal on the books — and it will always be his.