Just a few short months ago, you would have been hard pushed to find anybody willing to gamble on Trinidad and Tobago making it through to their first FIFA World Cup™. However, that did not stop this tiny Caribbean nation of just 1.1 million people from overcoming the odds and the weight of history to earn a well-deserved place at football's high table.

After having got the better of the Dominican Republic in the first group series, the Caribbean side were grouped with the mighty Mexicans in the next phase. They may have gone on to lose both games against their more illustrious rivals, but the islanders were still able to make it through to the 'Hexagonal' final qualifying stage thanks to wins over neighbours St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Even following these valuable victories, few people fancied T&T's chances of progressing from a group that included the United States, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala.

A terrible start to the final qualifying stage saw Trinidad and Tobago pick up just one point from their first three matches, a paltry total which seemed to confirm the fans' worst fears and saw morale in the camp plummet to a new low. However, the arrival on Caribbean shores of experienced Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker, in place of Bertille St Clair, breathed new life into T&T's campaign, reviving the team's fortunes.

The new coach got off to the best possible start with a 2-0 win over Panama before seeing his side put in a great performance against Mexico. The game may have ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Soca Warriors, but the commitment shown augured well for Beenhakker's new charges. A narrow 1-0 defeat in the USA was followed by a nail-biting 3-2 win over direct rivals Guatemala. A further 2-0 reverse at the hands of Costa Rica in San Jose meant that T&T went into their final game against CONCACAF superpowers Mexico needing to record a historic win. Against all the odds, they took three priceless points securing a 2-1 triumph in Port of Spain to book their place in a play-offs with Bahrain.

Back in 1989, Trinidad and Tobago had been in an almost identical situation - being just one game away from FIFA World Cup qualification only to see it slip through their fingers. A 1-0 home defeat by the USA shattered the country's dreams of making it through to Italia 90 and the islanders were not prepared to let the it happen again. Even so, the two games against their Asian rivals could not have been more dramatic. In Port of Spain, Bahrain stunned the home crowd by taking the lead through Husein Salman in the 72nd minute, only for Christopher Birchall's wonder strike to level the game five minutes later and keep the locals in the hunt. In the return match, with the odds once again stacked against them, the Soca Warriors refused to lie down, grabbing a magnificent 1-0 win to spark scenes of joyous celebration back home.

They may have been the last team to book their place in Germany, but T&T are more than capable of ruffling a few feathers at next summer's showpiece tournament. Qualification means that coach Beenhakker will be assured mythical status among the fans, and also give the country’s best ever player, Dwight Yorke, the chance to grace one FIFA World Cup finals before he retires. A UEFA Champions League winner in his time at Manchester United, Yorke is not someone who is prepared to go down without a fight. The same can be said of powerful forward Stern John and the immensely talented Russell Latapy, whose return to the side at 37 coincided with the team's upturn in form. Given the abundance of talent at their disposal, any team that dares to underestimate the Soca Warriors could be in for a rather rude awakening.