Trailer Urges Island to unite Behind 2026 World Cup Push
IslandStats.com
A stirring new campaign trailer, Bermy Love: Bermuda’s 2026 World Cup Campaign Trailer, aims to galvanise support for the island’s Senior Men’s National Football Team as they bid to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Produced and overseen by a Bermudian creative team, the short film stitches together archive drama and contemporary celebration — spotlighting historic sporting figures alongside present-day footballing highlights — to make a simple appeal: get behind the team.
The trailer is compact but potent. It pairs footage of the national side’s on-field moments — including a highlighted victory over El Salvador — with powerful images of Bermuda’s celebrated sporting and cultural figures. Olympic triathlon champion Flora Duffy is shown among the roster of national icons, as are boxer Clarence Hill and Miss World Gina Swainson, underscoring the trailer’s theme that national pride transcends disciplines.
Clarence Hill, who remains one of Bermuda’s most iconic athletes, and Gina Swainson, a symbolic figure in the island’s cultural history, are used in the film as signifiers of what Bermudian sport and achievement can represent. Their inclusion is a reminder that the island’s sporting story is broader than football alone — and that football now seeks to draw on that wider reservoir of national optimism.
The film was edited and directed by Essien Douglas (@EssienEmoney) with script and voice-over by Dr. Ty Douglas (@drtydouglas). Production support came from Paul DeShield Productions (@pauldeshield), with Dr. Ty Douglas also listed as executive producer. The piece blends evocative music, quick-cut match footage and a narrative voice that calls for unity and visible support — in stadiums, on the streets and across social media.
At its core the trailer functions as a rallying cry. It presents the World Cup qualification campaign not just as a sporting objective but as a national project: an opportunity for Bermudians at home and abroad to come together behind a common cause.
Bermuda, a nation with a relatively small population, has been gradually building its footballing profile in the CONCACAF region. The 2026 World Cup — being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and featuring an expanded 48-team format — offers smaller nations an incentive to test themselves on football’s biggest stage.
For supporters, the trailer’s timing is about momentum. Football in Bermuda has seen periods of promise and frustration; the Bermy Love film seeks to convert that emotional energy into tangible backing for the team through attendance, vocal support and heightened national attention.
The trailer is a reminder that sport often serves as a lens for national identity. Whether Bermudians rally in sufficient numbers to change the course of a qualifying campaign remains to be seen — but for now, Bermy Love has offered a compelling invitation to try.
