Four regional under-20 men’s football squads—La Clery, Gros Islet, Vieux Fort South and Soufriere—have booked their places in the final four of the 2026 Blackheart/Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. (SLFA) Knockout Tournament, after a thrilling weekend of quarterfinal action hosted at Soufriere Stadium.
The knockout stage pitted top-ranked teams from Saint Lucia’s northern and southern zones against their counterparts from the island’s east and west regions, with only four squads advancing to the next phase of the country’s longest-running football knockout competition.
As the reigning champions of the SLFA Under-20 Men’s Zonal Tournament, Soufriere delivered a dramatic comeback victory in a hotly contested west coast derby against Canaries. Canaries drew first blood early in the match: Zyhym Jn Charles netted the opening goal in the 24th minute, holding onto a 1-0 lead through halftime. It was not until the 55th minute that Soufriere, nicknamed the Sulphur City squad, found an equalizer from Rishawn Prospere. The team sealed their win with two late goals from Eymani Butcher and Cassian Joseph, scored in the final two minutes of regulation, to lock in a 3-1 final score.
In southern zone action, Vieux Fort South claimed a narrow 1-0 win over South Castries, with Y Francis netting the decisive match-winning goal in the 74th minute. Top-seeded La Clery faced off against Mabouya Valley in a tightly matched contest that ended in a 0-0 draw after full time, pushing the matchup to penalty kicks. La Clery held their nerve from the spot, securing a 5-4 penalty shootout win to advance to the semifinals.
Fourth overall seed Gros Islet, which dominated the Northern Zone to qualify and swept past Laborie in the Round of 16, cemented their status as one of the tournament’s standout teams with a 3-1 victory over Dennery. Rickelme Lionel put Gros Islet ahead early, scoring in the 21st minute to carry a 1-0 lead into halftime. Thierry Morille doubled the squad’s advantage in the 52nd minute, though Dennery cut the deficit not long after when Dervontae Agyemang found the back of the net in the 62nd minute. As full time approached, Joshua George iced the win for Gros Islet, scoring in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time to restore the two-goal lead and lock in their semifinal spot.