$1M championship prize up for grabs as Guinness Street Football returns April 15

A $1 million grand prize is back on the table as Guyana’s premier street football competition, the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’, finally prepares to crown its 2025 Georgetown champions.

The long-awaited conclusion of the tournament will resume this Wednesday, April 15, at the  National Cultural Centre Tarmac, following a significant delay.

Organisers confirmed that the pause was necessary to accommodate the 2025 General and Regional Elections, ensuring the national electoral process and other factors remained the priority before returning to the high-octane world of streetball.

Banks DIH Sales and Marketing Executive Lee Baptiste explained that the interruption was a strategic necessity, but emphasised that preparations are now fully in place for a structured and clinical finish to the campaign.

The brand is looking to regain momentum quickly, with the Georgetown leg of the tournament set to ignite the capital over six nights of action, culminating in a grand final on May 1.

Beyond the $1 million top prize, the runner-up is set to pocket $400,000, while the third and fourth-place finishers will take home $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Guinness Brand Manager Jeoff Clement has high expectations for the remaining fixtures, stressing that the brand anticipates a standard of discipline that matches elite-level play.

With the Georgetown segment serving as the immediate focus, Clement noted that the National Championships are already looming, scheduled to kick off on May 8, just one week after the city champion is crowned.

The tournament’s role in community development remains at the heart of the initiative. According to Baptiste, street football continues to provide a vital platform for players to represent their neighbourhoods and engage in healthy, positive competition.

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, the schedule is expected to be “tightly packed” as the brand manages a heavy activity calendar.

There are also ambitious plans to expand the tournament’s footprint, including the reinstatement of the East Coast Demerara leg at Beterverwagting and the potential addition of Port Kaituma to a circuit that already spans Essequibo, Berbice, Linden, and Bartica.

There is also a possibility in the future, where overseas teams are invited to compete against Guyana’s best, but the issue with an outright Caribbean tournament, like in the past, stems from the fact that not a lot of other nations within this region play Street football at this organised or national level – it is mainly on a leisure basis.

The Georgetown leg will be played in a ruthless direct-elimination format, starting from a round of 32.

Heavy hitters such as Sparta Boss, Gold is Money, and Bent St A are all featured in the opening night’s lineup at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac.

Organisers have expressed gratitude to long-term supporters, Colours Boutique, along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Guyana Police Force, and the Guyana Fire Service.

Fixtures: Day 1 (Round of 32) – Wednesday, April 15

19:00h: Alexander Village v Island All-Stars

19:30h: Bent St A v Rising Stars

20:00h: Make it Happen v East Coast All-Stars

20:30h: Team Immaculate v California Square

21:00h: Festival City v Sophia All-Stars

21:30h: Broad St v Team Spirit

22:00h: Gold is Money v Stevedore

22:30h: Sparta Boss v East Bank Ballers