The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan on the same day as the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final.

The friendly match, officially sanctioned by FIFA, saw Bhutan rise out of the bottom two of the world rankings and kept Montserrat in last place.

[6] Montserrat had also suffered their own significant misfortunes, when the Soufrière Hills erupted causing widespread devastation to the island.

The British destroyer HMS Liverpool took a large role in evacuating Montserrat's population to other islands; these included Antigua and Barbuda, who warned they would not be able to cope with many more refugees.

(De Jongh: "That's the official version, but the real story behind it is that I had been in Bhutan in 2000 and 2001, and I was fascinated by the country and wanted to share it.

Firstly, this match was being arranged by private individuals rather than by the relevant football federations during a normal international fixture window.

[12] Johan Kramer said that he thought Montserrat were willing to agree to the friendly and to travel all the way to Bhutan because their government felt that the publicity from the match would counterbalance the reports about the volcanic eruptions on the island.