Having only qualified for one World Cup (France 1998), considering the immense talent in their ranks, Jamaica are seen as serial underachievers. Current players include Michail Antonio, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Ethan Pinnock who all play in the Premier League.
With Steve McClaren recently accepting a two-year contract to manage the Jamaican national team, what must Jamaica do in order to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
As co-hosts of the tournament, the United States, Canada and Mexico, all qualify automatically, therefore Jamaica will avoid some of their biggest rivals during qualification.
In the 2026 World Cup, 48 countries will take part rather than the traditional 32. A further three nations will qualify from North America (CONCACAF), with only Panama (35th) and Costa Rica (49th) having a higher FIFA ranking than Jamaica (59th).
Whilst this is seen as a golden opportunity for Jamaica, there are various issues for the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) and Steve McClaren to address:
Jamaica must fill the National Stadium for World Cup qualifiers
In Jamaica’s opening World Cup qualifier in June against the Dominican Republic, the kick off time was moved with only one day’s notice, from 6:30pm to 3:30pm. The lighting conditions at the stadium were deemed inadequate by CONCACAF, as the floodlights did not reach the minimum standard of 1000 lumens. Therefore, the game was moved to the afternoon, with only 9,000 fans able to attend (stadium capacity is 35,000). Jamaica cannot afford a repeat of this later on in the qualifying cycle, as this would exclude the majority of fans and certainly affect the overall atmosphere in the stadium.
Recall Leon Bailey
Leon Bailey is the star of this Jamaica team. However, a series of incidents has left his return to the international stage in doubt.
Bailey was left out of Jamaica’s squad for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in March this year, after he and forward Trivante Stewart broke the team curfew in the previous international window. Former Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrímsson stated:
“We have only one rule, don’t leave the hotel after 10pm. These players did, didn’t even sleep at the hotel and missed the bus the next morning.”
In March this year, Bailey declared he was taking a break from the national team. The Jamaica FA have since suspended him due to comments he made in the same month on the Let’s be Honest podcast:
I book my flights to represent Jamaica because they are very unprofessional. You’re getting your flight details sent to you at 11pm before you travel the next day. The Jamaican national team doesn’t pay me. I can’t remember the last time I received a dollar from the Jamaica national team.
In the 2023/24 Premier League season, Bailey scored ten goals and registered nine assists for Aston Villa, helping them to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years. The Reggae Boyz need Bailey to return and continue this hot streak in national colours.
Make sure the team gels and keep new additions to a minimum
While players such as Mason Greenwood and Morgan Gibbs-White are highly appreciated within the Jamaican Football Federation, McClaren must ensure new players commit to Jamaica as early as possible. In 2014, former Jamaican manager Winfried Schäfer stated “It’s better for players to commit early or stay away.”
Jamaica’s model of using foreign born players is not a new one. Players such as Deon Burton and Robbie Earle were essential in helping Jamaica qualify for the 1998 World Cup. While UK based players undoubtably bring experience of playing at the highest level, some Jamaican journalists have lamented the overreliance on foreign born players, questioning their ability to cope with both the pitches and the heat. Therefore, Steve McClaren should be wary about introducing too many new faces into the squad.
In the previous World Cup qualifying cycles, many foreign born players made their debuts in qualifying matches. Local based players were often angry when replaced by players who had rarely or never visited the island before, with former Jamaican international Lovel Palmer claiming that foreign born players “damaged team chemistry.”
Steve McClaren must ensure that a consistent core of players is selected for all matches, whether it’s a friendly, Nations League match or World Cup qualifier, in order to build team chemistry and gel on the pitch.
We all acknowledge that Jamaicans are infamous throughout the world for their exploits in music and athletics, it’s about time that the Reggae Boyz fulfilled their potential and graced the game’s greatest stage once again!
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Publish date : 2024-08-21 19:30:00
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