2 weeks ago
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HAVING PLAYED their final game ahead of the Concacaf W Qualifiers, Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr said their full attention will now be on securing the nation’s third-straight berth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Jamaica defeated Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 on Tuesday in an international friendly played at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
The match was organised as part of final preparations ahead of the W Qualifiers, where Jamaica will begin their quest to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The W Qualifiers will determine the six teams who will join the United States and Canada in the Concacaf W Championships, which serves as the region’s qualification tournament to the Women’s World Cup.
Busby said their preparations are well under way for their first match, a game against Dominica on November 29.
“Next month, we start our ‘Road to Rio’ and off to Brazil, so we’ll start our first game against Dominica in St Lucia, so, you know, those sort of preparations have already begun,” Busby said.
The coach explained that Trinidad was selected as the opponents for Jamaica’s final game before the W Qualifiers due to the strong rivalry between the two islands and their quality on the field.
Busby hailed the twin-island republic as strong opponents who could test the Girlz ahead of their campaign and provide a competitive environment for the players.
“I think they caused us some issues in terms of putting that pressure on the ball, which is good as this was what we needed,” the Reggae Girlz boss said after the match.
“Overall, like I said, it was a competitive game played between both boxes; very physical, which we all know it is gonna be, so credit to them.
“They pushed us to the limit, and I’m really happy the way that my team responded.”
Jamaica are hunting their third consecutive appearance at the Women’s World Cup, following their debut in 2019 and their second appearance in 2023.
They are drawn in Group B of the W Qualifiers, alongside Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda.
The group winners will advance to the W Championships, which has seen a change in format.
Unlike previous editions, which had a group stage and then a knockout round, this year’s format will have a single-match elimination format starting at the quarterfinals.
Teams will be paired based on their FIFA rankings, with the winners from the quarterfinals qualifying for the World Cup.
The four losers will advance to a play-in tournament to determine the two teams that will take part in the intercontinental playoffs for another shot at World Cup qualification.
The top three teams from the W Championships will also qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
English (US) ·