Jamaica National Football Team Guide 2026

JAMAICA · NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

The Jamaica national football team plays Mexico in Kingston on Saturday 14 November 2026, the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarter-final. Concacaf is the football body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The side, nicknamed the Reggae Boyz, is run by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and missed the 2026 World Cup by one playoff match. This guide covers the coach, players, ranking, history, women’s team and the dates to watch.

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What the Jamaica National Football Team Is

The Jamaica national football team plays official men’s matches against other countries, and the JFF picks and manages the squad. The federation is led by President Michael Ricketts and belongs to Concacaf and to FIFA, football’s world governing body.

Jamaica’s main competitions are the Concacaf Nations League, the Gold Cup and qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. The Gold Cup is Concacaf’s flagship tournament for national teams, and the Nations League is a regular competition between them.

Home matches in the current Nations League are played at the National Stadium in Kingston, the capital. The JFF has not yet published the squad for the Mexico tie.

Who Coaches the Reggae Boyz

Rudolph Speid is the interim head coach, which means a temporary appointment without a permanent contract. The JFF named him for 15 December 2025 to 31 March 2026, in time for the World Cup playoffs.

The federation has kept him in charge for the 2026/27 Nations League, with the interim arrangement running to the end of December 2026. No permanent head coach has been named, and the search for a long-term successor continues.

Miguel Coley was assistant coach during the March 2026 playoffs, working under Speid. Winfried Schaefer, who coached Jamaica from 2013 to 2016, was Coley’s former head coach.

Players to Know

Goalkeeper Andre Blake kept five clean sheets, meaning no goal conceded, in the eight World Cup qualifying matches he played. He made 21 saves across the whole qualifying process, three of them in the two playoff matches.

Jamaica’s Bailey Cadamarteri scored the only goal against New Caledonia in the 18th minute, and Tyreece Campbell scored in the 27th minute against Honduras. Defender Damion Lowe is the son of Onandi Lowe, who reached the 1998 World Cup.

Jamaica’s Leon Bailey attempted seven dribbles against DR Congo, the second-highest number in any match of the playoff round. Teammate Ethan Pinnock made nine clearances, meaning kicks or headers that move the ball away from his own goal.

The JFF has not announced the squad for the Mexico tie, so these names come from recent matches and may change. Concacaf also named Bobby De Cordova-Reid alongside Blake and Bailey as players who could make history in the playoff final.

The 2026 World Cup Campaign and the Near Miss

Jamaica won all four games of Group E in the second qualifying round, beating the Dominican Republic, Dominica, the British Virgin Islands and Guatemala. In the final round it beat Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago, then lost 2-0 to Curaçao in October 2025.

A 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago left the group open until the last matchday. On Tuesday 18 November 2025 Jamaica drew 0-0 with Curaçao in Kingston, and Curaçao qualified directly for its first World Cup.

Jamaica finished second in Group B and entered the FIFA playoff tournament, a six-team competition held in Mexico. On Thursday 26 March 2026 it beat New Caledonia 1-0 in Guadalajara, with Cadamarteri scoring in the 18th minute.

On Tuesday 31 March 2026 DR Congo, short for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, won the playoff final 1-0 after extra time. DR Congo’s Axel Tuanzebe scored in the 100th minute at Guadalajara Stadium, and Jamaica missed a second World Cup.

A Short History of the Reggae Boyz

Jamaica’s only World Cup so far came in France in 1998, where it lost to Croatia 3-1 and Argentina 5-0. On Friday 26 June 1998 in Lyon it beat Japan 2-1, with Jamaica’s Theodore Whitmore scoring both goals.

In 2015 Jamaica became the first Caribbean team to reach a Gold Cup final, after beating the United States 2-1 in the semi-final. Mexico won that final 3-1 in Philadelphia.

In 2017 Jamaica beat Mexico 1-0 in the semi-final on an 88th-minute free kick by Jamaica’s Kemar Lawrence, its first Gold Cup win over Mexico. The United States then won the final 2-1 at Levi’s Stadium in California on Wednesday 26 July 2017.

Where the Team Stands in the Nations League

The Concacaf Nations League is a regular competition between the region’s national teams. In the 2026/27 edition Jamaica played in Group B of the top tier, called League A.

A 1-1 draw with Honduras in Tegucigalpa on Monday 5 October 2026 secured second place, after an earlier home game against Honduras. Campbell scored in the 27th minute, and Honduras’s Luis Palma equalised in the 51st.

Guatemala won the group, while Suriname and Honduras were sent to the Gold Cup Prelims, a second qualifying round for the 2027 Gold Cup. The League A quarter-finals are Panama v Curaçao, Canada v Guatemala, United States v Haiti and Mexico v Jamaica.

Each tie has two legs, and Mexico hosts the second because it is the higher-ranked side. The four winners reach the Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in March 2027 and also secure a 2027 Gold Cup place.

Jamaica v Mexico: The Two Legs

The first leg is at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday 14 November 2026, with kick-off at 20:00 local time. The second leg is at Estadio Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday 17 November 2026, with kick-off at 20:30 local time.

Mexico is first in Concacaf’s ranking on 2,097 points, while Jamaica has 1,530. The two met in the 2017 Gold Cup semi-final, which Jamaica won 1-0, and in the 2015 final, which Mexico won 3-1.

Rankings and Key Numbers

Concacaf’s men’s ranking of 9 October 2026 puts Jamaica on 1,530 points, the highest of any Caribbean team. Haiti has 1,516 points and Curaçao 1,398.

Mexico leads the index with 2,097 points, ahead of the United States on 1,877 and Canada on 1,821. Costa Rica is fifth with 1,534 points, four more than Jamaica.

FIFA’s world ranking of 20 July 2026 shows Jamaica 71st, on 1,357.84 points. FIFA lists a later update on 7 October 2026 and its next one for Wednesday 18 November 2026.

The Reggae Girlz, the Women’s Team

The women’s national team, called the Reggae Girlz, won Group B of the Concacaf W Qualifiers with four wins from four games. Reggae Girlz players Khadija Shaw and Shania Hayles scored in a 2-0 win over Guyana in Kingston on Saturday 18 April 2026.

That result put Jamaica into the 2026 Concacaf W Championship, which runs from 27 November to 5 December 2026 in Texas. Jamaica plays Costa Rica in the quarter-final at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield on Friday 27 November.

The four quarter-final winners reach the semi-finals on Tuesday 1 December and qualify automatically for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four losers go into a play-in on 2 December for Concacaf’s two places in the World Cup play-off tournament.

What It Means for You

The winner of the Mexico tie plays the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, so US fans can attend. The Reggae Girlz play in Texas, where Concacaf has put tickets on sale for the Mansfield and Houston matches.

Visitors to Jamaica can watch the Mexico first leg at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday 14 November 2026. Ticket prices and the official sales channel for that match are not confirmed on the JFF or Concacaf pages.

For more on the island, see our Jamaica news hub and our guide to Jamaica’s key figures. The hub lists every Rio Times story about the country.

What Comes Next

Jamaica plays Mexico on Saturday 14 November 2026 in Kingston and on Tuesday 17 November in Monterrey, as our Mexico v Jamaica guide explains. FIFA publishes its next men’s world ranking on Wednesday 18 November 2026.

The Reggae Girlz meet Costa Rica on Friday 27 November 2026, and the semi-finals follow on Tuesday 1 December. Speid’s interim arrangement runs to the end of December 2026, and the JFF has not said when a permanent coach will be named.

What Is Not Known

The squad, the ticket prices and the sales channel for the Kingston leg have not been published. FIFA’s public table still shows Jamaica 71st from 20 July 2026, and its position after the 7 October 2026 update is not visible.

The JFF has not named a permanent head coach or given a date for that decision. Concacaf’s schedule announcement does not say how the losing quarter-finalists can still reach the 2027 Gold Cup.

More: Jamaica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the coach of the Jamaica national football team?

Rudolph Speid is interim head coach, with the arrangement running to the end of December 2026. The Jamaica Football Federation has not named a permanent coach.

Did Jamaica qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

No, Jamaica lost 1-0 to DR Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after extra time on 31 March 2026. It had beaten New Caledonia 1-0 on 26 March 2026 to reach that final.

When does Jamaica play Mexico?

The first leg is on Saturday 14 November 2026 at the National Stadium in Kingston, kick-off 20:00. The second leg is on Tuesday 17 November 2026 at Estadio Monterrey, kick-off 20:30 local time.

What is the Jamaica national football team’s ranking?

Concacaf’s index of 9 October 2026 gives Jamaica 1,530 points, the highest of any Caribbean team. FIFA’s table of 20 July 2026 shows Jamaica 71st, and its next update is on 18 November 2026.

What is the team’s nickname?

The men’s team is the Reggae Boyz, and the women’s team is the Reggae Girlz. Both play under the Jamaica Football Federation.

When do the Reggae Girlz play next?

They face Costa Rica in the Concacaf W Championship quarter-final on Friday 27 November 2026 in Mansfield, Texas. The winner qualifies for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Sources: Concacaf, 2026/27 Nations League November schedule confirmed, 9 October 2026; Concacaf, Guatemala and Jamaica book Nations League Quarterfinals spot, 6 October 2026; Concacaf, men’s national team rankings update, 9 October 2026; Concacaf, Jamaica ends World Cup aspirations with loss to DR Congo, 31 March 2026; Concacaf, Jamaica meets DR Congo with World Cup berth at stake, 31 March 2026; Concacaf, Curaçao secures historic World Cup berth with draw in Jamaica, 18 November 2025; Concacaf, Road to 2026 FIFA World Cup Play-Off: Jamaica, published before the March 2026 playoffs; Concacaf, Schaefer and Lowe on Jamaica’s playoff preparation, March 2026; Concacaf, 2026 W Championship schedule confirmed, 8 September 2026; Concacaf, Shaw and Hayles seal Jamaica’s W Championship ticket, 19 April 2026; Concacaf, Whitmore reflects on France 98 double, match of 26 June 1998; Concacaf, 2015 Gold Cup final, match of July 2015; Concacaf, 2017 Gold Cup final, match of 26 July 2017; FIFA, men’s world ranking, update of 20 July 2026; Jamaica Football Federation, board of directors, viewed 2 November 2026; Jamaica Football Federation, Reggae Boyz page, viewed 2 November 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief