LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYZ
Jamaica target young English stars in big recruitment drive for the World Cup in 2026
JAMAICA have drawn up a list of English-based players to try to recruit as they target the 2026 World Cup.
The Reggae Boyz won’t be at Qatar this winter and their sole World Cup appearance remains France 1998.
But they have a great chance to make it in 2026 as the tournament is being shared by USA, Mexico and Canada, who all qualify automatically as hosts.
It leaves the race wide open in the CONCACAF region to qualify and Jamaica are determined to seize the opportunity.
Boosted by an upcoming sponsorship deal with a global household name, they are now investing in their facilities and infrastructure.
Jamaica head coach Paul Hall has a list of potential new players including Everton’s Demarai Gray, Morgan Gibbs-White of Wolves, Brentford’s Rico Henry, Norwich’s Max Aarons and Crystal Palace’s Nathan Ferguson.
West Ham star Michail Antonio made his debut last year for Jamaica, who play Catalonia in a friendly today.
Also being targeted are youngsters such as Arsenal’s Kido Taylor -Hart, Joel Latibeaudiere of Swansea, Lewis Baker of Stoke, Chelsea’s Luke Badley-Morgan and Fulham’s Xavier Benjamin.
Hall’s former Portsmouth and Jamaica team-mate Fitzroy Simpson, who made 36 appearances for the national side and played at the World Cup, is helping with recruitment.
Simpson (above) said: “Paul is determined to put together a strong attempt to qualify for 2026.
“There are a lot of players out there who could help us and are interested. These guys could be playing in the World Cup in 2026 and Paul sees them as a massive part of that drive to dominate the CONCACAF.
“He wants the best talent on show and wants to grow with them.
“Paul is willing to hand these guys an opportunity which could see them become first-choice internationals playing on such stages as the Azteca Stadium, which holds 120,000.
“Of course England is the mother country to a lot of these players but they have a vast pool of players to call upon. You can be an outstanding player but never get a look in with the senior England side.”
Former midfielder Simpson, who made 72 appearances for Manchester City in the nineties, added: “I thought about maybe playing for England too but I made the decision to play for Jamaica and it was one of the best things I ever did.”
He admits he still treasures his memories of reaching the France World Cup, as do many of the inhabitants of the Caribbean island where a national holiday was declared after Jamaica drew with El Salvador to qualify.
Simpson said: “My burning desire now is to assist in any way I can to make sure Jamaica make it to another World Cup and rekindle those glory days which unified the country.”
Simpson now works as a football agent and has teamed up with solicitor Marlon Gilbert-Roberts, co-founder and managing director of the Business 2 Sports Group in Belgium.
The duo, alongside sports lawyer Jonathan Himpe, have plans to help grow Jamaica’s fanbase and are close to tying up big new sponsorship deal.