‘A TRAVESTY IF WE’RE NOT AT THIS WORLD CUP’
Ricketts says JFF will do everything to qualify for 2026 tournament
FAILURE TO qualify for FIFA’S 2026 senior men’s World Cup, especially as it will be hosted in the region, would misrepresent the quality of Jamaica’s strength in regional, and by extension, world football.
Consequently, Jamaica Football federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts said they would be doing everything within their power to have the Reggae Boyz playing at the next World Cup.
“It would be a travesty if we’re not at this World Cup in 2026,” Ricketts told The Gleaner.
Jamaica’s senior men’s team has only participated once at the World Cup, at the 1998 edition in France.
Three automatic qualifying spots were open then, but the chance of teams in the Confederation of North, Central American and the Caribbean to make the next staging will be increased to four full and one halfchance, which expands the Reggae Boyz’ possibilities.
Qualification will get under way in 2024, but Ricketts said that the JFF has already started its preparation, with the recent appointment of a head coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson of Iceland.
“This federation has actually started by putting in a brand-new coach. We were very, very intent. We were really looking forward for someone who would’ve met the criteria of that kind of a coach - that has the skill, the mindset, the experience - to get us to the World Cup, which certainly will be in our region in 2026,” said Ricketts.
“So we’ve put things in place. We’ve started the programme, we’ve started the process. Hallgrimsson and his team will give us the opportunity to get to the World Cup,” he added.
Hallgrimsson, a former Iceland player and head coach of the European country at the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia, was announced as the Reggae Boyz coach last September.
He has led the team in two matches, a 0-3 defeat against Argentina and 1-1 draw against Cameroon, and Ricketts has said that they will be seeking regular practice games as they press with their 2026 goal. Apart from the new coach, the JFF has also strengthened its team with Dennis Chung and Chris Dehring, both noted for their immense business and marketing capabilities.
“We will be giving it our best shot. We will be providing the incentives, and whatever the coaches ask from us, we will certainly try our best,” stated Ricketts. “We want to involve corporate Jamaica, we want the Government to get involved, and we want to work as a team.
“We will do everything because we understand the intensity of the work that is needed to get to the World Cup. It’s no walk in the park, it’s not easy, it presents challenges. It really needs commitment, it needs loyalty, it needs partnership – your coaching staff, your players. The JFF must operate as a unit if we want to get to the World Cup,” Ricketts observed.
“The Girlz are at the World Cup consecutively, and it’s not by mistake, certainly by hard work, by partnership, by operating in unison - the Reggae Girlz Foundation, the Marley (Bob) Foundation, the JFF, and our sponsors would certainly play a major role in the qualification of our Girlz,” the JFF president continued.
That synchronisation of effort, the JFF president argued, will be necessary for the Reggae Boyz to achieve World Cup qualification again.
“That’s exactly what we want to replicate for our Boyz. I want to reiterate that we are very aware of the impact qualifying for the World Cup will have on this nation of ours,” said Ricketts.
“So we’re working assiduously to ensure that we will qualify when 2026 comes around, when, of course, the World Cup will be in Mexico, the US, and Canada.”