JFF’s Speid optimistic after intercontinental playoff draw
Jamaica drawn in bracket against New Caledonia and DR Congo
Published:Friday | November 21, 2025 | 12:07 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
Rudolph Speid, chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) technical committee, said he is confident in their qualification chances for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the draw for the intercontinental play-offs.
The Reggae Boyz missed out on automatic qualification to the World Cup as they finished second in Group B of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers.
If they are to qualify for the World Cup, they will need to advance through the play-offs set for March next year.
The Boyz are set to face New Caledonia in their first game of the play-offs, before a potential decider against DR Congo.
Speid said the team will be ready to compete for a spot despite the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification.
“We’re in a recovery process, a recovery phase, and that is what we’re going to be doing,” Speid said.
“We’re not daunted by the fact that we missed out on (automatic qualification) because we think we can make it just the same.”
The intercontinental play-offs will see Jamaica, Suriname, DR Congo, Iraq, New Caledonia and Bolivia vying for two spots at the World Cup.
DR Congo and Iraq, as the two-highest ranked teams, have been seeded into play-offs final, with Jamaica to face New Caledonia while Suriname will take on Bolivia in the semi-finals.
Should Jamaica get past New Caledonia, they will face DR Congo for a spot in the World Cup.
Lessons learnt
Speid said he is confident the Boyz can get past both teams and will draw on the lessons learnt throughout the Concacaf Qualifiers.
“We’re drawn in a group with New Caledonia and the Republic of Congo. We play new Caledonia first and, after winning that game, we’ll go on to the next game. Winning that other game against the Republic of Congo will take us to the World Cup,” he said.
“All is not lost. We have learnt a lot over the last six games in the qualifying period and I think we can put it to good use.”
Jamaica are chasing history as they hunt for the country’s second-ever appearance at the World Cup following their debut in France 1998.
The Boyz will enter the play-offs as strong contenders and the third-highest ranked team, ranked 70th globally.
DR Congo (rank 56) and Iraq (58) lead the way with Bolivia (76), Suriname (123) and New Caledonia (149) following behind.
However, the team is without a head coach as Steve McClaren, who was appointed last year, had tendered his immediate resignation following their scoreless draw against Curacao on Tuesday.
‘GETTING `IT RIGHT’
In a scathing remark about McClaren’s time in Jamaica, JFF president Michael Ricketts said the Englishman had proven to be a poor replacement for former head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson.
Ricketts said the federation is focused on finding the right person to lead the team through the play-offs.
“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. We engaged Heimir Hallgrimsson, then he left. We thought Steve McClaren would have been a good replacement, it has turned out that he has not been a good replacement,” Ricketts said.
“We will reorganise, we have a second bite of the cherry, we will put things together and, of course, have an emergency meeting with the technical staff, and we will put an interim coach in place.”
He continued, “We are intent on getting it right for the March qualifiers.”