Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz World Cup Soccer Hopes Still Alive

BY NAN SPORTS EDITOR

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 21, 2025: Jamaica will have another shot at qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Soccer competition when they face New Caledonia in the opening round of the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs next March in Mexico.

French former player Christian Karembeu shows the paper slip of Jamaica during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Play-Off Tournament draw at the FIFA’s Home of Football in Zurich on November 20, 2025. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

The match-ups were confirmed Thursday following the conclusion of the main World Cup qualifying schedule for the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

If the Reggae Boyz defeat New Caledonia – a French territory in the southwest Pacific – they will advance to face seeded Democratic Republic of the Congo in a decisive play-off final for a World Cup berth. Both fixtures will be played during the March 2026 FIFA window in Mexico, either in Monterrey or Guadalajara.

Jamaica secured their playoff place after finishing second in Concacaf Group B, narrowly missing automatic qualification following a tense 0–0 draw against Curaçao in Kingston on Tuesday, Nov. 18th.

The Intercontinental Playoffs feature six teams competing in single-leg knockout matches. If a match is tied after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, with each team permitted a sixth substitution. Should the deadlock persist, the winner will be decided by penalty kicks.