Reggae Boyz open final round with Mexico trip

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.

MIAMI, Florida, CMC – Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz face a difficult trip to the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City next month, for their opening match of the final round of the CONCACAF qualifiers for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

The Caribbean side are the only Caribbean Football Union side in the Octagonal, joining the likes of Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, United States, Costa Rica and Panama.

Jamaica’s clash with Mexico comes on September 2 during the first slate of games and will be followed three days later by a meeting with Panama at home in Kingston.

Three days later, Jamaica travel to San Jose to battle Costa Rica.

In another seven-day period during the second international window in October, Jamaica fly to Austin, Texas to take on United States on October 7 before hosting Canada on October 10.

The Reggae Boyz will close out that window with a trip to San Pedro Sula where they clash with Honduras at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano three days later.

Jamaica will take on El Salvador away and then host United States in the return leg in November, on dates still to be determined.

Final round matches continue in January and March windows of next year. Jamaica are hoping to be one of the top three teams which will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for November 21 to December 18, 2022.

The fourth-placed team will progress to a FIFA Intercontinental playoff, carded for June next year.

Jamaica reached the quarter-finals of last month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup before being knocked out by eventual champions United States in the quarter-finals.