At first glance, the possibility of Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz securing one of the top two spots from Group A at the Concacaf Women’s Championship may seem far-fetched.

But if the confidence exuded by the players is anything to go by, then a second consecutive Fifa Women’s World Cup appearance is very much on the cards.

Though it is much easier said than done, the lessons learnt from their qualification to France 2019 have seemed to resonate with the core members of the team and, if they have proven anything to the world, it is that they are more dangerous when the odds are against them.

So, while world champions United States and hosts Mexico, ranked at number 27, are favoured for the top spots in Group A — which also includes Caribbean rival Haiti, ranked at number 61 — the 51st-ranked Jamaicans are by no means daunted by the underdog status for the July 4-18 championship.

Much like interim Head Coach Vinimore “Vin” Blaine, the Girlz stressed that adequate preparation time will be key to how they execute on game days this summer.

In fact, captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw has been big on strengthening the cohesiveness of the unit to improve their performances.

“At the end of the day it’s down to us; we have been there before and we overcame the odds and many obstacles that we faced, so we just have to stick together and deal with it again. We just have to work hard and be prepared for when that time comes,” Shaw stated.

“We have talent, but if there is no preparation behind it that then it [qualification] won’t be possible. So by just staying together and growing as a team and building the chemistry along with having the right preparation, I think we should be ready going into Mexico,” she added.

The Girlz are scheduled to open against Mexico on the July 4, before squaring off against United States on July 7 and Haiti on July 11.

With their last result against Mexico being a close 0-1 defeat in an evenly contested encounter during Olympic qualifiers in 2020, back-to-form striker Trudi Carter believes the now more star-studded Reggae Girlz team can turn the tables to kick off the championship on a positive note.

“So, yes it’s a tough group, basically the group of death, but we’ve shown that we can compete with these teams and I believe if we focus on us and just play our game, we can get some positive results. But again, it all comes down to preparation and execution,” Carter told the Jamaica Observer.

“We have a special group of players in this team and I really believe that this Reggae Girlz team is going to go places. We know we can achieve our goal of qualifying for the World Cup again; we just have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically to fight as a team and for the pride of our country and hopefully things will fall in place for us,” the former AS Roma striker stated.

For goalkeeper Yazmeen Jamieson, the draw initially took her by surprise, but after processing the result, she believes this path to qualifying will again show what Jamaicans are made of.

“At first I was a bit shocked because I was wondering how the top teams in each pot are facing each other. But I remembered that when I was praying, I never asked God for specific teams or groups, I [just] asked God to give us the right path to qualify.

“He gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, so this is just another battle for us that I know we can handle.

“We have a quality team. Every single player has depth and as long as we are supported financially and given adequate preparation with all resources at bay, we will qualify. Every country is investing in their women’s program, if Jamaica bands together and we all help with this process, we will go to another World Cup,” the Canadian-born Jamieson declared.

Canadian-born centre back Courtney Douglas, who recently made a return to the Reggae Girlz set-up, also has her sights set on qualification.

“It is a tough group, but it still doesn’t affect our focus and our goal. You have to face tough teams at some point to get to the World Cup. We have a great team and amazing talent and we intend to get to the World Cup. I strongly believe that if we all bring our best, we can do it,” she said.

Group B, to be led by sixth-ranked Canada, includes 36th-ranked Costa Rica, Panama, ranked at 58, and 73rd-ranked Trinidad and Tobago.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, to be jointly staged in Australia and New Zealand between July and August 2023. The two next-best finishers will have another shot at qualifying through inter-confederation play-offs.