Demarai Gray, the talented Jamaica senior Reggae Boyz winger, is very optimistic about the team’s chances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He believes the team’s togetherness and quality will bring success.

Despite a disappointing Copa America tournament in which they lost all three group stage matches, Gray said the team showed improvement and potential. Jamaica lost 0-1 to Mexico, 1-3 to Ecuador, and 0-3 to Venezuela in Heimir Hallgrimsson’s final assignment as head coach.

“We showed that we can compete with the best teams. We may not have gotten the results we wanted, but we showed that we have quality players and a solid team spirit,” Gray said in an interview with FIFA.

Gray, who was born in England but chose to represent Jamaica through his heritage, has been impressed by the team’s progress since he joined in 2023.

“We have good players; it’s just about putting it together and developing. I think we’re a work in progress, but the improvement has been there, and I think there’s a lot of improvement to come,” the skilful player said.

Gray said that they hope to recreate the memories of the 1998 World Cup team, which is a source of inspiration for the current squad.

“That team was special, and we’re trying to recreate those memories. In team meetings we would watch clips of that team and try to learn from them. We want to make our own history and make the country proud. I am confident that we will be there [at the World Cup] with the players that we have here now,” Gray affirmed.

“It is a dream for me to participate in a World Cup and I just think that for the boys and the nation it would be massive. I think we deserve it and we are going to work our hardest to get there,” he further said.

With five goals and four assists in 14 games, Gray has become an indispensable asset to the team. He is confident that Jamaica has the quality to secure one of the three automatic berths to the World Cup.

“We have a good team, and we’re capable of beating anyone on our day. We just need to stay focused and keep working hard,” he said.

Gray urged fans to stick with the team.

“We just ask for their full support, as they’ve always given the team, given to myself. I’m grateful for it. We just ask that they stay behind us, and there are a lot of exciting times ahead.”

The Reggae Boyz have already registered two wins in their World Cup qualifying campaign, beating Dominican Republic 1-0 and Dominica 3-2. They face British Virgin Islands and Guatemala in qualifying matches are scheduled for next year.

“There’s no better start than two wins and I feel like we just have to continue that in the rest of qualifying. The World Cup is something that we’re eager to reach, so it’s a great start and now we just have to maintain that level of performance,” Gray said.

With the Nations League in September and possible friendly matches on the horizon, Gray sees these matches as opportunities to fine-tune the team’s tactics, build momentum and for growth and development.

“We want to win every game we play and we’ll take that mentality into each match. There are a lot of different games that we have to play in the Nations League and friendlies. The World Cup qualifying games are obviously very exciting because we want to get over the line as quickly as possible.

“But when you play for Jamaica, the fixture or whatever competition you’re playing in, it’s just exciting to be part of the team. When the World Cup qualifiers come around, it will be very exciting for us,” he ended.