Hubert Busby, head coach of Jamaica’s senior women’s football team, says developing team chemistry and camaraderie are among his primary objectives ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which are set to begin next year.

Upcoming friendly matches against France and South Africa, Busby said, provide an ideal platform for strengthening the team’s playing model, implementing key playing principles, and measuring performance progress.

The Reggae Girlz are scheduled to play away to number 10-ranked France on October 25 at the Stade Auguste-Bonal. Then the 42nd-ranked Reggae Girlz are set to host 50th-ranked South Africa on November 29 and December 2.

Busby believes these high-level matches are crucial in laying the groundwork for success in the World Cup qualifiers.

“It’s really about us getting better each and every time we get together, and that’s really the bar that we’re looking to gauge as we head into the next game against France and subsequently the games against South Africa,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“As we set out, the most important thing for us is to keep on playing top 40, [and] 50 [teams] to get us ready and prepared for World Cup qualifiers. We are in a very difficult confederation where it comes to women’s football, and therefore we have to play games that get us ready to qualify for the World Cup. And those games against the top 40, 50 teams in the world prepare us for those matches come next year this time,” the head coach added.

The preparation process, Busby said, includes incorporating new players, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and ensuring that the team consistently grows.

“As we are in the preparation mode for 2027, we’ll be looking at bringing in some new players as per usual. We’ve been monitoring players and how they’re doing at their clubs currently. So we’ll see who’s healthy and make an assessment as we head closer to the game in October,” he said.

“However, a lot of those younger players are currently in college, which obviously poses a problem knowing that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is not necessarily aligned with FIFA, meaning that they don’t have to release players for these friendly games. So we work closely with the colleges, and of course, the players, to see who could be available,” he added.

The Reggae Girlz will face familiar foes when they take on France. This highly anticipated clash is a rematch of their 2023 World Cup group stage encounter in Australia, where the Reggae Girlz secured a historic nil-all draw against the much fancied French side. That memorable result earned Jamaica their first-ever point at a World Cup.

The friendlies against South Africa will reignite a fascinating rivalry between two teams on the rise. Their last encounter in April 2019 in Durban ended 1-1. Both South Africa and Jamaica made their senior Women’s World Cup debuts together in 2019 in France. Four years later, they achieved another milestone, advancing to the Round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup in Australia.

Busby said that the national team will be focusing on their strategies for the upcoming matches.

“[We will] look to see areas in which we could exploit, but really it’s about us focusing on areas in our game, in our playing model, and how we can build on our own strategies heading into that match,” he said.