Under-17 Reggae Girlz Head Coach Marlon Hylton is feeling optimistic about the team’s chances as they face off against Group E rivals St Kitts and Nevis in Round One of the 2025 Concacaf Women’s Qualifiers today.

The match is set to kick off at 7:00 pm Jamaica time at the Estadio Nacional in Managua, Nicaragua. The team will then face off against the host nation on Saturday, looking to secure a spot in the next round.

“Like every tournament, we will approach it one game at a time,” Hylton said. “The team and coaching staff are upbeat, and we are very optimistic about our chances of progressing to the next round. We have a strong foundation to build on, and that gives us confidence heading into the qualifiers.”

Hylton praised his team’s commitment and enthusiasm.

“We carefully assessed what was needed to take us through this round,” he said. “So the focus was on identifying strengths, filling gaps, and ensuring we have a well-balanced unit that can compete at this level.”

Hylton said that the dream is for Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Girlz to make it to the World Cup, but he is taking a pragmatic approach.

“Our dream is to make it to the World Cup, but we’re focused on one game at a time,” he said. “The team’s immediate goal is to secure six points in the upcoming round, paving the way for a strong finish in the qualifiers.”

The 2025 Concacaf Under-17 Women’s Qualifiers features a new two-round format, with the winners of the six groups and the two best second-place finishers advancing to the final round. They’ll join the top four ranked teams in the region — Canada, Haiti, Mexico, and the United States in the final round.

The final round will also be played in a group format, consisting of three groups of four teams each. The teams will play in a round-robin format between March 31 to April 6. The three group winners and the best place finisher from the final round will qualify for the 2025 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

— Ruddy Allen