Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Micheal Rickett says he expects that a number of locally based players will be given the opportunity to represent the country in the Unity Cup tournament in England later this month.

With several overseas-based Reggae Boyz unavailable, Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer that Head Coach Steve McClaren is likely to focus on domestic talent for the Unity Cup, which offers player assessment ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The four-nation Unity Cup, set to also feature Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana and Nigeria, is to take place at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium in West London from May 27-31.

The Jamaicans are to face Trinidad and Tobago in their opening match and, depending on results, will either meet the winner or loser of the Ghana versus Nigeria match.

“We are very excited because this will be a yardstick to measure our readiness for the World Cup Qualifiers,” said Ricketts.

“The coach is getting a lot of young, local-based players into the Unity Cup, and like he has said to us, he really wants to expose some of his young talents in England at the end of the month,” he added.

“He [McClaren] has not yet named the team but, based on what he would have said to us, there will be a number of local-based players in this Unity Cup squad. Not all of our overseas-based players will be available for this tournament but the coach is comfortable with the players that he has been able to put together,” Ricketts pointed out.

The JFF boss highlighted the broader strategic importance of the competition, noting that it will serve as key preparation for the Jamaica’s 2026 World Cup-qualifying matches.

The Reggae Boyz are scheduled to begin their qualifying journey on June 7, when they play away to British Virgin Islands, before hosting on Guatemala on June 10.

He said the invitation to the Unity Cup came through arrangements by agent Winston Clarke, who engaged sponsors for the event. “They would have invited us and, of course, we readily accepted it because we thought that it is very important as part of the preparation process,” Ricketts explained.

He appealed to the stakeholders to support the team’s journey, stressing the potential impact of the tournament on national pride and visibility.

“We just want to get [sponsors] on board — and we have started getting some sponsorship — because it will cost a pretty penny. We are just hoping that the social impact that this will have on our country is worth an investment from the private sector and Government,” Ricketts expressed.

— Robert Bailey