Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President James Ricketts says he is confident ahead of two international friendly matches for the Reggae Girlz, where they face Olympic champions United States, and European champions and FIFA Women’s World Cup finalists England in June.

The Reggae Girlz play the US in St Louis, Missouri, on June 3 before being hosted by England at King Power Stadium in Leicester on June 29.

“This is part of preparing for the World Cup Qualifiers and we really want to make it three in a row,” Ricketts said, referring to Jamaica’s goal of qualifying for a third-consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup. “We are putting everything in place so we can support our women’s team.”

Although the Girlz will be without injured star striker and captain Khadija Shaw, Ricketts remains optimistic. Shaw, 28, recently won the Barclays Women’s Super League Golden Boot award, netting 12 goals in just 14 matches for Manchester City, tying with Arsenal’s Alessia Russo.

“She certainly will be back for the World Cup Qualifiers which start in October,” Ricketts said. “But, we will have to put players in place and players who have the quality to represent us. Let us see what will happen when we take the field in both games against England and the US.”

This is the first time Jamaica’s women’s national team will face both the US and England in friendlies. Ricketts says that these matches are significant as they form a critical part of their World Cup qualification preparation and a true measure of the team’s development.

“We definitely want to play games like these because the coach wants to engage some strong teams in an effort to use this as a yardstick,” he said. “He wants some strong games and some strong teams.”

Despite the challenge of facing two of the top-ranked nations in women’s football, Ricketts is buoyed by the potential within the squad.

“We are positive because we have some good young players and we are still scouting others,” he said. “I think we will be well represented and we will do very well against both teams in these games.”

Ricketts also praised the collaboration with the US Soccer Federation in arranging the upcoming fixture in Missouri.

As the Reggae Girlz gear up for these games and the broader goal of World Cup qualification, Ricketts made an appeal to the local business community.

“I am using this opportunity to call on corporate Jamaica to give some support on either side of the gender, female and male, as both teams start their intense journey to World Cup 2026 and 2027,” he said.