KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica has been drawn in Group B of the CONCACAF U20 Championship Qualifiers alongside Puerto Rico, Bonaire, St Kitts and Nevis, Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

President of the Jamaica Football Federation Michael Ricketts believes it’s a manageable group.

“No group is ever easy because it all depends on how prepared you are and how organised you are and ultimately how you execute on match day. But this group looks manageable, and I am hoping that we would be in a state of readiness,” Ricketts told Observer Online.

“We have so many competitions that we are preparing for- Senior Men’s World Cup, U-17, U-20, Women’s Senior – all of these are happening right now,” Ricketts noted.

“But as much of a challenge that it is, we are intent on doing very well in every one of these qualifying competitions,” he added.

“So, a decent-looking draw, manageable teams, I think, but again it comes down to preparation and execution,” Ricketts reiterated.

The first round of the qualifiers are set to run from February 23 to March 4, and the group winners will join the seeded teams United States, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Cuba and Guatemala in the Championship final round set for July 2 to August 9, 2026.

That tournament will serve as the qualifying for both the 2027 FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.

Jamaica are fancied to advance from Group B after round-robin play; the first-place teams from each group will advance to the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

The qualifying matches will take place across venues in three nations: Costa Rica, Curaçao and Nicaragua.