When Hubert Busby, head coach of Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz, huddled with his team on Friday, theirs was a shared singular focus — grab a positive result against Dominica in their Group B opener of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.

This isn’t just a match — it’s Jamaica’s pathway to a third-straight World Cup after appearances in 2019 and 2023. Kick-off is at 2:00 this afternoon (Jamaica time) at Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.

“The objective remains the same; we want a positive result. Therefore, we know that to achieve this, we will need good performance,” Busby told the Jamaica Observer.

“I expect the players to represent their country admirably and proudly, as they always have. They understand that pressure is a privilege,” the head coach further added.

Despite training on less-than-ideal pitches, Busby said that the squad’s grit shines.

“Everyone is now in and the group has settled in well. Training standards have been high. Although the training pitch and conditions have not been ideal, the players have stayed focused and professional since arriving in St Lucia,” he explained.

On blending veterans from previous World Cups and newcomers, Busby said: “It started before here. A lot of those players you see in this particular camp have been with the group for the last few months or for the last few camps. They have come into an environment where they now know what the standard is and they have continued to elevate themselves within that standard. And so they have continued to raise that bar and now because of the seniors’ head they know exactly what is required of them.”

Reggae Girlz top striker and captain Khadijah “Bunny” Shaw’s has returned to the squad and will surely inject serious firepower to Jamaica’s attack. Shaw, the Manchester City star, who has been absent from the Jamaica set-up due to injury, club commitments, and load management, will be accompanied on the front end by fellow attackers Natasha Thomas, Jody Brown, Ricshya Walker, Shania Hayles, Kalyssa Van Zanten, and Shaneil Buckley. Shaw, 29, last played for Jamaica in friendlies against South Africa in late 2024.

“She’s come back in and, like we know she would, seamlessly within the group as all as the senior leaders have and within our leadership and they set the tone the players what are expected of them. They continue to raise that bar and the standard and we have no doubt that by tomorrow (Saturday) when we look to kick off that they will be ready,” Busby explained.

No line-up was revealed, but confidence crackled.

“We are confident that whoever is chosen to start will perform well, and those who come on will maintain the high standard so we can finish the match with a positive outcome,” Busby said.

“We are wearing a crown that a lot of people want to knock off with the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and so we’re looking forward to the match and playing the respect that we, our opponents deserve. We are looking to a very challenging match from Dominica.

Dominica’s Head Coach Ronnie Gustave knows his team has work to do. During a women’s tournament, which was held in St Vincent and the Grenadines recently, the coach said their play was marred by slow speed and sloppy passes. But Gustave said that he has since seen sparks of improvement.

“The team was lacking basic control in terms of speed of play… But I’ve seen improvement in ball movement, and also the inclusion of the foreign players who have added dynamism. Our locals are rising to the occasion,” he said.

Gustave’s focus is to turbo charge Dominica’s tempo.

“We have worked a lot on our system of play and our speed of play. We were moving too slow on the pitch and as a result of our passes were no precise… that is where we are more concentrating on because in order for us to move to any activity of training we have to get that part of our game on cue,’ Gustave stated.

The group winner will punch a ticket to the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship (venue to be confirmed), a single-elimination tournament featuring quarter-finals, play-ins, semi-finals, a third-place match, and the final. From there, the top four teams will qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, while two others will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

BUSBY…we are looking to a very challenging match from Dominica (Photo: Observer file)

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz gather before the start of their Olympic Qualifier against Canada at the National Stadium on Friday, September 22, 2023. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz defender Malikae Dayes (left) tackles Guatemala’s Andrea Alvarez during the Concacaf W Gold Cup Qualifier in Guatemala City on Sunday, December 3, 2023.

Liya Brooks (Photo: JFF)