Interim head coach Rudolph Speid says Jamaica’s preparations for the FIFA intercontinental play-offs will be shaped by the time and player availability at his disposal.

The Reggae Boyz are set to face New Caledonia in a semi-final play-off in March, with the winner advancing to play DR Congo for a place at the FIFA World Cup finals. Jamaica reached this stage after finishing second behind Curacao in their Concacaf qualifying group, missing automatic qualification in a 0-0 draw at home on November 18.

“In modern football, you have to play what you get,” Speid said during a press conference on Wednesday as he discussed plans for a provisional 60-man squad ahead of next month’s training camp.

Asked whether there would be enough time to properly assess such a large group of players and build cohesion for the play-offs, Speid said the technical staff had already started its scouting.

“What we have done already is to sit down and work from the day we didn’t qualify, right back to now,” Speid said. “So we can’t cry about the time. We just have to work with the time and make our best attempt, and that’s what we have been doing.

“We also know that if we get quality players, it makes life easier.”

Speid says the final squad must be available by March 22, and that availability will be a key factor in selection.

Jamaica is expected to depend mainly on players competing in the Americas and Eastern Europe but Speid left the door open for local players who could impress during a friendly against hosts Grenada in St George’s on January 18.

Speid mentioned several criteria guiding the selection process. Players must be under contract with clubs competing in one of the world’s top 20 leagues, or, if outside that group, playing in the top domestic league in their country.

Previous international experience or eligibility through lineage will also be considered.

Players must also be fit, playing regular minutes at club level, and maintaining a high standard of performance.

When asked which areas of the team he is focusing on strengthening based on weaknesses discovered during the qualifying campaign, Speid mentioned midfield options.

“We always had a shortage of midfielders but this time we’re searching wide and far and now we have probably about 13 midfielders in the squad,” he said.

Speid says the current list of 52 players remains flexible, as it was released mainly to give the media and public insight into the process.

“The 52 names are not concrete – they can change but for transparency, we want to give the media an idea of who we’re looking at,” he said.

Monitoring players remains an ongoing task as Speid says a number of players have reported injuries.

“We have these players, we’re observing them, we’re watching their performances week in, week out,” he said. “And they’re being analysed every single day by the technical staff.”

Speid also confirmed that additional players are being contacted.

“We are sending out invitations this week to other players in the Americas and Eastern Europe to ask if they’re available,” he said. “And if they are, we’ll add them to the squad.”

One high-profile player still not included is Mason Greenwood, who has been pursued by Jamaica for more than two years. Greenwood obtained a Jamaican passport last summer and suggested he would join the squad for the final qualifying round in September before ultimately deciding against playing.

His situation has divided opinion, both because of past legal issues and fan concerns about his commitment. However, on the night of the draw with Curacao, Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts said Greenwood would still be welcome in the national set-up for the play-offs.

Asked for an update, Speid said discussions remain open.

“We still hope to get him,” Speid said. “There’s no update that we can give either way so we just have to keep building our squad and hope that he shows up at some point.”

Jamaica’s intercontinental play-off matches are scheduled for March, with squad selection expected to be finalised closer to the date.

Jamaica’s provisional squad:

Goalkeepers

Andre Blake

Jahmali Waite

Jayden Hibbert

Tafari Chambers

Amal Knight

Corey Addai

Defenders

Amari’I Bell

Damion Lowe

Ethan Pinnock

Greg Leigh

Joel Latibeaudiere

Max Aarons

Mason Holgate

Richard King

Rico Henry

Ronaldo Webster

Tayvon Gray

Kyle Duncan

Ian Fray

Kyle Ming

Jeovanni Laing

Stephen Young

Midfielders

Bobby Reid

Daniel Johnson

Dwayne Atkinson

Isaac Hayden

Jon Russell

Kasey Palmer

Kevon Lambert

Karoy Anderson

Ravel Morrison

Nickyle Ellis

Tyrese Hall

Tyreek Magee

Forwards

Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri

Cameron Archer

Cory Burke

Demarai Gray

Dujuan Richards

Ephron Mason-Clark

Kaheim Dixon

Keinan Davis

Leon Bailey

Nickalia Fuller

Norman Campbell

Warner Brown

Tyreece Campbell

Trivante Stewart

Shamar Nicholson

Rumarn Burrell

Renaldo Cephas

*Squad subject to change

Jamaica’s national men’s senior footballers train at the National Stadium on November 17, 2025.

SPEID… we always had a shortage of midfielders but this time we’re searching wide and far