Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz Head Coach Mr Hubert Busby perhaps summed it up best as he recently discussed the national team’s campaign for a third-straight FIFA World Cup scheduled for Brazil in 2027.

Said he in part: “[H]eavy is the head that wears the crown…”

And further, that the achievements of Jamaica’s women had transformed them from “hunter” to “hunted”.

Indeed.

After reaching the knockout stage of the 2023 FIFA World Cup against all odds, Jamaica’s women are now among Concacaf teams favoured to not only qualify for Brazil but to do very well yet again.

Readers will recall that, after their landmark qualification to the 2019 World Cup in France, the Reggae Girlz lost to Australia, Brazil, and Italy by significant margins to exit the tournament in the first round.

Back then, they gave up 11 goals and scored just once, in losing 1-4 to Australia.

In an extraordinary transformation four years later at the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, Jamaica’s women, coached by former national midfielder Mr Lorne Donaldson, showed wonderful tenacity, excellent defensive technique, and a never-say-die mentality.

They defeated Panama 1-0 and drew 0-0 with France as well as Brazil to advance to the second round — losing 0-1 to Colombia at that stage.

Those results framed Jamaica’s women’s football in a fashion only dreamers had previously imagined.

It is against that backdrop that the Reggae Girlz announced themselves at the start of the current Concacaf qualifying campaign by hammering fellow Caricom nation Dominica 18-0.

Many eyes will be focused on them yet again as they travel to face Nicaragua on March 2 as clear favourites to top their group which also includes Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana.

Only one team will advance to the final phase of World Cup qualifying, the Concacaf W Qualifiers, which will also serve as qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games. And, even without their coach’s cautionary words, the Reggae Girlz are surely well aware that nothing can be taken for granted and no team discounted.

Just like other Jamaicans, the Reggae Girlz watched in consternation late last year as the senior Reggae Boyz, who were heavily favoured to qualify automatically for the FIFA men’s World Cup in North America, faltered badly. The Boyz were undone by Curacao — now being celebrated as the smallest nation ever to qualify for a FIFA senior men’s World Cup.

Next month, the Reggae Boyz must go the arduous route of Inter Confederation play-offs — first against Oceania’s New Caledonia. Should they advance, tough Democratic Republic of Congo out of Africa will pose the final hurdle for the Reggae Boyz.

And, just like other Jamaicans, the national women’s team would’ve been inspired by the glorious campaign of the Under-17 men, who shocked Canada to qualify for the age-group World Cup recently.

A number of veterans among the current national women’s group have already tasted much glory or, as the popular saying goes, “Been there, done that!”

With that in mind, we are encouraged by Mr Busby’s assertion that his players remain hungry for greater glory and are “continually driven”.

Said he, as reported in Thursday’s
Observer: “[T]hose players want to make history. Every single person who’s come through this national team system… [has] that in mind, so the motivation to go to a World Cup, the motivation to go to the Olympics is extremely, extremely high.”

From our perspective, it seems clear that should the Reggae Girlz get the necessary support, stay humble, and put team first — as was so admirably done in 2023 — they can reach for the sky.

We wish them well.