THE Jamaica Premier League (JPL) play-off starts at the National Stadium on Sunday with two quarter-final matches.

Racing United plays Portmore United at 5:00 pm, followed by defending champions Cavalier against Waterhouse at 7:30 pm. These opening games are the first legs of a two-legged series where the winners will be decided on aggregate scores.

In the first match, Racing United and Portmore United meet after a regular season during which they were often evenly matched. In four of their last five games against each other the teams played to a draw. Racing United, making their play-off debut after being promoted just two years ago, finished their 39-game regular season with a 4-0 win over Spanish Town Police to secure their spot.

Their attack is led by Tajay Grant who scored 16 goals and had 27 shots on target this year.

Portmore United has had a physical playing style throughout the season, picking up 81 yellow cards. Their top scorer, Ronaldo Robinson, will look to break through a Racing defence that has been difficult to beat in recent months.

The second match features Cavalier and Waterhouse FC. Although Cavalier are the defending champions, they have found it difficult to beat Waterhouse recently. Waterhouse are unbeaten in their last five games against Cavalier, winning twice and drawing three times.

Waterhouse enter the play-offs in strong form, having lost only once in their last 10 matches and conceding just two goals in that span, excluding a single heavy loss. Colorado Murray is the main scorer for Waterhouse with 13 goals while Cavalier relies on Christopher Ainsworth, who led his team with 10 goals and five assists. Cavalier finished the regular season with a 2-1 win over Harbour View to keep their momentum heading into the title defence.

The stakes for this year’s tournament extend beyond the local trophy.

The two teams that advance to the JPL finals will automatically qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

Additionally, the winner of the third-place play-off will earn a chance to compete in the Caribbean Football Union Club Shield. The teams that advance from these quarter-finals will move on to the semi-finals to face Mount Pleasant and Montego Bay United, who both earned automatic berths by finishing in the top two of the regular season standings.

Akeem Mullings (right) of Portmore United controls the ball ahead of Cavalier’s Jerome McLeary during their Jamaica Premier League first-leg play-off match at Stadium East field on Friday, May 9, 2025.