There is no escaping football it seems.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, incongruously clouded by war between USA — one of three host nations — and tournament participant Iran, is less than two weeks away.

Today, arguably the most anticipated game on the calendar of global professional club football, the European Champions League final, will take place in Budapest, Hungary.

Local football lovers will be glued to television sets and allied audiovisuals as last year’s winners, celebrated French club Paris St Germain face English club Arsenal FC. The latter are over the moon following their first English Premier league title in 22 years.

Far less glamorous, but very important in the context of Jamaica’s football following painful failure to reach the World Cup, will be Saturday’s clash between the Reggae Boyz and Nigeria’s Super Eagles in London to decide 2026 winners of the friendly Unity Cup tournament.

Earlier this week, the youthful Jamaica squad secured their spot with a 2-0 win over lower-ranked India. The Nigerians got past Zimbabwe by the same margin.

Interim Head Coach Mr Rudolph Speid, his eyes firmly on the long term, was clearly satisfied with what some considered a less-than-convincing outing.

Mr Speid noted that after scoring the opening goal in the eighth minute, “We were more trying to consolidate, not trying to just bomb away…”

He reflected on inexperience as Jamaica begins crucial rebuilding at the start of another four-year cycle.

Said he: “It’s a very young team. A lot of these players would have been playing for the first time together, [and] the average age is under 22…”

Even so, Mr Speid will want to beat African powerhouse Nigeria, to whom the Reggae Boyz lost on penalties a year ago in the final of that Unity Cup edition.

Like the Reggae Boyz, the Super Eagles are hurting from failure to reach the World Cup. They, too, are in rebuild phase. Head Coach Mr Eric Chelle claims that, for him, winning the tournament is secondary.

“There are some new players that I want to give the chance to show something. This is our main goal. The second objective… when you play, you want to win,” Mr Chelle told reporters prior to the tournament.

At the local club level, Portmore United and their supporters are doubtless still on a high after winning the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) for the first time since 2019, dethroning Cavalier FC. The game ended 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, post-regulation and extra time.

Noteworthy, in our view, is that Portmore Coach Mr Rudolph Austin only took command in 2024, immediately after retiring as a player.

Football watchers will remember Mr Austin as an influential defensive midfielder — a mainstay of the Jamaica team for many years — who played professionally in Norway, England, and Denmark between 2008 and 2021, before returning home.

Renowned as a team man, Mr Austin’s comments in response to reporters’ questions after Portmore’s triumph suitably captured his personality and approach to football.

Said he, in part: “It’s not about me, it’s for the players. A lot of them haven’t won the Premier League before… and it’s all about them. The game is about the players.”

We will watch Mr Austin’s progress with great interest.