JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts believes the Reggae Girlz are well-placed to produce their best showing at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games due to the significant improvement in women’s football locally.

The national senior women’s team is set to depart the island in the coming days, as they compete in the 2026 edition in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 29 to August 7.

Jamaica have yet to progress beyond the group stage since women’s football was introduced at the CAC Games, suffering first-round exits in Colombia in 2018 and Mexico in 2023. Across those two tournaments, the Reggae Girlz won just one of six matches and conceded 18 goals.

However, Jamaica have been unable to field their strongest squad at the tournament because it falls outside the FIFA international window, meaning clubs in Europe and North America — where the majority of Jamaica’s top stars play, are under no obligation to release players.

It meant that the squads have been made up largely of women playing in Jamaica’s top flight and high school competitions.

Gillisha Gilbert (left) from Frazsiers Whip tries to evade a challenge from Real Mona’s Breanna Marr during the Jamaica Women’s Premier League return leg semi-finals between both teams at the JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Ricketts, however, is more confident heading into this year’s tournament because of the quality displayed in the Jamaica Women’s Premier League (WPL) over the past two years.

He told the
Jamaica Observer that the work of Professional Women’s Football Jamaica Limited (PWFJL) has put Jamaica in a stronger position for tournaments such as the CAC Games.

“We’ll have to go for players who are available, not necessarily the best players, so this of course presents a challenge for our technical staff, but it’s so very critical and very profound that we have done a lot to improve the quality of our local league,” Ricketts said.

“[Chairperson] Christina Hudson, and Carlene Edwards as her deputy, would have done an excellent job in improving the quality of our women’s league locally and they would have gotten a new sponsor that would probably set up a new structure and the quality obviously has been a lot better than it has been over the years, so that in itself certainly augurs well for the quality of the team that will go down to Santo Domingo.”

The squad, selected by Head Coach Hubert Busby, will be announced in the coming days.

Arnett Gardens’ Suen Gregory (right) dribbles away from Los Perfectos’ Christine Duncan during the Jamaica Women’s Premier League second-leg semi-final between both teams, played at the JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on May 23, 2026. Arnett Gardens won 5-1 for an 8-3 aggregate score. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

The Reggae Girlz have been drawn in a group with fellow Concacaf giants and CAC reigning champions Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals and a shot at finishing on the podium.

Ricketts is hoping the atmosphere in Santo Domingo will ease the pressure on the team.

“It’s going to be tough, conditions certainly are not easy. There is probably a social part of it that will bring some level of relaxation and congeniality where you’re going to meet people, you’re in the same shelter, you move around and meet your opponents, you stay together and eat together, so that in itself is probably something the girls would enjoy,” he said.

“But the quality of the competition certainly is going to be at a premium and the quality of our local league has improved significantly and that could positively impact our performance at the CAC games.”

Jamaica will play Colombia in the opening game on July 29 before taking on Puerto Rico on July 31 and Mexico on August 2.