High achievement in the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League which begun last week with the Reggae Boyz among first-round winners would be a big boost for Jamaica’s football.

But, most crucially, it is the launching pad of a three-year-plus cycle which will only be considered successful should the nation qualify for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

For the local football fraternity there is lasting annoyance at the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which ended in triumph for stylish Spain.

Not only did that failure extend Jamaica’s decades-old wait for action at a FIFA senior men’s World Cup finals’ tournament, the opportunity was lost for the receipt of much-needed development funding.

An obvious failing for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) in the last World Cup cycle from 2022 to early this year was chopping and changing of several head coaches. It is surely difficult to maintain consistency of planning, team selection, tactics, and strategy in such a scenario.

For the Reggae Boyz, that absence of permanence in guidance and direction from the sidelines was extremely disruptive, in our view. That has to change this time around.

Mr Rudolph Speid, who took over as interim head coach at the tail end of the last failed cycle early this year, quite correctly says he is not looking too far ahead.

Responding to questions regarding his future as coach following the current phase of the Concacaf Nation’s League, Mr Speid assertively dismissed that consideration as unimportant.

“…What is important is that we try and win these four [upcoming] games,” he declared ahead of Jamaica’s battling 3-2 win over Guatemala in Kingston on Friday night.

We suspect, though, that should the Reggae Boyz come out ahead in remaining fixtures of the current Nation’s League window — Honduras home and away, as well as El Salvador away — the Michael Ricketts-led JFF will confirm Mr Speid as head coach.

The victory over Guatemala was pleasing in that the Jamaicans fought back from a goal down very early in the game, before securing victory with Mr Ronaldo Cephas’s creatively enterprising effort in time added.

However, it was by no means a perfect evening for the home team. They weren’t nearly as cohesive as would be ideal, and there were too many unforced errors. But, as Mr Speid proudly pointed out, their fighting spirit couldn’t be faulted.

Jamaicans will be anticipating improved quality of play, maintenance of that admirable fighting spirit, as well as victory, when their national team faces Honduras tonight in Kingston.

Hopefully, too, there will be a strong turnout of Jamaicans loudly and vigorously supporting the black, green and gold.

Thirty-five thousand people were said to have been at the National Stadium on November 18 last year when the Reggae Boyz played to a disappointing 0-0 result with disciplined, well-organised Curacao. The latter, overturning high odds to earn a place at football’s biggest stage with Jamaica left behind.

Such was the depression for Jamaican fans, last Friday’s sparse turnout was as expected.

That prized ‘12th man’ was crucial, game after game, nearly three decades ago as Jamaica qualified for its one and only senior men’s FIFA World Cup for the 1998 edition in France.

Now, as much as back then, the Reggae Boyz need that 12th man.