WITH the FIFA Under-17 World Cup now less than 30 days away, national under-17 Head Coach Wendell Downswell says the group have had to make the most of a less-than-ideal preparation period as they look to ensure they’re ready to compete at the tournament.

The young Reggae Boyz are set to make their third appearance at the global eventwhen it kicks off in Qatar on November 19. Jamaica have been drawn in Group E with European giants Italy, Ivory Coast and Uzbekistan.

The team booked their spot back in February at the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers. However, they haven’t been able to secure international matches since.

Downswell, though, says they have made the best of the options available to them.

“It’s not been the ideal preparation that we have had because we were not able to get an international game; we were exploring at least two international games,” he
told the Jamaica Observer.

DOWNSWELL..I’m very upbeat, very enthusiastic about going, and at the same time our intention is to compete (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

“However, we have been having camps — probably about four to five with the core of the players — which is good. And what we do is we prepare them in such a way that we use the Premier League teams and the Tier 2 teams as part of the measuring stick to see where we are in terms of the necessary preparation, and the boys have been responding very positively.”

“The coaching staff have explored all the possibilities to stretch these players somewhat similar to opposition that we’ll be up against in the tournament itself. So, hopefully this level of preparation, this kind of limitation that we have, will be of utmost significance for us going forward.”

Downswell says the technical staff have been closely keeping track of all the players they intend to select for the squad. However, he says several factors, including the ongoing ISSA Schoolboy Football, season haven’t made life easy.

“We release them and then some of them come back, [and] some come back with injuries here and there, knocks here and there,” he said. “[But] we have been having conversations with them. We have another camp coming up on the 6th and we have been having dialogue with the schools, so they won’t be released from the 6th up to our departure on the 14th.”

Downswell, who previously guided Jamaica’s U-17 team to the 2011 World Cup, says the players have been put through extensive preparation on and off the field, ahead of the tournament.

“We’ve put in place tactical preparation and the mental aspect of the players to get them fully focused regarding this task ahead. We have placed a lot of emphasis on the mental aspect of preparation, and the players have been responding in a positive way,” he said.

“Also, the whole preparation going in[to] international [games] — how we play the first 10 minutes, 5 minutes, the various tactical manoeuvres that we have done for the players to assimilate and adapt from a tactical standpoint — these are some of the things that we have been working on.”

Jamaica struggled in their two previous World Cup appearances, exiting at the group stage in 1999 and 2011 without recording a win in six matches.

Donwswell, though, is confident these young Reggae Boyz can break that trend and create history for the country. “I’m very upbeat, very enthusiastic about going, and at the same time our intention is to compete,” he said.

“Our first game’s against Italy [so] what we will do, the fact that we haven’t gotten much international exposure, so to speak, since February, [the plan] is using each game as part of our preparation and hoping that it lends itself in such a way that we are able to come out of the zone and take it from there.”

The squad, which is expected to feature new senior Reggae Boyz Jahmarie Nolan and Jamone Lyle, is set to be finalised by the first week of November.