Jamaica′s World Cup 2023 fixtures:
You can read all about France, Panama and Brazil by clicking on their names here.
How did Jamaica qualify?
Jamaica qualified via the CONCACAF W Championship. They finished second in their group, above Haiti and Mexico but below USA, before losing to Canada in the semi-finals. All four semi-finalists qualified directly for the World Cup.
Jamaica’s major tournament record:
World Cup
Best World Cup result: Group stages- 2019.
CONCACAF W Championship
Best CONCACAF W Championship result: Semi-finals- 2006, 2018 & 2022.
Jamaica at World Cup 2023
Jamaica are back at the World Cup, so can they claim their very first win at the tournament?
Four summers ago, the Reggae Girlz made their World Cup debut but, in an admittedly very competitive group, were simply out of their depth, smashed 3-0 by Brazil, 5-0 by Italy and then 4-1 by Australia.
Lorne Donaldson’s team qualified for this tournament by reaching the CONCACAF W Championship semi-finals, beating hosts Mexico 1-0 and then Haiti 4-0, victories that secured World Cup qualification.
During that campaign, they were smashed 5-0 by USA and 3-0 by Canada, emphasising that their is still an enormous gulf in quality between the Reggae Girlz and the world’s best.
At the World Cup, Jamaica kick off their campaign against juggernauts France in Sydney, before taking on Panama in Perth and then South American champions Brazil in Melbourne.
While France and Brazil are overwhelming favourites to advance, Jamaica will fancy their chances of beating Panama, having won a penalty shootout when the two last met five years ago.
So, while reaching the round of 16 is likely to be beyond them, will the Caribbean nation win a World Cup match for the very first time?
Jamaica team news
Sashana Campbell, Victoria Williams, Siobhan Wilson and Shania Hayles all did not make the cut for the final 23-player squad.
Jamaica′s key players: Allyson Swaby
Centre-back Allyson Swaby has played club football at the highest level, which is not something many of her national team counterparts can claim.
Having spent four seasons at Roma, she joined Angel City FC for their expansion season, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain Féminine in a six-month loan deal back in January, or so she thought.
However, this did not go to plan; due to an administrative error, the paperwork did not go through in time, meaning Swaby was not eligible to play for PSG.
She simultaneously wasn’t registered to play in NWSL either, so has actually played just five internationals so far in 2023, which is far from ideal.
She’ll return to Los Angeles after the World Cup, but will be lacking match-practice, so it’ll be interesting to see if she starts their first game.
Jamaica′s key players: Havana Solaun
As mentioned, Havana Solaun is currently the only Jamaican women to have scored at a World Cup, although she would be delighted if that fact changed this summer.
That goal against Australia in France was Solaun’s first at international level, only netting once since, doing so in a 7-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis the following year.
The 30 year old midfielder was actually born in Hong Kong, moved to the U.S. as a two year old and is eligible to play for Jamaica through her mother.
Sine her debut four years ago, she’s accumulated just 13 caps, but features regularly in the NWSL, first with North Carolina Courage, before moving to Houston Dash at the start of this season.
Jamaica′s key players: Khadija Shaw
The undisputed start of this team is striker Khadija Shaw, nicknamed Bunny.
To date, she’s scored a frankly ridiculous 56 goals in 38 appearances for her country, including three hat-tricks and a double-hat-trick against Guadeloupe in 2018.
During last summer’s CONCACAF W Championship, Shaw scored the only goal in the win over Mexico and then twice again Haiti, victories that saw the Reggae Girlz qualify for this tournament.
She bagged a brace at Hampden against Scotland in a pre-World Cup friendly four years ago, with this the last time Shaw netted against a team from outside the Americas.
At club level, Shaw joined Manchester City in 2021, scoring 31 times in 30 appearances this season, having bagged 16 goals the season before, lifting the League Cup in 2022.
This made her the second-top scorer in the FAWSL, whilst only seven players bagged more than her seven assists.
Jamaica′s possible starting line-up for World Cup 2023
Jamaica′s full squad for World Cup 2023
Goalkeepers
| Rebecca Spencer | 9 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Sydney Schneider | 21 | 0 | Sparta Praha |
| Liya Brooks | 2 | 0 | Washington State Cougars |
Defenders
| Konya Plummer | 31 | 2 | Orlando Pride |
| Chantelle Swaby | 30 | 0 | FC Fleury 91 |
| Deneisha Blackwood | 28 | 2 | GPSO 92 Issy |
| Allyson Swaby | 28 | 1 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Tiernny Wiltshire | 11 | 0 | Houston Dash |
| Vyan Sampson | 8 | 0 | Heart of Midlothian |
Midfielders
| Trudi Carter | 21 | 9 | Levante Las Planas |
| Havana Solaun | 16 | 2 | Houston Dash |
| Drew Spence | 7 | 1 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Atlanta Primus | 7 | 0 | London City Lionesses |
| Peyton McNamara | 2 | 0 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| Solai Washington | 0 | 0 | Concorde Fire |
Forwards
| Khadija Shaw | 38 | 56 | Manchester City |
| Jody Brown | 29 | 13 | Florida State Seminoles |
| Kayla McKenna | 15 | 3 | Rangers |
| Tiffany Cameron | 13 | 6 | Ferencvárosi |
| Cheyna Matthews | 12 | 0 | Chicago Red Stars |
| Kiki Van Zanten | 6 | 1 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| Paige Bailey-Gayle | 6 | 0 | Crystal Palace |
| Kameron Simmonds | 1 | 0 | Tennessee Volunteers |
