Speid: We want to make Jamaica smile again
After a difficult 2025, Jamaica is looking to get back on track with a win against New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the FIFA Playoff Tournament.
Jamaica face New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the FIFA Playoff Tournament
Winner will meet Congo DR on 31 March for a place at the FIFA World Cup
The Reggae Boyz have featured at the global finals only once before, at France 1998
“In 2025, the country was hit by two disasters. First, there was a Category 5 hurricane (Melissa)—one of the most powerful ever recorded—which devastated nearly half the island. Then there was our failure to qualify [directly] for the World Cup. It’s still fresh in our minds. The country needs to find its smile again.”
In just a few sentences, Jamaica’s head coach Rudolph Speid perfectly summed up the stakes facing the Reggae Boyz when they clash with New Caledonia in the FIFA Playoff Tournament this week. A one-off contest to earn the right to meet Congo DR in the final on 31 March, where a berth to the FIFA World Cup™ awaits the winner.
Having taken over from Steve McClaren after the failure to secure direct qualification last November, Speid has had only two training sessions to get his team in shape. Not ideal, considering that this former financial controller has chosen to bring in new players for the occasion, even if it means sidelining others who had already proven themselves.
Among the new faces is Coventry forward Ephron Mason-Clark, who is thrilled to embark on this Mexican adventure after waiting a long time to take the plunge and don the green, yellow, and black jersey.
“I’ve been waiting for this for years, but the process of getting the passport was complicated. For me, it was a no-brainer from the start.” With seven goals and eight assists this season, the London native is embracing this match against New Caledonia, one that he termed a “great experience.”
“This match isn’t just for Jamaicans in Jamaica, but for all Jamaicans around the world,” he says. Whether they’re rookies or veterans, all the players agree: to beat the underdogs from New Caledonia, they’ll have to follow the coaching staff’s instructions to the letter and avoid overconfidence, which could prove fatal.
“The FIFA rankings don't matter once we're on the field. What matters is what we do on game day, with victory as the goal,” says central defender Richard King.
“We can't take anyone lightly,” adds stalwart goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake. “We're going to respect them, and we know we'll have to work hard if we want to win the match.”
To prevail against New Caledonians, Speid believes the key will be “the ability to adapt.” “We don’t know much about this team, so we’ll have to be ready to adapt to the pressure they’ll try to put on us.”
“Qualifying for the World Cup would mean a lot,” says Mason-Clark, who wasn’t even born when Jamaica played in its first and, to date, only World Cup, at France 1998.
A return to the sport's top table is now only two matches away for Mason-Clark and his teammates.