MIAMI, FL – Caribbean powerhouses Jamaica will host Dominican Republic in the second round of matches in the CONCACAF phase of FIFA World Cup qualifiers which get underway next month, as they begin their bid to reach the 2026 edition of the showpiece.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boys.The Reggae Boys, the top-ranked side in the Caribbean Football Union and currently sixth in the confederation charts, will clash with the Spanish-speaking side at the National Stadium in Kingston on June 6, CONCACAF announced on Friday with the release of the schedule for the first five match days.
Three days later, Jamaica travel to Roseau to face Dominica at Windsor Park, their last fixture of the qualifying window.
For Jamaica, the outing comes just days before they turn out in the Copa América from June 20 to July 14 in the United States, where they have been installed in Group B with Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Haiti, ranked second in the CFU, take on St Lucia at a neutral venue in Bridgetown also on June 6 while Guyana have a difficult trip to Panama to face last year’s Gold Cup finalists in Panama City on the same date.
The French Caribbean side will head to Bridgetown to do battle with Barbados in their second game on June 9 while Guyana lock horns with Belize at the same venue two days later.
High-flying Curacao, ranked 91st in the FIFA charts and lying third in the CFU, host Barbados in Willemstad on June 5 while resurgent Trinidad and Tobago do battle with Grenada at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Curacao then travel to Oranjestad on June 8 to face Aruba while T&T, who missed out on a spot in Copa América last March, visit Basseterre for a meeting with the Bahamas.
For the second round, being played in the official FIFA windows of June 2024 and June 2025, each team will play four matches in home and away legs.
The winners and runners-up from the six groups will advance to the final round scheduled for September, October and November next year, while the three group winners from the final round will gain direct qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
The two best runners-up from the final round will enter a FIFA playoff for another chance at reaching the World Cup finals being hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, all three of whom have automatic berths.
Opening round action in the CONCACAF phase of World Cup qualifiers last March saw the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla advance to the second round from a four-team playoff involving Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands.
They were the four lowest-ranked teams based on the FIFA rankings.
