Wikipedia

Jamaica women's national football team

The Jamaica women's national football team, nicknamed the "Reggae Girlz", represents Jamaica in international women's football. They are one of the top women's national football teams in the Caribbean region along with Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. In 2008, the team was disbanded after it failed to get out of the group stage of Olympic Qualifying, which notably featured the United States and Mexico. The program was restarted in 2014 after a nearly six-year hiatus, finishing second at the 2014 Women's Caribbean Cup after losing 1–0 against Trinidad and Tobago in the final. The team is backed by ambassador Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob Marley; she helps raise awareness for the team, encourages development, and provides for it financially.[2] Jamaica qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in 2019, but the team was eliminated after losing all its matches in the group stage. At the 2023 World Cup Jamaica made the Round of 16 for the first time, after holding both France and Brazil to 0–0 draws and winning their first ever match at a World Cup against Panama 1–0.[3] Jamaica is set to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup along with Costa Rica, Mexico and United States, giving them an automatic qualification as co-host.

Jamaica
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameThe Reggae Girlz
AssociationJamaica Football Federation
ConfederationCONCACAF
Head coachHubert Busby Jr.
CaptainKhadija Shaw
Most capsChantelle Swaby (49)
Top scorerKhadija Shaw (62)
FIFA codeJAM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 41 Steady (16 June 2026)[1]
Highest37 (August 2023)
Lowest81 (May – September 2006)
First international
 Haiti 1–0 Jamaica 
(Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 17 April 1991)
Biggest win
 Dominica 0–18 Jamaica 
(Gros Islet, Saint Lucia; 29 November 2025)
Biggest defeat
 United States 10–0 Jamaica 
(Canada; 19 August 1994)
 Canada 11–1 Jamaica 
(Brazil; 18 July 2007)
 Paraguay 10–0 Jamaica 
(Viña del Mar, Chile; 25 October 2023)
World Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2019)
Best resultRound of 16 (2023)
CONCACAF W Championship
Appearances7 (first in 1991)
Best resultThird place (2018, 2022)

History

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Founding

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Women's football in Jamaica started with the founding of the Jamaican Women's Football association (founded by Andrea Lewis, its first president) in 1987.[4]

1990s

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On 17 April 1991 the team competed in its first international match against Haiti, which they lost 1–0.[5] In August 1994, the Reggae Girlz were defeated 10–0 by the United States.[5]

2000s

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In 2002, the Reggae Girlz qualified for the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, the qualifying tournament for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, but lost all of their preliminary round games. In 2006, the team qualified for the Women's Gold Cup again and finished in fourth place.[5]

2010s

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Giselle Washington
Havana Solaun
Kayla McCoy
Laura Jackson
Sashana Campbell
Sydney Schneider

In 2010, due to lack of funding, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) cut the senior women's program as well as the women's Olympic program. Subsequently, the team was unable to participate in the qualifiers for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.[6] In 2011, due to over three years of inactivity, Jamaica was not ranked in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.[7]

In April 2014, Cedella Marley was named the team's official ambassador and helped the team with their fundraising efforts.[8] On 24 June 2014, the team launched the fundraising campaign "Strike Hard for the Reggae Girlz!"[9] to raise $50,000 to pay for practices, travel expenses, housing, nutrition, and equipment in preparation for the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship where they hoped to secure a spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[10]

In July 2014, it was announced that Jamaica was looking for players with Jamaican heritage in countries as far as the United Kingdom in order to improve their squad for the 2014 Women Caribbean Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.[11] The team again went unranked by FIFA in June 2017.[12]

In May 2018, Jamaica began the first round of Caribbean Zone qualifying, this was the first time the team had assembled in two years.[13] Jamaica won their group and advanced to the final round of Caribbean Zone qualifying. They hosted the final round tournament and won all four games securing their spot at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship.[14] The same year, Jamaica competed in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. In the group stage, they had a record of one win and two losses, but did not advance to the knockout round.[14] At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Jamaica was drawn into Group B alongside Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. In their first match against Canada, they played well but lost 2–0. Jamaica secured an upset 1–0 victory over Costa Rica in their second match, thanks in part to the great play of goalkeeper Sydney Schneider.[15] In their final group match against Cuba, Jamaica won 9–0. As a result of Costa Rica losing their final group match, Jamaica finished second in their group and advanced to the semi-finals where they would face the number one ranked United States.[16] The US defeated Jamaica 6–0, in the semi-final. Jamaica won the third place match against Panama on penalty kicks, securing a spot at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Jamaica is the first Caribbean nation to ever qualify for a Women's World Cup and became the first Caribbean country to have both men's and women's teams to participate in men's and women's World Cup.[17] Interestingly, its male counterparts also qualified to the only FIFA World Cup also in France.

Jamaica placed in Group C with Italy, Australia and Brazil, and was considered as an underdog, being rated the lowest in the group. Eventually, they finished last in the group after losing all matches but scored a historic lone goal by Havana Solaun.

2020s

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After several coaching changes, Lorne Donaldson was named head coach in 2022.[18] In July 2022, Jamaica qualified for their 2nd World Cup, which is a historic feat, considering its men's counterparts have been unable to do the same.[19] On 29 July 2023, Jamaica had its first Women's World Cup win, which was against Panama.[20]

On 2 August 2023, Jamaica drew 0–0 against Brazil, successfully reaching the knockout rounds for the first time; this made Jamaica the first Caribbean country to reach the knockout rounds in any Women's World Cup.[3][21]

In October 2023, the players released a joint statement outlining that no players would take part in the planned World Cup qualifying fixtures. The reasons stated were lack of communication, missing payments and general mistreatment.[22]

Kit

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The national team have used four clothing manufacturers to supply the official kit for Jamaica. The team's first supplier was Italian manufacturer Lanzera in 1995 before it merged with Kappa a year later. This deal was terminated after the 1998 World Cup. In 2000, the JFF signed a deal with German sporting brand Uhlsport, which lasted until 2006. After another three-year contract with Kappa between 2012 and 2014, the JFF signed a four-year deal with Emirati sportswear company Romai Sports for US$4.8 million.

In 2021, Umbro was the kit provider for Jamaica. In 2022, Adidas signed a deal to become the new kit provider for Jamaica starting in 2023.

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2025

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29 June Friendly England  7–0  Jamaica Leicester, England
17:00 BST
Report
Stadium: King Power Stadium
Attendance: 25,088
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)
28 October Friendly Trinidad and Tobago  1–4  Jamaica Couva, Trinidad and Tobago
Gosine 13'
Stadium: Ato Bolden Stadium
Attendance: 535
29 November 2026 CONCACAF W Championship Q Dominica  0–18  Jamaica Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
15:00 UTC−4 Report (FIFA)
Report (CONCACAF)
Stadium: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala)

2026

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Coaching staff

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Current coaching staff

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As of October 2024
Name Nat Position
Hubert Busby Jr. Jamaica Head coach
Sanford Carabin Canada Assistant coach
Xavier Gilbert Jamaica Assistant coach
Alyssa Whitehead United States Goalkeeping coach
Lori-Ann Miller Jamaica Doctor
Saundria Codling Jamaica Physiotherapist
Omar Folkes Jamaica Equipment manager

Manager history

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Name Nat Position Year
Grace Butterfield Jamaica Jamaica National Senior Women's Team Manager 1991
Jean Nelson Jamaica Jamaica National Women's Teams Manager[23][24] 1994
Jacqueline Cummings Jamaica Jamaica National Women's Team Asst Manager 1994
Elaine Walker-Brown Jamaica Jamaica National Senior Women's Team Manager 2014
Jean Nelson Jamaica Jamaica National Women's Teams Manager 2009–2010

Players

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Current squad

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The following players were called up for the international friendly matches against Panama on 5 and 8 June 2026.[25] 

Caps and goals correct as of 19 April 2026, after the most recent qualification match.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
13 1GK Becky Spencer (1991-02-22) 22 February 1991 (age 35) 24 0 The Football Association Chelsea
23 1GK Liya Brooks (2005-05-17) 17 May 2005 (age 21) 4 0 United States Soccer Federation North Carolina Tar Heels
1GK Aliyah Morgan (2004-09-22) 22 September 2004 (age 21) 1 0 United States Soccer Federation Anderson Trojans
2 2DF Tianna Harris (2000-02-07) 7 February 2000 (age 26) 4 1 Portuguese Football Federation Damaiense
17 2DF Allyson Swaby (1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 (age 29) 45 2 The Football Association Crystal Palace
19 2DF Kameron Simmonds (2003-12-06) 6 December 2003 (age 22) 12 1 United States Soccer Federation Utah Royals
6 2DF Mimi Van Zanten (2005-01-25) 25 January 2005 (age 21) 6 0 United States Soccer Federation San Diego Wave
14 2DF Deneisha Blackwood (1997-03-07) 7 March 1997 (age 29) 48 11 Mexican Football Federation Toluca
2DF Naya Cardoza (2004-11-02) 2 November 2004 (age 21) 9 1 Canadian Soccer Association Halifax Tides
2DF Konya Plummer (1997-08-02) 2 August 1997 (age 28) 41 3 Turkish Football Federation Fenerbahçe
20 3MF Atlanta Primus (1997-04-21) 21 April 1997 (age 29) 23 1 The Football Association Southampton
8 3MF Drew Spence (1992-10-23) 23 October 1992 (age 33) 27 4 The Football Association Tottenham Hotspur
6 3MF Jade Bailey (1995-11-11) 11 November 1995 (age 30) 10 0 Swedish Football Association Piteå
3MF Peyton McNamara (2002-02-22) 22 February 2002 (age 24) 8 0 Unattached
3MF Nikayla Small (2003-03-24) 24 March 2003 (age 23) 0 0 Canadian Soccer Association AFC Toronto
7 4FW Shania Hayles (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 (age 26) 10 3 The Football Association Newcastle United
9 4FW Kayla McKenna (1996-09-03) 3 September 1996 (age 29) 22 5 Swiss Football Association Grasshopper
10 4FW Natasha Thomas (1995-12-19) 19 December 1995 (age 30) 6 3 The Football Association Ipswich Town
18 4FW Trudi Carter (1994-11-08) 8 November 1994 (age 31) 34 16 Mexican Football Federation Club León
16 4FW Paige Bailey-Gayle (2001-11-12) 12 November 2001 (age 24) 12 0 Swiss Football Association Rapperswil-Jona
15 4FW Shaneil Buckley (2005-05-20) 20 May 2005 (age 21) 10 2 United States Soccer Federation Florida State Seminoles
4FW Jody Brown (2002-04-16) 16 April 2002 (age 24) 46 20 French Football Federation Marseille
22 4FW Solai Washington (2005-10-01) 1 October 2005 (age 20) 9 0 United States Soccer Federation Orlando Pride

Recent call-ups

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The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Sydney Schneider (1999-08-31) 31 August 1999 (age 26) 23 0 United States Tampa Bay Sun v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
DF Chantelle Swaby (1998-08-06) 6 August 1998 (age 27) 51 0 England Leicester City v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
DF Vyan Sampson (1996-07-02) 2 July 1996 (age 30) 26 1 Japan INAC Kobe Leonessa v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
DF Jaileah Cox-McPherson (2006-08-27) 27 August 2006 (age 19) 2 0 United States FIU Panthers v.  Dominica, 29 November 2025
DF Mia Mitchell (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 (age 21) 1 0 United States Maryland Terrapins v.  Dominica, 29 November 2025
DF Gabrielle Gayle (2000-10-14) 14 October 2000 (age 25) United States Lancaster Inferno v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 28 October 2025
DF Tiffany Cameron (1991-10-16) 16 October 1991 (age 34) 26 6 Canada Halifax Tides v.  Nicaragua, 2 March 2026
MF Olufolasade Adamolekun (2001-02-21) 21 February 2001 (age 25) 18 1 Scotland Heart of Midlothian v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
MF Izzy Groves (1999-06-07) 7 June 1999 (age 27) 5 0 Vietnam Hồ Chí Minh City v.  Nicaragua, 2 March 2026
FW Khadija Shaw (1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 29) 48 66 England Manchester City v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
FW Kiki Van Zanten (2001-08-25) 25 August 2001 (age 24) 15 3 United States Houston Dash v.  Guyana, 18 April 2026
FW Ricshya Walker (2003-09-21) 21 September 2003 (age 22) 8 1 United States Lancaster Inferno v.  Dominica, 29 November 2025
FW Njeri Butts (2004-04-02) 2 April 2004 (age 22) 2 0 United States Florida Gators v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 28 October 2025
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE = Preliminary squad
  • RET = Retired from the national team
  • SUS = Serving suspension


Records

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As of 19 April 2026
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Competitive record

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FIFA Women's World Cup

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FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA GD Squad
China 1991Did not qualify
Sweden 1995
United States 1999Did not enter
United States 2003Did not qualify
China 2007
Germany 2011Did not enter
Canada 2015Did not qualify
France 2019Group stage3003112−11Squad
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023Round of 164121110Squad
Brazil 2027To be determined
Costa RicaJamaicaMexicoUnited States 2031Qualified as co-host
United Kingdom 2035To be determined
TotalRound of 167124213−11
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
FIFA Women's World Cup history
YearRoundDateOpponentResultStadium
France 2019 Group stage9 June BrazilL 0–3Stade des Alpes, Grenoble
14 June ItalyL 0–5Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims
18 June AustraliaL 1–4Stade des Alpes, Grenoble
Australia New Zealand 2023 Group stage23 July FranceD 0–0Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
29 July PanamaW 1–0Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
2 August BrazilD 0–0Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
Round of 168 August ColombiaL 0–1

Olympic Games

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Summer Olympics record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 1996Did not qualify 1995 FIFA WWC
Australia 2000Did not enter 1999 FIFA WWC
Greece 2004Did not qualify 5203410
China 2008 75022814
United Kingdom 2012Did not enter Did not enter
Brazil 2016Did not qualify 4202204
Japan 2020 75024411
France 2024 200214
Total-------- 25140119743
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF W Championship

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CONCACAF W Championship record Qualification record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA GD Squad GP W D* L GF GA GD
Haiti 1991Group stage3003112−11Squad Qualified automatically
United States 1993Did not enter Did not enter
Canada 1994Fifth place4004222−20Squad Qualified automatically
Canada 1998Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2000
CanadaUnited States 2002Group stage3003113−12Squad 4310130+13
United States 2006Fourth place310227−5Squad 5500370+37
Mexico 2010Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2014Group stage310285+3Squad 2014 Caribbean Cup
United States 2018Third place52121210+2Squad 7610414+37
Mexico 2022Third place530268−2Squad 4400242+22
United States 2026Qualified 4400272+25
TotalThird place2671183277−45 2422201428+134
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

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CONCACAF W Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA Division Group GP W D* L GF GA
United States 2024Did not qualify A B 403156
N/A 2029 To be determinedTo be determined
Total––––––– ––403156
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Pan American Games

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Pan American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Canada 1999 Did not enter
Dominican Republic 2003
Brazil 2007 Preliminary round4112317Squad
Mexico 2011 Did not enter
Canada 2015 Did not qualify
Peru 2019 Seventh place410327Squad
Chile 2023 Eighth place4003023Squad
TotalSeventh place12218547
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American and Caribbean Games

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Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Puerto Rico 2010Did not enter
Mexico 2014
Colombia 2018Group stage310245
El Salvador 2023Group stage3012613
TotalGroup stage61141018
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CFU Women's Caribbean Cup

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CFU Women's Caribbean Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Haiti 2000Group stage4301162
Trinidad and Tobago 2014Runners-up6501363
Jamaica 2018N/A210133
TotalRunners-up12903558
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Other tournaments

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Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Australia 2023 Cup of NationsFourth place300329

Honours

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". 16 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Equalizer Soccer – Mother, sister, ambassador: Bob Marley's daughter helps Jamaica with World Cup qualifying journey". Womens.soccerly.com. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 "IS THIS FOR REAL? YES, IT IS!". Jamaica Observer. 3 August 2023. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Stars align for 'Football Extravaganza'". January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Jamaica Information Service. "Football – Women's League". Jamaica Information Service. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Williams, Sean A. (16 March 2010). "FIFA grants CONCACAF another Women's World Cup spot". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Davis, Kayon (13 August 2011). "The state of women's football in Jamaica". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Kenner, Rob (10 April 2014). "Interview: Cedella Marley Wants to Help Send a Jamaican Team to the Women's World Cup in 2015". Complex. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Guardian staff (28 April 2014). "Bob Marley's daughter joins Reggae Girlz' World Cup campaign". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Grow, Kory (2 July 2014). "Bob Marley's Daughter Aids Jamaica Soccer Team's World Cup Bid". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Trinidad Express staff (6 July 2014). "Jamaica extends net to recruit women footballers". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking: Jamaica". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "Jamaica's Reggae Girlz ready for the Concacaf Caribbean Women's Qualifier 2018". 8 May 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. 1 2 "JAMAICA". Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "Heroic Schneider takes Player-of-the-Match award in stride". 10 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ "JFF hopes Reggae Girlz 9–0 win will 'ignite' interest in women's football among Jamaicans". 12 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ↑ "Jamaica qualify for Women's World Cup with help from Bob Marley's daughter". BBC Sport. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ↑ "It's Official - Lorne Donaldson is new Reggae Girlz coach". June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  19. ↑ "Jamaica women's soccer qualifies for second straight World Cup amid tragedy". Fox News. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Ronald, Issy (29 July 2023). "Jamaica makes history by beating Panama for first Women's World Cup win". CNN.
  21. ↑ Hall, Cora. "Bunny Shaw leads Jamaica as first Caribbean nation to advance to FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  22. ↑ McCowen, Beth (23 October 2023). "Jamaica's Reggae Girlz stand against mistreatment". Her Football Hub. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Jamaica Observer Football". www.jamaicaobserver.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  24. ↑ Richards, Dwayne. "Khadija Shaw is a treasure, says Girlz Manager Nelson". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  25. ↑ Jamaica Football Federation. "The Reggae Girlz are heading to Panama". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
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