Jamaica have drawn up a list of English-based stars to try to recruit as they target the 2026 World Cup.
The Reggae Boyz won’t be at Qatar this winter and their sole World Cup appearance remains France 1998. But they have a great chance to make it in 2026 as the tournament is being shared by US, Mexico and Canada, who all qualify automatically as hosts.
It leaves the race wide open in the CONCACAF region to qualify and Jamaica are determined to seize the opportunity. Boosted by a bumper sponsorship deal which is in the pipeline with a global household name, they are now investing in their facilities and infrastructure.
Jamaica head coach Paul Hall has also drawn up a list of potential new players including Everton ’s Demarai Gray, Morgan Gibbs-White of Wolves, Brentford’s Rico Henry, Norwich’s Max Aarons and Crystal Palace ’s Nathan Ferguson. West Ham star Michail Antonio made his debut last year for Jamaica, who play Catalonia in a friendly on Wednesday.
Now other players are being targeted including youngsters like Arsenal starlet Kido Taylor Hart, Joel Latibeaudiere of Swansea, Lewis Baker of Stoke, Chelsea ’s Luke Badley-Morgan and Fulham ’s Xavier Benjamin. Most like Taylor Hart, Latibeaudiere, Badley-Morgan and Benjamin have already been called up by England’s youth teams.
But Hall’s former Portsmouth and Jamaica team-mate Fitzroy Simpson is helping with the nation’s recruitment. He too fancied playing for England in his distinguished career with Manchester City before eventually opting for Jamaica.
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He never regretted the decision as he went on to make 36 appearances including playing at the World Cup. Simpson,52, said: “Paul and I talk regularly. He is determined to put together a strong attempt to qualify for 2026.
“There are a lot of players out there who could help us and are interested. These guys could be playing in the World Cup in 2026 and Paul sees them as a massive part of that drive to dominate the CONCACAF. He wants the best talent on show and wants to grow with them.
“Paul is willing to hand these guys an opportunity which could see them become first choice internationals playing in such stages as the Azteca Stadium, which holds 120,000. Of course England is the mother country to a lot of these players but they have vast pool of players to call upon.
“You can be an outstanding player but never get a look in with the senior England side. I obviously thought about maybe playing for England too but I made the decision to play for Jamaica and it was one of the best things I ever did.”
Former Portsmouth midfielder Simpson still treasures the memories of reaching France. So do many of the inhabitants of the caribbean island where a national holiday was declared after Jamaica drew with El Salvador to qualify.
Simpson smiled: “There wasn't really a national holiday because no-one was in a fit state to go to work anyway! My burning desire now is to assist in any way I can to make sure Jamaica make it to another World Cup and rekindle those glory days which unified the country.”
Since retiring from football, Simpson has become an agent and has teamed up with Marlon Gilbert-Roberts a Jamaican-born solicitor, who is the co-founder and managing director of the 'Business 2 Sports Group' in Belgium. The duo, alongside sports lawyer Jonathan Himpe, have plans to help grow Jamaica's fanbase and commercial activities around the team are close to finalising a big sponsorship deal.
