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A point will be enough for U17 Boyz
February 11, 2026
Jamaica's under-17 Reggae Boyz take on their Canadian counterparts in what head coach Wendell Downswell has labelled as the 'showdown' in Group G to decide who qualify from the group for the FIFA Men's Under-17 World Cup in Qatar in November.
The teams will meet in the second of two Group G matches at the Costa Rica Football Federation field today, starting at 3 p.m.
In the first game at noon Aruba will play the Cayman Islands in a bottom-of-the-table clash. Both countries are without a point.
The young Reggae Boyz lead the group on goal difference after Canada and Jamaica scored victories against Aruba and Cayman Islands respectively, to sit on six points apiece.
Jamaica defeated Aruba 3-0 and Cayman Islands 12-0 to hold a plus 15 goal difference, while Canada were 5-1 and 3-0 winners over the respective teams, for a plus seven goal difference which means Jamaica require just a draw to cement their third appearance at the global youth football tournament.
Coach Downswell is expecting a tough match against the Canadians.
"We look forward to the game against Canada which will be the showdown. There are little areas we have to work on and some individual players, and we hope to see improvements in their level.
"The Canadians are a top team in the region, always well organised and efficient. So we will have to be very alert when we face them," he said.
The Jamaicans will look to goalscoring ace Kelvin Brown, who has five goals in two games at the tournament, along with outstanding midfielder Jahmarie Nolan and Jamone Lyle, to lead their effort.
However, they will have to deal with the physicality of their opponents, who have players of superior size and good technical qualities, and players such as Eloi Burton, Liam Torres, Quinton Belfon and Van Parker are expected to lead their charge in a must-win game for them.
Canada lead the series against Jamaica in Under-17 Qualifiers with four wins and one draw. The last time they met was in 2013, a 4-2 victory in the quarterfinals for the Canadians.
