MOMENT OF TRUTH!

Reggae Boyz defender Richard King trains at Verde Valle in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Monday.

Photo: JFF Football, Sports Daniel Blake | Sports Writer | blaked@jamaicaobserver.com March 31, 2026

Moment Of Truth

! Reggae Boyz meet DR Congo in do-or-die clash for spot at FIFA World Cup Jamaicans have waited 10,362 days to see their countrymen qualify for a second FIFA World Cup. Today, the Reggae Boyz have one final chance to reset that count to zero.

The national senior men’s team take on DR Congo of Africa in the intercontinental play-off final at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, starting at 4:00 pm. As was the case in November, the equation is simple for the Reggae Boyz — win and join 47 other teams at this summer’s showpiece in the USA, Canada, Mexico.

However, for the first time since the beginning of their qualification campaign in June 2024, Jamaica go into the game as underdogs. All signs point to world number 48 DR Congo as favourites, given their star power and recent form, having lost just once in their last 10 matches, which included big results against African Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions Senegal and Nigeria. For Jamaica, the numbers are even more troubling, with just two wins in 22 matches against African opposition.

However, interim Head Coach Rudolph Speid is confident that they’ve prepared well for this crucial assignment.

“We have worked tremendously and sufficiently, passing along more information for this game, so we hope we get it right, even better [than New Caledonia]. But I think the main focus here is that we brought 27 players, and all 27 look so good in training, the camaraderie is good, so I’m just having selection headaches now,” he said.

“[I’m] definitely [seeing] much more of what we want to see. Remember the first game we only had two days, this game we have five more days to prepare, so I think that will help us tremendously.” Not many fans were impressed with Jamaica’s 1-0 win over New Caledonia in the semi-final last Thursday, citing an average performance.

Captain and goalkeeper Andre Blake, though, is only concerned with getting the job done.

“It’s going to be a tough game. There are some things we are going to have to work on, but the next one, it doesn’t matter how, we just need to win the game, and we are looking forward to it.” Newcastle United £55-million forward Yoane Wissa, West Ham and former Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Real Betis striker Cedric Bakambu are a few of the Congolese stars that the Jamaicans will have to deal with.

But recent Man of the Match Ronaldo Webster believes they need to focus on themselves to get the job.

“It all comes down to the players, to the team,” he said. We just need to work as one. We just need to be coordinated for this game and we’ll be just fine — follow the coach’s instructions and go out there and play our best football.”

“We are ready. We are motivated for this game because it’s one of the games of our life to qualify for the World Cup.” Jamaica haven’t been to the World Cup since 1998, but DR Congo’s drought stretches back to 1974 when they were named Zaire.

Head Coach Sebastien Desabre is looking to spoil the Jamaican party and create history of their own.

“We’re really fired up. We’re still on course to meet our main objective. That’s the goal we set ourselves when I took this job three and a half years ago,” he said.

“We’re lucky enough to have talented players who ply their trade at top clubs. Above all, everyone has really bought into the project we’ve been building together. Everyone is pulling in the same direction to achieve a common goal,” “We can make it tough for [Jamaica] because we play as a unit: our forwards track back, our defenders push forward, and everyone pulls together as if they were soldiers going into battle for their country.”

The winner of the match will join Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan in Group K at the FIFA World Cup. Jamaica’s Leon Bailey (left) and New Caledonia’s Jekob Jeno fight for ball during their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers semi-final play-off match at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on March 26, 2026. (Photo: AFP)