The eyes of the football world are set on Australia and New Zealand to witness the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, especially those teams that have been trailblazers.
This is the case of Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, who are playing their second Women’s World Cup in their history, opening Australia/New Zealand 2023 against France on Sunday at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia to kick off things for Group F.
Jamaica carry the forever title of being the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a Women’s World Cup. With this in mind, the Reggae Girlz wanted to continue sharing this with the world and were eager to qualify again via the 2022 Concacaf W Championship.
For some years now, they have earned the reputation as being one of the best teams in Concacaf, demonstrated by their third place finish at the 2022 CWC to book their World Cup ticket and also a chance to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They will fight for that spot against Canada later this year, in September, showing once more how talented the Caribbean footballers are becoming, getting to display their skills around the world.
Jamaica have many strengths within their squad, the attacking line being one that everyone is already studying how to cover, especially captain Khadija Shaw, who will be leading her team to push boundaries once more.
Named 2022 Concacaf Player of the Year, as well as player of the season by her club Manchester City, Shaw will be a problem to every defensive line who gets in her way.
The first opponent for Jamaica is European side France, a national team that has been under re-construction in the last few months prior to the World Cup, suffering the losses of key players. However, this squad has the depth to compete to get to the next round.
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Defender and captain Wendie Renard will be key to thwarting Jamaica’s attack. The 33-year-old is a household name in France and Europe and will be crucial to France’s defensive efforts.
This will be the first time these two nations face each other in a Women’s World Cup, both ready to fight to get that first win. With the first three points up for grabs, Jamaica will play like only the Caribbean knows how to.
Jamaica lost all their group games in their tournament debut at France 2019.
