The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) said on Thursday that the island’s Reggae Girlz will be one of four newcomers to soccer’s global showpiece, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which gets underway on June 7, 2019 in France.
“This historic feat was achieved last October when the Reggae Girlz became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, defeating Panama on penalties in the third-place game at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament,” the JTB said in a statement.
It said the team is continuing its preparations “to ensure its readiness for their opening match versus Brazil on June 9 in Grenoble.”
“As a destination, we are always happy to celebrate the achievements of our sporting ambassadors, and I congratulate the Reggae Girlz on their historic feat,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s director of tourism.
“Jamaica’s prowess in the field of sports is well-known, and we are excited that our women’s soccer program and the Reggae Girlz have achieved such remarkable success,” he added. “As the team gets ready for the World Cup, we’d like to encourage Jamaicans at home and abroad, as well as friends of Jamaica, to support the team on their journey to France.”
Following their recent two-match series win over the 38th ranked Chileans, White said the Reggae Girlz will now “turn their attention to their upcoming training camp from April 1-9 in South Africa, where they will play South Africa’s national team.”
The team will then play their final match in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, versus Panama on May 19 before departing for the World Cup.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are now ranked 53rd, having moved up 11 places in the December 2018 FIFA rankings.
