Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Boyz will kick off their CONCACAF Championship against Aruba today in Group G action at the Costa Rican Football Federation Field # 1 in Alajuela, Costa Rica at 12:00 noon.

Jamaica are drawn alongside Canada, Cayman and Aruba. The group winner will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and the United States of America represented CONCACAF at the 2025 FIFA World Cup, also held in Qatar.

Jamaica will be in action again on Sunday, February 8, against the Cayman Islands before concluding the group action against top-ranked Canada on Wednesday, February 11.

Thirty-four (34) countries are vying for eight spot,s with Jamaica seeking to return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2011 and their third overall, having first qualified in 1999.

This will be the second meeting between Jamaica and Aruba at this level with the Reggae Boyz winning 10-1 in the 1992 edition.

For Jamaica, it will be its fifth time facing Caribbean opposition in its opening match of the competition. The Reggae Boyz possess a record of three wins and a draw in those matchups.