Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz have been drawn to face New Caledonia in Path 1 of the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs following the draw this morning in Zurich, Switzerland.

Having finished second in Group H of the CONCACAF World Cup qualification, Jamaica got a second bite of the cherry to qualify and must get by French Colony New Caledonia and then the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Final. A victory over DR Congo would secure qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The match dates are March 26 and 31 in Mexico, and Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts is optimistic.

“Again, the draw looks favourable, as it is obvious we will play New Caledonia and my interpretation we play DR Congo; that may be a tough game,” Ricketts told Our Today. “But I think we really have a chance and we just need, again, to go back to the drawing board, put our plans, put our thoughts together, go down to Mexico and win those two games.”

The play-offs will be played in single-leg knockout matches. If scores are level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, where each team will be allowed to make a sixth substitution. If the scores remain tied, a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner.

CONCACAF’s other team, Suriname, will face South America’s Bolivia, with the winner taking on Iraq for a spot in the World Cup.

The Draw for the groups in the World Cup will be made on December 5.