Heartbreak in Kingston as Reggae Boyz Miss Out on Automatic World Cup Qualification

Jamaica missed out on automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a nervous 0–0 draw with Curaçao at the National Stadium earlier tonight. The visitors became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup

Heartbreak in Kingston (Photo: Ralmar Photos/ JFF)

The Reggae Boyz missed out on booking their automatic ticket to next year’s World Cup after a frustrating and nerve-wracking 0–0 draw with Curaçao at the National Stadium, a heartbreaking blow for a full house draped in yellow and ready to celebrate.

The first half was evenly balanced, with Curaçao threatening through Kenji Gorré, but Steve McClaren’s Boyz seized control after the break. Jamaica dominated the second half and hit the post three times, including a chance by Shamar Nicholson, and an agonizing 87th-minute header from substitute Jonathan Russell that crashed off the upright. Wave after wave of pressure followed, but the long-awaited breakthrough never came.

In stoppage time, Russell was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, leaving Jamaica to finish with 10 men. Moments later, the drama escalated again as young wonderkid Dujuan Richards was brought down in the box, and the referee Iván Barton pointed to the spot, but VAR referees overturned the decision. It added one final surge of tension on a night when everything felt possible, except a Jamaica goal.

Curaçao becomes the smallest nation ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The tiny Caribbean island, home to just 156,115 people, pulled off one of the greatest achievements in CONCACAF history.

And after 28 years since their iconic 1998 appearance, the Reggae Boyz will now have to wait a little longer to return to football’s biggest stage, with one final shot coming in the inter-confederation playoff in March 2026.