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Jamaica Under-20s pooled with Honduras, Panama and Canada for Concacaf finals in Mexico

Jamaica's men's Under-20 national side now know their first-round path at the Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship after being placed in Group C with Honduras, Panama and Canada on the road to the 2026 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Mexico will host the competition from 24 July through 9 August. That window also serves as qualifying for the 2027 Under-20 World Cup and for football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The young Reggae Boyz earned their finals berth by sweeping the preliminary stage. They led Group B with five wins, scored 28 goals across those matches and kept a clean sheet throughout.

The Jamaicans are expected to face a hard road toward World Cup qualification because they come in as the lowest-ranked outfit in the quartet.

Honduras is rated third in the tournament and Panama fourth; both entered on a bye. Canada sits ninth and advanced after topping Group F with three wins and one loss in the opening round.

The programme is seeking only a second Under-20 World Cup appearance, having first got there in 2001. It also wants to echo the Under-17 setup, which booked a place at this year's FIFA Men's Under-17 World Cup.

A cluster of players from that Under-17 qualifying effort remain with the Under-20 group, including Under-17 skipper Jahmarie Nolan.

The island's campaign starts against Honduras on Sunday 16 July, moves on to Panama on Wednesday 29 July, and ends the round-robin versus Canada on Saturday 1 August.

All three fixtures are slated for Estadio Olimpico Universitario BUAP in Puebla, Mexico.

The top two finishers in every group, plus the next-best pair of third-place records, progress to the quarter-finals.

The four teams that reach the semi-finals qualify for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, while the competition winner earns the route to the Los Angeles Olympics.

Syndicated from Jamaica Gleaner · originally published .

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