ISSA reshapes Manning Cup, daCosta Cup and knockout cups for 2026 schoolboy football season

Jamaica’s flagship inter-secondary schoolboy football tournaments will operate under revised structures when the 2026 season opens, with both the urban and rural calendars receiving a comprehensive reset.

Keith Wellington, president of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), said the Manning Cup, daCosta Cup, Walker Cup, and Ben Francis Cup have all been reconfigured. He said the aim is to keep the programmes engaging for athletes and supporters.

“I think you are aware that we have always tried to make the competition as interesting as possible, and so we have, over time, always tried to look at the format to see what we can do to improve the quality of the competition,” Wellington said.

Under the new Manning and daCosta Cup arrangements, 16 sides in each tournament will receive seeds drawn from last season’s standings. Remaining entrants will open in a preliminary round, with successful clubs moving forward to meet the seeded field in round two.

Eight Manning Cup teams and 20 daCosta Cup teams will reach that second stage. From there, competition shifts to a group phase, with sides battling for places in the round of 16 before the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and championship decider.

Wellington said the revisions followed talks involving ISSA’s football committee, school principals, and participating squads.

“The changes have come about after a process of consultation with our football committee, and we have also already met with all schools,” he said.

“We met with the principals and spoke with them first. Then we met with the Manning and the daCosta Cup teams just earlier this week and shared with them the proposed changes, and the feedback has been very positive.”

He added: “We looked at the circumstances prevailing now, especially as it relates to the number of schools participating and the cost around the competition, as well as the benefits that the sponsors are looking for, and hence the changes that we have made.”

The Walker Cup and Ben Francis Cup have been adjusted as well. Wellington said the move is intended to restore standing to those knockout events.

Previously, only schools eliminated before the second round of the Manning or daCosta Cup could enter, a restriction that led some observers to label them the “Losers’ Cup.”

Going forward, any team that took part in the previous year’s competition and recorded at least one victory may join the appropriate knockout draw. Thirty-two of 38 Manning Cup entrants will feature in the Walker Cup, while 64 of 83 daCosta Cup sides will contest the Ben Francis Cup.

Wellington said the arrangement creates fairer conditions and again allows urban and rural titleholders to chase both major honours in the same season.

“I think we would have been at pains to explain when we made the changes to those competitions about five or six years ago,” he said. “The issue had to do with timing and scheduling and how we were able to fit our competitions.”

“We have now come up with a strategy where, yes, it will return the prestige to the Walker and Ben Francis Cup, and it now means that teams participating can win all trophies.”

Wellington also highlighted a lighter match load as a practical benefit of the redrawn calendar.

He said teams should average about two fixtures weekly, giving players additional recovery time between outings.

“We will have less games than we had last year – overall, about 100 games less than we had last year,” he confirmed.

“So we won’t have a packed schedule. The fixtures are made up in such a way that we will have a little bit more breathing room. I think that in terms of the number of games played, we have reduced the number of games that a team will be required to play to win all trophies.”