Jamaica Under-17s to face Italy, Ivory Coast and Uzbekistan in World Cup group

Jamaica will begin the FIFA Boys Under-17 World Cup in Qatar from Group E, where Thursday’s draw paired them with Italy, Ivory Coast and Uzbekistan. The young Reggae Boyz earned a third appearance at the tournament by winning their Concacaf qualifying group in Alajuela, Costa Rica, in February, and entered the draw from pot four. This year’s competition will feature 48 nations across 12 groups. The top two in each section, plus the eight strongest third-place finishers, will move on to the Round of 32. Jamaica qualified with nine points from three matches, defeating Aruba, Cayman Islands and Canada.