Senior Reggae Boyz Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says while the 2026 FIFA World Cup may appear some way in the distance, preparation for the qualification process for the global showcase should begin now.

The Icelandic national cited as a matter of urgency the need to have broad-based plan investment in young players as part of the overall process.

The 23rd edition will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, the first time the event is being co-hosted by three nations.

“The big challenge for us is to make it into the 2026 World Cup. It is quite far away in your mind, but the preparation for that one, and to qualify for that one starts in less than a year,” Hallgrimsson said on Tuesday during a live stream of the unveiling of the national teams’ adidas kit.

“We have a lot of talent around the world; we have a lot of talent here in Jamaica, and so we have to start working really hard to improve these guys.

“So we need elite coaching for the youngsters to improve, so we can have a good team in 2026 when we go to the World Cup,” he added.

Hallgrimsson referenced the Qatar 2022 World Cup as he sought to hammer home his point that talented youth players have demonstrated that they represent the present and the future.

“And if you look back on the last World Cup, the players that were most impressive were about 21 years old, and I could mention 10 players that really shone .

“What are we doing for the players that will be 21 in 2026? We have to step up there. We really, really have to step up there. Those are the players who will be at the top of their games in three to four years,” the former coach of his native Iceland added.

Hallgrimsson said that qualifying for the 48th edition of the Copa America in 2024 will be crucial to Jamaica making it to the FIFA World Cup.

“Why do we have to be ready now? Is it that we have to be in the top six to be able to qualify for Copa America? To prepare for the World Cup, it would be huge to be able to play in finals with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and so forth.

“And so it’s really good to get there [Copa America]; that’s one step closer to not only qualifying for the World Cup, but actually doing well when we get there. That’s our plan; that is our aim; and that is our mission: to do well in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in 2026,” he said.

Hallgrimsson said that time has to be made to look at younger players who are here playing domestically so as to give them chances to show what they can do, and in the same breath, he hoped all the FIFA windows until 2026 will be official matches.

“We will not take part in unofficial games and test some players we don’t know anything about. So that was the game thinking behind it, but it was also a strategy for how we wanted to take the next step and be more professional in our planning for the coming years. We will have to invest now for the future,” he stated.

“From my experience, I believe it is necessary to be clear and transparent about how we want to play; how we want to behave; how we want to dress now, and so on. When you come to the national team, you know what is expected of you but it takes time to introduce yourself. And this is why it is important that we have camps before matches so we work with the players, not only for one game preparation but to get to know them as persons and how they work in this environment,” Hallgrimsson ended.

— Ruddy Allen