‘We’re wearing the crown’
Busby says the target is on Reggae Girlz’s back during Concacaf W Qualifiers
Published:Saturday | November 29, 2025 | 12:07 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
Standing as the top-ranked team in the Caribbean and with back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances, Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr says they are the team to beat as they open their Concacaf W Qualifiers campaign today.
Jamaica will face Dominica in the opening game of Group B at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. Jamaica time.
The Girlz enter the game as overwhelming favourites, a tag Busby said has painted a large target on the team’s back.
Regardless of pre-match expectations, Busby said he would be treating Dominica with the respect they deserve as opponents and said World Cup qualifying fixtures would bring a challenge.
“The standard continues to get better within the region. They’re an emerging nation, but we’re a country and a programme that respects everyone,” Busby said.
“We know what to expect, it is a World Cup Qualifier. They’ll be up for the match and we’re wearing the crown that a lot of people want to knock off within the Caribbean Football Union.”
Busby said the players were ready to take to the field and he had been impressed with what he had seen in training.
He explained the players were in a good mood and had responded well to the challenge ahead.
Busby credited the presence of several of the team’s veterans who had taken charge, and had shared their prior World Cup experiences with their younger teammates.
“First and foremost, it starts with the players arriving in a good condition and in a good way,” the Reggae Girlz boss explained.
“So we’re very happy in the timely manner that they were able to arrive into camp and we were able to hit the ground running from day one.
“The attitude from the group has been spot on. I credit a lot, obviously, to the players in leadership group who set the tone, and we’re able to carry on throughout the week from there.”
RAISING THE STANDARD
He also explained that the newer players were now aware of what it means to compete in the national programme and had not only adapted to the standard required, but had also begun to raise the bar.
“A lot of those players that you see that are in this particular camp have been with the group for the last few months or last few camps. They’re coming into an environment where they now know what the standard is,” he said.
His opposite number Ronnie Gustave, head coach of Dominica, will be entering the match prepared to fight tooth and nail against a Caribbean juggernaut.
Gustave said despite the disparity between the two teams on paper, they are ready to settle the score on the pitch.
“Football is played on the pitch and on the day, anything is possible,” he said.
“The most important thing is to stay as team, stay focused and play for one another. We’re going as a team as this is not an individual sport. It is not about ‘I’ but it is a collective effort from each and every body to play their role and play their role to the best of their abilities.”
Nicaragua currently lead Group B as they defeated Antigua and Barbuda 4-0 in their opening game on Thursday.
The winners of the group at the end of the round will advance to the Concacaf W Championships.
The W Championships will serve as the region’s qualification tournament for the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The top-four teams from the W Championships will advance to the World Cup, while the top-three teams will advance to the LA Olympic Games.
The next-best two teams will advance to the intercontinental play-offs for a second chance at World Cup qualification.