FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in the stands at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday as the Reggae Boyz beat Guatemala 3-2 in a Concacaf Nations League thriller. The decisive moment came deep in second-half stoppage time, when substitute Renaldo Cephas slotted home the winner to send the home crowd into raptures.

The match formed part of a two-day tour of four Caribbean nations for Infantino, who used the trip to hold talks with senior government and football officials across the region. In Kingston, he met Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange, as well as Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts.

Infantino also sat down with Trinidad & Tobago Football Association (TTFA) President Kieron Edwards and Haitian Football Federation (FHF) Normalisation Committee Chairwoman Monique André during the visit.

"I had an enjoyable time attending the Concacaf Nations League game between Jamaica and Guatemala in Kingston. Congratulations to Jamaica on the win, and well done to Guatemala on a fantastic performance," Infantino said. "A big thanks to all the fans who showed the passion this region has for football, to Concacaf for organising a wonderful competition, and to the Jamaica Football Federation for the warm welcome."

Women's World Cup 2031 on the horizon

The visit carries added significance for Jamaica, who are set to co-host the FIFA Women's World Cup 2031™ alongside Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Formal confirmation of the bid is expected at the tenth Extraordinary FIFA Congress on Monday, 23 November 2026.

The tournament will be a landmark event on multiple fronts — it will be the first FIFA Women's World Cup™ to feature 48 participating teams, and the first-ever FIFA final tournament to be staged on Jamaican soil.

FIFA investment in Jamaican football

Beyond the headline events, FIFA's footprint on the island has been growing steadily. The FIFA Forward programme has backed the construction of a full-size artificial pitch at the JFF's headquarters, the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.

FIFA Football for Schools was launched in Jamaica in September 2025, bringing the global grassroots programme to Caribbean schoolchildren for the first time. The FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) has also been introduced, supporting a new two-tier academy league and expanding talent identification pathways for U-15 boys and U-17 girls.

Jamaica narrowly missed out on qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, but the investment in infrastructure, youth development, and hosting rights signals a determined effort to place the island among the Caribbean's leading football nations.