KINGSTON, Jamaica — Fresh off heartbreaking semi-final eliminations from the Jamaica Football Championships promotion race, two non-top-flight sides are gearing up to test their mettle against Premier League opposition when the third round of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Popeyes Challenge Cup gets underway on Tuesday.
Sakka Club Brown’s Town (Sakka Club BT) and Reno FC both saw their dreams of promotion to the 2024-25 Jamaica Premier League dashed in penalty shootouts last week. Sakka Club BT fell to Humble Lion FC, while Reno lost out to Tru-Juice FC, with both winners securing their spots in the top flight for next season. Now, the two clubs are shifting focus to the country’s first national cup tournament in several years, looking to pull off upset wins over higher-ranked opponents.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sakka Club BT will face off against Molynes United at the Drax Hall Sports Complex, kicking off at 3:30 pm local time. At the same kickoff time, Reno FC will play host to Chapleton Maroons at their home ground of Llandilo Sports Complex. The third matchup of the day will see Arnett Gardens, a Premier League side that narrowly missed out on qualifying for this season’s JPL play-offs, welcome Jamaica Football Championship side Roaring River to the Anthony Spaulding Complex for a 5:00 pm kickoff.
The action will continue on Wednesday with three additional third-round fixtures. Cavalier SC, a top-flight side that reached this season’s JPL final but fell short of the title, will square off against the Jamaica Defence Force at Stadium East, starting at 4:00 pm. A primetime double-header will follow at Drax Hall: first, 2024 JPL semi-finalist Montego Bay United will take on Meadforest FC at 5:30 pm, before another fallen semi-finalist, Mt Pleasant FA, faces off against underdog Lime Hall Academy at 8:00 pm.
For Jamaican football fans, the Popeyes Challenge Cup carries historic weight: it marks the first national cup competition held by the JFF since the Lynx Cup, which was last hosted several seasons ago and won by Portmore United, who defeated current side Cavalier SC in that final.
The tournament’s unique cross-league format brings together teams from across the country’s two tiers. Seven Premier League clubs accepted invitations to compete: Arnett Gardens, Cavalier SC, Montego Bay United, Mt Pleasant FA, Chapleton Maroons, Portmore United, and Molynes United. All 18 teams from the lower-division Jamaica Football Championships were also granted entry, with a portion of those sides already eliminated in the tournament’s opening two rounds.
As the first national knockout competition in years, the Popeyes Challenge Cup gives lower-tier underdogs a rare chance to upset top-flight sides and make a run for national silverware, while giving Premier League teams an opportunity to stay sharp ahead of next season’s campaign.