KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s quest to secure a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will commence with a high-stakes match against New Caledonia of the Oceana Confederation. This pivotal encounter is part of Path 1 in the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs, scheduled to take place in Mexico in March 2026. The match-ups for the six-team playoff were finalized following Thursday’s draw, which concluded the main qualifying schedule for the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Should Jamaica triumph over New Caledonia, a French territory in the southwest Pacific, they will advance to face the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the seeded team, in the final playoff match for a coveted World Cup spot. The fixtures are set to be held in either Monterrey or Guadalajara during the March 2026 FIFA international window. Jamaica, along with the other five teams in the playoffs, earned this second chance after failing to secure automatic qualification. The Reggae Boyz narrowly missed out, finishing second to Curacao in their Concacaf Group B following a 0-0 draw in Kingston on Tuesday. The playoffs will feature single-leg knockout matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts employed if necessary to determine the winner. In a parallel playoff path, Suriname, another Concacaf team, will face Bolivia from South America, with the winner advancing to challenge Iraq, the other seeded team.