Jamaica edges dramatic playoff, now faces DR Congo for World Cup spot

New Caledonia had full backing from the Guadalajara crowd in Mexico. The energy from the stands pushed a team that had already achieved a dream just by being there to its limit. They surged forward to chants of “sí se puede” in the closing minutes… but it wasn’t enough. Jamaica held on for a 1-0 win in the playoff at Estadio Guadalajara and will face DR Congo on Tuesday for a spot at the 2026 World Cup.

From kickoff, the fans in the “Pearl of the West” made their preference clear. “Olés” rang out, along with chants of “Caledonia, Caledonia.” The first real moment came in the 4th minute, when Angelo Fulgini rose in the box to meet a cross from the left, only to send his header over the bar. The underdogs had let an early chance slip.

But Jamaica’s experience began to show. In the 6th minute, Ronaldo Webster fired a powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the area that the goalkeeper handled. Soon after, Richard King got into the box and sent a ball just wide, with no one able to get a touch. Jamaica was already asserting control and creating chances.

The breakthrough came from a set piece. Webster stepped up for a free kick and struck it low and hard. The goalkeeper made the initial save but couldn’t hold on. Bailey Cadamarteri reacted first, tapping in the rebound for a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute.

New Caledonia struggled to create chances but came close to a spectacular equalizer in the 31st minute. From deep in his own half, Joseph Átele spotted the goalkeeper off his line and tried his luck. The long-range effort cleared the keeper but sailed inches over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, New Caledonian Georges Gope-Fenepej stole the ball from the last defender and had a clear path to goal. Instead of driving forward, he opted for a long-range shot. The goalkeeper recovered in time to make the save, and even his teammates questioned the decision. It felt like a wasted opportunity.

Jamaica responded in the 38th minute when Cadamarteri broke into the box from the right and hit a low, angled shot. This time, the goalkeeper held firm without spilling. Jamaica went into halftime ahead, while New Caledonia clung to hope as long as the deficit remained just one goal.

Early in the second half, Gope-Fenepej found space again in the box but hesitated. He neither controlled nor shot, and the ball ran out of play in the 47th minute. The chance to level the score was gone.

Jamaica then pushed to put the game away. In the 53rd minute, Bobby De Cordova-Reid delivered a curling corner that nearly went straight in, but the goalkeeper tipped it away. Ten minutes later, De Cordova-Reid had another chance from close range but sent his shot wide.

He had a third opportunity in the 74th minute, meeting a cross from the right unmarked in the box. He had time to set himself but headed wide again. Jamaica kept missing chances, and New Caledonia stayed alive.

New Caledonia’s keep fighting

In the final minutes, New Caledonia threw everything forward. The crowd never stopped backing them. In the 87th minute, Wakua Waia cut in from the left and unleashed a powerful shot that forced a save at the near post.

By then, the stadium was electric. “Sí se puede” echoed throughout. The Oceanian side had won over the Guadalajara crowd, but the effort fell short. After six minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle confirmed it: Jamaica survives and will play for a place at the 2026 World Cup against DR Congo, again at Estadio Guadalajara.

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