Jamaica became the first English-speaking Caribbean nation to qualify for the 2019 FIFIA Women’s World Cup by defeating Panama 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday night to claim third place in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament.
Later, the defending world champions United States defeated Canada 2-0 to retain their CONCACAF title.
Dominique Bond-Fraser scored the winning spot-kick for Jamaica after both teams had battled to a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation and extra time.
Both USA and Canada had already secured their places at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in France, with third-placed team also earning a spot in the prestigious competition.
In so doing, the Reggae Girls, who are ranked No 64 in the world, became the first Caribbean team to earn a spot in the World Cup.
Jamaica re-started its women’s national team program in 2014 after a six-year hiatus.
