The Cayman Islands Women’s Under-17 National Team officially departed Friday, 23 Jan., to begin their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification campaign.
Kicking off their campaign in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Qualifiers, the squad is set to compete in Willemstad, Curaçao, at the FFK Stadium from 25 Jan. to 2 Feb.
Drawn into Group C, the Caymanian ladies will face off against Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, and St. Lucia in a single round-robin format that serves as the opening phase of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco this November.
Cayman heads into the competition ranked 18th in the latest Concacaf Women’s Under-17 standings.
Within Group C, Haiti holds the top spot at seventh, while Guatemala starts the tournament ranked 16th, followed by St. Lucia at 29th and Antigua and Barbuda at 30th.
Cayman’s path through group play begins on Sunday, 25 Jan., with a 3pm opening match against Guatemala.
Following a few days of preparation, they will return to the field on Thursday, 29 Jan. to take on Antigua and Barbuda at 6pm.
The schedule intensifies as they face Haiti on Saturday, 31 Jan. at 6pm, before concluding their group stage play against St. Lucia on Monday, 2 Feb. at 3pm.
Only the group winners and the best-performing runners-up will advance to the final stage of qualification.
Coach and player’s feedback
Head coach, Michael Johnson, said in a Cayman Islands Football Association, “Many of the players on the team already have senior caps. It’s massive for us as a small nation. Now they get to play with their age group, which is always better.”
Defender Tessa Clark, who made her women’s senior team debut in November versus Bermuda, said in the release, “I’m really excited for this tournament, I think we’re doing to do great. I think we have to work as a team and play to our advantages. For us, like we’ve said, all of us have been playing with each other for years and we have really good team chemistry.”
“I feel like we have a really good opportunity in that we can show what we’ve been training for,” said forward Jada Dixon-Lam, who also made her senior national team debut in November.
The 21-player contingent comprises of Bella Persaud, Sashka Parker, Imogen Smailes, Alaisha Williams, Renee Wambugu, Hayleigh Solomon, Tessa Clark, Casey Coles, Reese Bateson, Cosabella Windsor, Jada Dixon-Lam, Olivia Ridley, Marley Rando, Lena Price, Stephanie Richards, Yasmin Elliot, Abigail Proud, Matilda Lomas, Kezia Parchmont, Shardaye Powell, and Clara De Quintal.
