When the Jamaican and Panamanian women’s teams take the pitch in the Women’s World Cup, they will play for more Concacaf bragging rights than any regional tournament can offer. Should one of the teams come out on top, they could be in a good spot for a historic spot in the round of 16.
Current odds have Jamaica as 56 percent favourites to win the match, with Panama at 18 percent underdogs. There is a 26 percent chance that the game finishes as it begins. The current standings for the two Concacaf squad group have Brazil on top with three points after their 4-nil win over Panama. France and Jamaica are second and third respectively due to their goalless draw. Panama sits last with no points.
Different Paths Lead To Same Destination
Two Concacaf Nations Hoping To Leave Their Mark
PANAMA ARE HEADING TO THE #FIFAWWC 2023! 🇵🇦
Congratulations, @fepafut! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/enuXzbl8Lo
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) February 23, 2023
The Caribbean island nation and the country that straddles Central and Southern America had two separate routes to qualify for this year’s Women’s World Cup. Jamaica finished second in their qualifying group to the United States, and so automatically qualified for the tournament. Panama’s path ended up following a different road.
Finishing third in their qualifying group behind Canada and Costa Rica, Panama were sorted into an intercontinental play-off to determine the final World Cup spot. A 2-nil win against Papua New Guinea and a 1-nil shutout to top Paraguay meant that the nation whose men’s team so memorably played in Russia in 2018 would have their women’s team in the lands down under in 2023.
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The game will take place at the Perth Rectangular Stadium at 8:30 am EST on Friday, July 29th. A win for either club, no matter their final group-stage standings, leaves a permanent mark in their World Cup statistics. It would immortalize the squad that gets the job done as inspiration for the future generations of women’s soccer players in the two tiny but mighty nations.
How A Win Would Be The Biggest Achievement For Either Club
Besides a win meaning that one of these squads will be able to hold it over the other for at least four years, if not forever, a win could put one of them into a very promising spot of joining 15 other teams in the knockout rounds of the biggest competition in women’s soccer.
Another historic meeting ✨⏳
🗓️: Sat, July 29
🆚: Panama
📍: Perth, Australia
🏟: HBF Stadium
🕘: 7:30 am (JA/EST) 8:30 am (ET)
📺: TVJ
.#ReggaeGirlz #FIFAWomensWorldCup #FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness #JFF_Football pic.twitter.com/62M8Job6ix— Official J.F.F (@jff_football) July 27, 2023
Panama – If Panama wins, and Brazil beats France in the other group-stage match, then Panama would leap Jamaica and France into second place, and need only a draw against France in the final group-stage match to advance. Should France beat Brazil, a Panamanian win would leave them in 3rd, level on points with Brazil, but behind on head-to-head record. In short; Panama needs to win this match. A France and Brazil draw would leave Panama behind Brazil by one point, and ahead of France by one.
Jamaica – If Jamaica wins, and France falls to Brazil, then Jamaica would pass France for the #2 spot in the group and need a catastrophic result on the final match-day to not make the round of 16. A France triumph over Brazil would mean that France, depending on the margin of victory, would be on top of the group with Jamaica level on points with them. That would leave Jamaica’s final match against Brazil as a cannot-lose 90 minutes for the team. If France and Brazil draw, then a Jamaica win of 4+ goals could also take Jamaica to the top position in the group.
Draw – A draw benefits no one, except for likely France and Brazil. Jamaica and Panama need to win their second match in order to accomplish what they are aiming for. The aim is to inspire the next young generation of female soccer players to pursue their dreams no matter the obstacles. The aim is to obtain an air of superiority over their continental opponents that can never be taken away. Their aim is to make the knockout rounds and play a Group H team that maybe, just maybe, they could beat, and enshrine their run in the higher ranks of Concacaf World Cup runs.
Photo Credit: Lewis Gettier/isiphotos.com, of a Havana Solaun Headshot, on April 10, 2021.
