- The Reggae Boyz make their tournament debut against Mexico on June 22 in Houston, Texas.
- Michail Antonio, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Shamar Nicholson are the main names that could appear for the Reggae Boyz.
Jamaica arrives at the CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™ ready to take an important step in its third attempt in the tournament. With Heimir Hallgrímsson at the helm of a team of internationally proven players, the Reggae Boyz will be eager to show what they can do on American soil.
Jamaica makes its debut in the world's oldest national team tournament against Mexico on June 22 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Then, they will face Venezuela and Ecuador to close Group B.
There are still tickets available to follow the Jamaican national team in this CONMEBOL Copa América™.
Here are some of the standout players from the Jamaican national team:
Michail Antonio
Strong, fast and a prolific goalscorer, Michail Antonio shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon at the age of 34. Born in London to Jamaican parents, the striker began his career at smaller clubs before moving to Southampton and later Sheffield Wednesday. He maintained his great goalscoring pace when he signed for Nottingham Forest in 2014, and the following year he moved to West Ham United, back in his hometown of London.
With the Hammers, Antonio was a key player in the London club's rise to challenge the Premier League giants. He is a starter and one of the fans' favorites, with more than 80 goals in 300 games in the claret-and-blue shirt he has worn for almost a decade. He is coming off a recent UEFA Conference League win in 2022/23, one of West Ham's only trophies at a continental level, scoring six goals and finishing second in the tournament golden boot race.
Jamaica invited him to join the set-up, and Michail Antonio went on to represent the national team thanks to his family's history in 2021. He’s scored three goals in 15 games so far, including an appearance in the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2023. The CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ will be only his second major tournament with the Reggae Boyz.
Shamar Nicholson
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, on March 1997, Nicholson promises to be one of the leaders of the next generation of the Reggae Boyz. With 16 goals scored in 47 games, the striker is already among the top scorers in his country's history and could eventually surpass Luton Shelton's mark of 35 goals.
Currently at Spartak Moscow in Russia, and on loan at Clermont in France last season, Shamar Nicholson started in Jamaican football with Boys' Town in the capital before moving to European football: first with Domzale, in Slovenia (2017) and then with Charleroi, in Belgium (2019). He has been a player for the Russian capital club since 2021, where he won the Russian Cup title that same season.
Standing at 6’4”, Nicholson is a striker with good aerial ability, good finishing and knows how to hold the ball for the arrival of his teammates. He is no stranger to major tournaments after leading Jamaica to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2017, his first year with the national team.
Bobby Decordova-Reid
Bobby Armani Decordova-Reid was born in Bristol, England, on February 2, 1993 and, like Antonio, was also brought to the Jamaican National Team by family ties. He plays mainly as a midfielder on the outside although he is also used as a central midfielder on some occasions; he is key to his teams’ offensive creation.
The 31-year-old came through his hometown club of Bristol City before spells at Cheltenham Town, Oldham and Plymouth Argyle. In 2018, he finished as the third highest scorer in the Championship (Second division of England) with 19 goals scored, which led Cardiff City to secure his signing. He joined Fulham a year later, and has been one of the London club's most important players ever since. With Decordova-Reid's contribution, the Cottagers won the Championship play-offs in 2020 and won the Championship title in 2021/22.
Meanwhile, Decordova-Reid made his debut for the Jamaican national team in 2019, with 30 appearances and 6 goals scored for the country so far. With the experience of two editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup (2021 and 2023), it will have its first CONMEBOL Copa América™ in 2024.
