Girlz in group of death - Blaine optimistic despite tough Concacaf Women’s Championship draw

National senior women's football team head coach Vin Blaine says the Reggae Girlz will need to rely on experience to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Jamaica were drawn in Group A of the Concacaf Women's Championship with World Champions the United States of America, hosts Mexico, and Caribbean neighbours Haiti yesterday.

Olympic champions Canada have been drawn with Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in Group B.

The competition, which takes place in July, also serves as a qualifier for the World Cup which takes place in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Jamaica qualified for the final round, finishing atop their first-round group with four straight wins. With the added prospect of facing Mexico in their own backyard, Blaine said that it has made their challenge difficult but not impossible.

"It's a matter of us now, looking at what Mexico has to offer and to see how we can counter and play our best game on the day," Blaine told STAR Sports. "Football is not a sport where you can say definitely this is going to happen.

"I think we have the players that can perform, players with experience. Some have gone to the World Cup already. We have to go out there and perform at our optimum and come out with a win. That's it.

"It is not a matter of preparing [for a specific scenario], we have to prepare for all the teams. Every single team in that group is a top team and has always been a top team. So it comes down to what we can deliver on the day, what the results of the other games will be. That is how we approach the games going forward."

Blaine says that plans are already in the works for training camps and practice games to happen, seeing them as critical to give him more time with the team and the best chance possible for success.

The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the third place team will contest a continental playoff. The Concacaf Women's Championship is also being used as a qualifier for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.