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Speid likens DRC clash against Jamaica to David vs Goliath
March 31, 2026
Reggae Boyz head coach Rudolph Speid said it will be David versus Goliath, when Jamaica go up against the.more fancied Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Final at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, in Mexico, today at 4 p.m.
Speid pointed out that despite the quality of the Africans, the Reggae Boyz are ready to give it their best shot.
"David versus Goliath is my favourite bible story. It doesn't matter, rain or shine, we know what we have to do and we are going to do our best. We have an idea about the Congo team. I did travel to the African Nations Cup to watch them play," he said.
"They have been very active over the past two years and have done extremely well. So we know the quality they bring and we know what their expectations are," Speid added.
"We have our expectations too and we understand what we have to do and we will have to deal with it."
He pointed out that football is not played on paper and that the Jamaican players fully understand what is at stake.
"When you play a football game you have three results; a win, lose or a draw. We understand all three and I think it makes us more dangerous, because we understand what might happen and we know that the prize is the World Cup and that is what we are aiming for too," he continued.
He noted that the DRC has very good structures, both in defence and attack, strong players, professional players, noting they have done extremely well over the last two years.
"They have beaten some good teams along the way, but as you know if ranking and strength of teams gave you wins, then none of us would be here. The game has to be played and that is what we are looking forward to," he said.
He added that everyone in the Jamaica camp understands the importance of today's match.
"At this particular time it's the most important game that we are playing. Remember we had gone through a World Cup before, so I am assuming that that game to qualify us to the World Cup was most important too. But at this particular time, this is the most important game right now and Jamaica is expectant and we want to give them something to smile about," said Speid.
"The players, coaches, staff, everyone knows that this is a game of importance, not only for the country but for ourselves, personal pride and what they would like to achieve in their careers. So they're aware of the stakes and I think they will give their best," he added.
It has been 52 years since the Congo qualified for a World Cup and coach Sebastien Desabre stated that: "We're really fired up. We're still on course to meet our main objective. That's the goal we set ourselves when I took this job three-and-a-half years ago.
"This final will be our 13th match since our qualifying campaign began. We're lucky enough to have talented players who ply their trade at top clubs.
"Above all, everyone has really bought into the project we've been building together. Everyone is pulling in the same direction to achieve a common goal," he said.
The Congolese team had 10 players born in France, five in Belgium, two in Switzerland and one in England, and they currently possess English Premier League stars such as West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa.
The winner of the match will compete in Group K at the World Cup, kicking off against Portugal in Houston on June 17, then Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23 and Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 27.
