McClaren resigns after Jamaica miss out on World Cup

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica coach Steve McClaren resigned on Tuesday after the Reggae Boyz failed to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

McClaren, who took over as Jamaica boss in July last year, announced his decision shortly after his team were held to a 0-0 draw by Curacao in their final qualifier. Jamaica needed to win the game at Kingston’s National Stadium to qualify for the World Cup, but instead could only watch as tiny Curacao held on to advance to the tournament instead.

It was another bitter qualification flop for McClaren, who also famously failed to take a star-studded England team to the 2008 European Championship. “I have given everything I have to this job, to this role,” McClaren said in a statement at the start of Tuesday’s post-game press conference.