FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Arsenal - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - May 12, 2024 Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
(Reuters) - Steve McClaren was hired as head coach of Jamaica's men's national soccer team on Wednesday, the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) said.
The former England national team and Premier League manager joins the "Reggae Boyz" after head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson abruptly resigned last month following Jamaica's poor showing at the Copa America tournament.
McClaren, most recently an assistant coach with Manchester United FC, was signed to a two-year deal with a goal to guide Jamaica toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, the JFF said.
"I had no hesitation in accepting a position that is ideally suited to me at this stage of my career," said McClaren, who had worked with Jamaica as a FIFA Global Eco Analysis project technical advisor.
"I quickly came to realize the potential that the country possessed. In the years since, that potential has grown significantly and there is every reason to believe that with continued hard work and development a bright future lies ahead."
Jamaica's chances to qualify for the 2026 World Cup have improved with FIFA's expansion of the tournament to 48 teams rather than 32, with three automatic qualifying places available to CONCACAF nations.
The Reggae Boyz will next face Cuba in a 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League match on Sept. 6 at the National Stadium in Kingston.
(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Stephen Coates)
