The U.S. men's national team will play its Nov. 16 World Cup qualifier in Kingston, Jamaica, behind closed doors, a government ministry announced Thursday, upsetting the national football federation while offering the Americans a slight boost in their quest to reach Qatar.
Currently in sixth place in the eight-team Concacaf Octagonal, which will send the top three finishers to next year’s World Cup (plus the fourth-place side to a playoff), Jamaica is the only entrant that still hasn’t played in front of its own supporters. On Wednesday, Jamaica’s Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development issued a decision stating that it considered allowing vaccinated fans to attend next month’s qualifier but ultimately concluded that, “given our delicate stage of managing the pandemic, as well as the extensive logistical inputs needed to ensure that only vaccinated persons enter the venue, it was simply not practical to give the green light for public access.