Jamaica vs Guatemala

Jamaica and Guatemala Set for Gold Cup Clash in Group C Showdown

The final match of Monday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup action pits Jamaica against Guatemala in a Group C battle at the Dignity Health Tennis Center.

The Reggae Boyz head into this tournament with plenty of confidence after a dominant 3-0 win over Guatemala in World Cup qualifying just days ago—a result that sealed their place atop their qualifying group.

Jamaica has been in fine form lately, cruising through the second round of World Cup qualifying with a perfect 4-0 record. They enter the Gold Cup on a two-game winning streak, with their defense looking rock-solid—no goals conceded in those matches.

Since a 4-2 loss to the U.S. last November, the Reggae Boyz have gone unbeaten in their last seven CONCACAF matches, dropping points only twice. Their Gold Cup track record is equally impressive—they’ve advanced past the group stage in each of the last five editions and haven’t lost an opening group match since 2009 (a 1-0 defeat to Canada in the same venue as Monday’s game).

Their history against Guatemala in this tournament is particularly strong—five wins in six meetings, including a narrow 1-0 victory in the 2023 Gold Cup.

Guatemala, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after Tuesday’s heavy defeat. Despite that setback, they’ve been in decent form, having gone unbeaten in their previous three matches (with two wins) before the loss to Jamaica.

Defensively, Los Chapines haven’t been as tight as usual this year, conceding in five of their last six games—including three matches where they allowed multiple goals. Another loss here would mark their first back-to-back defeats in over a year.

Still, Guatemala has reason for optimism—they topped their Gold Cup group in 2023 and haven’t lost in their last four group-stage matches in this competition. However, their struggles against Caribbean sides linger—their last consecutive defeats to teams from the region came in late 2023, when they fell to Jamaica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals before a 3-2 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in the Nations League.

With both teams eager to start their campaign on the right foot, this matchup promises plenty of intensity. Will Jamaica continue their Gold Cup dominance over Guatemala, or can Los Chapines pull off an upset?