Steve Bruce has been revealed as a leading contender to become the next Jamaica head coach. He is among a shortlist of four names being earmarked by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to lead the Boyz into the next World Cup finals.
The 63-year-old former English Premier League manager was last in charge at West Bromwich Albion, but he was given the boot by the Championship club in October 2022.
The ex-Manchester United defender has never managed at the international level but has been in charge at 11 different clubs in England and amassed over a thousand matches. His CV includes being head coach with Aston Villa and Newcastle.
Jamaica have been without a coach since Icelander Heimir Hallgrímsson resigned last month following a poor Copa America 2024 campaign and promptly took over the Republic of Ireland hot seat.
With over 30 serious applications received by the JFF, which included ex-Manchester United players Ole Solsjaer (Norway international) and Dwight Yorke (Trinidad & Tobago), there has been a gradual process to narrow it down.
JFF president Michael Ricketts, who is not part of the selection process, has publicly expressed that he personally prefers to have an England-based head coach as Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz prepare to tackle the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. There were murmurs that former West Ham United boss David Moyes could be a surprise appointment, although that appears to have only been rumours.
Whoever takes over the role will be expected to guide the Boyz to the next World Cup finals, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
These three nations are Jamaica’s biggest rivals in the CONCACAF region. As they have been given automatic berths for football’s biggest competition, the Boyz are expected to breeze into the World Cup finals for only the second time in their history.
The other names believed to be on JFF’s shortlist are Deon Burton, Miguel Coley and Jose Peseiro.
British-born Burton is the U23 coach of West Bromwich Albion. The 47-year-old won the 1997 Jamaican Sportsman of the Year award after bagging four goals in five games during the Boyz’ successful 1998 World Cup qualifiers. He played in all three games at France ‘98 but failed to find the back of the net.
Jamaican Coley, 41, has served as assistant manager and U23 head coach with the Boyz. He has recently been in the UAE with various clubs.
The standout name being touted is former striker Peseiro. The 64-year-old Portuguese has managed at international level with Saudi Arabia (2009-11), Venezuela (2020-21) and Nigeria (2022-24).
Peseiro was given the boot by Saudi Arabia, left Venezuela because he had not been paid for over a year and quit Nigeria in March following 22 successful months. He guided Nigeria to the 2023 African Cup of Nations final, where they lost 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast, and was awarded the Order of the Niger by President Bola Tinubu for his achievements.
The JFF Technical Committee is anticipated to decide on one candidate this week, with an announcement expected as early as August 1 to reveal the new Jamaica head coach. The next game for the Boyz is the Nations League tie against Cuba at the National Stadium in Kingston.