Jamaica head coach McLaren steps down after Curacao seal WC fairytale

Steve McClaren has resigned as Jamaica's head coach following a goalless draw with Curacao on Tuesday, which dealt a blow to their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in North America.

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The tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday as Haiti booked their return to the tournament for the first time in 52 years along with Panama.

Jamaica needed a win to qualify but hit the woodwork three times in the second half, as Curacao held on for the draw and became the smallest country ever to win a berth at the World Cup finals. Former England coach McClaren’s side finished second in Group B of CONCACAF qualifying, despite being the favourites to qualify.

They can still make it to the 48-team World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US, but they will have to go through an inter-confederation playoff tournament in March, where they will come up against the likes of Iraq and DR Congo.

“Leading this team has been one of the greatest honours of my career. But football is a results business and tonight we have fallen short of our goal, which was to qualify from this group,” McClaren told reporters.