Jamaicans celebrate Reggae Girlz and their women’s World Cup success

For the Jamaican women’s soccer team, even making it to the World Cup was a battle — they crowdfunded from friends and fans. And the players faced a daunting task: At their World Cup debut in 2019, the Reggae Girlz lost all three matches and went home.

Then, in a game that sent fans jumping out of their seats in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday, Jamaica’s national team took soccer superpower Brazil out of the running, reaching the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in the island nation’s history.