The name Romario is synonymous with the FIFA World Cup™ in the United States. The legendary striker was one of the key figures at USA 1994 and formed a lethal partnership with Bebeto to inspire Brazil to global glory.
Now Jamaica forward Romario Williams — who was named after the Seleção icon by his football-obsessed father when he was born in August 1994 — is looking to emulate his illustrious namesake by playing a starring role for the Reggae Boyz at next year’s World Cup back on American soil.
The 31-year-old, who plays for USL Championship team Indy Eleven, has been part of the Jamaica set-up since 2016 and helped his country reach the Concacaf Gold Cup final the following year. In a roster loaded with attacking talent, Williams offers valuable experience as well as nous to his squad’s World Cup ambitions.
With regional rivals Canada, Mexico and the USA given automatic berths at FIFA World Cup 26™ as co-hosts, Jamaica are determined to make the most of the unique qualifying situation and claim a berth at the global showpiece for the first time since France 1998.
After rolling through the second round of Concacaf qualifying with four wins out of four, Steve McClaren’s men are considered the favourites to top their table in the final group stage. They have been paired with Bermuda, Curaçao and Trinidad and Tobago in Group B.
In the final round of Concacaf qualifying, teams will play two matches each in the September, October and November windows. Winners of the three groups will earn a place in the World Cup, while the two best-finishing runners-up progress to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Jamaica are taking nothing for granted in their upcoming qualifying campaign after failing to make it to the knockout stages of the 2025 Gold Cup. But the Caribbean nation are quietly confident of emulating the achievements of Robbie Earle, Frank Sinclair, Marcus Gayle and Deon Burton and reaching the World Cup once again.
Ahead of Jamaica’s trip to Bermuda on 5 September, FIFA spoke to Williams about being named after Romario, his football idols, McClaren’s impact as head coach, and the expectations on the Reggae Boyz to punch their ticket to the global showpiece.
Romario Williams: I was born in 1994, right after that World Cup ended in the US. My dad is a huge Brazil fan and Romario was his favourite player. With (my parents) expecting, he thought it fitting to give me that name.
For me, I modelled my game and emulated it after different players. The guy who made me fall in love with the game was Ronaldinho during his time at Barca. As an Arsenal-Brazil fan, two of the strikers who I tried to also emulate were Thierry Henry and Ronaldo (Nazario). As they transitioned, then came the new generation like Karim Benzema and Roberto Firmino who I really admired.
That would be great. We have a talented group and it’s not an easy team to get into. But to be a part of the group with a chance to do something special… that would be a huge accomplishment not just for me personally but more so for my family. Another World Cup in the US and another Romario… that would be great.
It has to be now. This is probably the best opportunity we’ve had in years and is the best chance we’ll have given the current structure of the World Cup, with 48 teams and three of our rivals already through in the US, Mexico and Canada. With that being said, it is not going to be that easy as the other teams will be telling themselves the same thing. We know what is at stake and we know the importance of each and every game.
We’re not overlooking any opponents as we know it is going to be tough. But we also feel that the time is now and this is our opportunity. It’s on us as players to make the nation proud. People are expecting results and that is the business that we are in. It’s not going to be easy but we fancy ourselves against anyone, regardless of the venue. We have to go in with that mindset and put our best foot forward.
Obviously, he is very experienced and has a lot of knowledge. Plus he also has a sense of camaraderie, he tries to make it a fun, family-type of environment. He tries to instil confidence within the group and let players play with a sense of freedom, especially the attacking guys, allowing them to be brave and courageous. He has brought a lot to the group. We’ve done well so far this year and there is a lot to do, but his experience, along with his staff and what they have brought, has been good.
It’s been great. We have a great group of players and a great coaching staff who have helped my game, in the sense of allowing me to be myself and put myself in position to be successful and score goals. My team-mates do a good job putting me in spots to be successful and it’s just up to me to execute as one of the strikers of the team. I’m very happy here and we’re in a good spot. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going until the end of the season.
