Panama are a country of about four million people. They have qualified for the World Cup exactly twice in their history. They lost all three games at their first attempt in Russia in 2018, scored two goals in the whole tournament, and were beaten 6-1 by England in one of the more one-sided afternoons of that tournament. By every measurable benchmark, Los Canaleros should arrive in North America as the quietest team in Group L.
And yet there is something about this Panama side that is genuinely interesting. Under Thomas Christiansen, a manager who played for Barcelona in the Johan Cruyff era, they have become the best team in Central America. They reached the 2023 Gold Cup final. They reached the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League final. They qualified for this World Cup with a perfect unbeaten record in the Final Round, winning three, drawing three. They did all of this while the football world looked the other way. Now they have England, Croatia, and Ghana in their group, a chance to compete on the biggest stage, and a nation desperate to see them finally win a game at a World Cup.
World Cup History: One Tournament, Three Defeats, and One Moment Nobody Forgot
Before 2018, Panama had failed to qualify for the World Cup ten times. Ten campaigns. A century of heartbreak in a country that loves football the way Central Americans always have. Then, in October 2017, Roman Torres scored a 88th-minute winner against Costa Rica to send Panama to the World Cup for the first time in their history. The scenes in Panama City that evening were extraordinary. People poured into the streets. There were tears. There were fireworks. A country that had waited so long finally had its moment.
Russia 2018 was tough. Panama were drawn in Group G alongside England, Belgium, and Tunisia. The opening defeat was a 3-0 loss to Belgium. Then came England, and a 6-1 hammering that left no illusions about the gap between Los Canaleros and European football’s top tier. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. John Stones scored twice. Panama conceded five in the first half alone.
But at 6-0, something happened that every Panamanian carries in their heart. Veteran defender Felipe Baloy, 37 years old and a substitute, met a free kick from Ricardo Avila and slid the ball home in the 78th minute. Panama’s first ever World Cup goal. The Panamanian fans inside the stadium erupted. Baloy ran toward them with his arms spread wide, and for a few seconds, none of the scoreline mattered. The final defeat to Tunisia 2-1 sent them home, but they left Russia with their heads up and a goal to remember forever.
There is one more layer to that 2018 story. The man who was most associated with Panama’s qualifying journey for that tournament, all-time leading scorer Luis “El Matador” Tejada, passed away on January 28, 2024, aged 41, after suffering a heart attack during a veterans’ match in San Miguelito. He scored 43 goals in 108 international appearances. He was there when Panama reached their first World Cup, and he will be a ghost at this one too, honoured by every Panamanian who watches.
Road to 2026: Unbeaten, Resilient, and Historically Good
Panama were drawn into the third and final round of CONCACAF qualifying alongside El Salvador, Guatemala, and Suriname in Group A. Three direct World Cup places were available across three groups of four teams. Panama needed to finish first.
They did it without losing a single match across six games. The campaign began with two draws in September, a goalless stalemate in Suriname and a 1-1 draw at home against Guatemala. Tight but not alarming. Then in October came the result that changed the tone completely. Panama traveled to El Salvador and won 1-0 in what was their first ever victory on Salvadoran soil in World Cup qualifying. Historic in the most literal sense.
November sealed it. Panama beat Guatemala 3-2 in Guatemala City, their first ever win on Guatemalan soil, before closing the campaign with a commanding 3-0 home victory over El Salvador. César Blackman scored the opener in the 17th minute, Éric Davis converted a penalty before half-time, and José Luis Rodríguez added a third late on. Final group record: three wins, three draws, first place.
José Fajardo and José Luis Rodríguez led the team with three qualifying goals each, while right-back Amir Murillo was the campaign’s standout creator with three assists. Panama did not just qualify. They did it with composure, consistency, and an identity that Christiansen had spent five years building.
Best Qualifier Moment: Making History in El Salvador
October 2025. Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador. For all the times Panama had tried and failed in El Salvador, this was the night they finally did it. The match was tense, absorbing, and decided by a single goal. Panama held their shape, defended with discipline, and took their chance when it came. One goal. Clean sheet. Three points. First ever qualifying win on that turf.
It was not a beautiful result. It was not a hat-trick or a comeback from two goals down. It was exactly the kind of win that tells you something real about a team’s character. Panama knew what they needed, knew where they were, and went and got it without fuss. Christiansen spoke afterward about what the win meant historically, and the players celebrated like they had won a tournament. In many ways, for a country that has spent decades trying to qualify, it was just as significant.
The Players Who Can Cause Problems
Amir Murillo is the most recognisable name in this squad at the highest European level. The right-back, now at Besiktas after several years at Marseille, has been one of the most consistent performers in Panama’s setup for nearly a decade. He defends hard, gets forward with quality, and was the most creative player in the qualifying campaign with three assists. Over 90 international appearances, Murillo is the kind of experienced, professional player who raises the level of everyone around him.
Anibal Godoy is Panama’s captain and the engine of the team. The defensive midfielder has over 150 caps for his country, making him by far the most capped player in Panama’s history. He has spent most of his club career in MLS, most recently with San Diego FC, and brings a level of leadership and tactical intelligence that is the foundation of everything Christiansen builds. He was 35 going into this tournament and could well be playing his last game of major international football. You can expect him to give absolutely everything.
Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla is the most technically gifted player in the squad. The Pumas UNAM midfielder won the 2023 Gold Cup Best Player award, which should tell you everything about his ceiling. He can pick a pass, drive forward from midfield, and produce moments of real quality in tight spaces. If Panama are going to cause an upset, Carrasquilla will almost certainly have something to do with it.
Up front, José Fajardo and Cecilio Waterman carry the attacking threat. Fajardo’s three qualifying goals and willingness to run beyond defences give Panama a direct threat, while Waterman offers physicality and hold-up play. Neither will frighten England or Croatia on paper. But neither is a passenger either.
Manager Profile: The Barcelona Player Who Rebuilt Central America’s Quiet Giant
Thomas Christiansen is one of the more fascinating coaching stories in international football. Born in Hadsund, Denmark, to a Danish father and a Spanish mother, he was raised in Copenhagen before moving to Spain and signing for Barcelona under Johan Cruyff in 1991. He represented the Spanish national team twice, becoming the first player to earn a senior Spain cap while still playing for a club’s B team. His best years as a player came in Germany, where he was the joint top scorer in the 2002-03 Bundesliga season while at VfL Bochum, finishing level with Giovane Elber.
He began his coaching career in Cyprus, winning the league title with APOEL during the 2016-17 season before a move to Leeds United in the Championship that lasted just eight months. A brief spell at Union SG in Belgium followed before Panama came calling in July 2020. Nobody expected much from the appointment. Five years later, Christiansen has transformed Panama into CONCACAF’s most improved team and guided them to a second World Cup.
His approach is rooted in the positional play principles he absorbed at Barcelona, adapted pragmatically to the realities of coaching a nation with limited resources. He is organised, possession-oriented when the circumstances allow, and has built a culture that rewards experience and defensive discipline. A Gold Cup runner-up finish in 2023, a Nations League final in 2025, and now a World Cup qualification record without a single defeat. The results speak clearly. You can see how Panama’s rise fits into the broader tournament picture in Sports Guide’s World Cup 2026 power rankings.
Tournament Expectations: Can They Finally Win a World Cup Game?
The honest answer to that question is: possibly, against Ghana. England and Croatia represent enormous mountains for a team of Panama’s quality, but the opening game against the Black Stars in Toronto is the one that defines the group stage for Los Canaleros. Win it and they are alive until the final game. Lose it and the pressure becomes enormous. Ghana’s World Cup 2026 squad has genuine Premier League quality in Kudus and Semenyo, but it also comes into the tournament without a settled manager after the sacking of Otto Addo just 72 days before the opening whistle. Panama have been together under Christiansen for five years. That kind of stability has value.
Against Croatia, Panama will need everything to go right. Croatia’s World Cup 2026 build-up features a squad in transition, but they still have experience and a winning culture from 2018. Panama’s best hope against them is a defensive, disciplined performance and hoping for a moment of set-piece magic or a breakaway goal from Fajardo.
The England game last in the group is likely the one where Panama will already know their fate. If they need something from it, they will face England’s World Cup 2026 team in full knowledge of the 2018 score. That day, they were outclassed. This England under Tuchel are arguably better. But Panama are better too, and the expanded format means that even finishing third with a competitive point total could be enough to advance as one of the eight best third-place teams.
Qualifying from the group seems unlikely. But Panama competing in every match, making their opponents work, and giving their fans something to be proud of? That seems not just possible but probable. In a tournament this large, with this many games, teams like Panama are exactly the kind of side that can spring a surprise when the moment is right.
World Cup 2026 Group Stage: Three Tests, One Mission
Here is Panama’s complete group stage schedule:
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 17, 2026 | Ghana | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 7:00 PM |
| 2 | June 23, 2026 | Croatia | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 7:00 PM |
| 3 | June 27, 2026 | England | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey | 5:00 PM |
Both the Ghana and Croatia games are in Toronto, which gives Panama a consistent environment for the first two matches and the chance to build some momentum before the final group game. Playing England last, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, could actually work in their favour if the pressure is off and they can attack with freedom.
Prediction: Third Place, but Not Without a Fight
Panama will finish third in Group L. Finishing as one of the eight best third-place teams and sneaking into the knockout round would require results going their way elsewhere, and that is too much to predict confidently. But third place in this group is absolutely achievable and should be the realistic target.
What Panama should aim for above all else is their first ever World Cup point, and their first ever World Cup win. Eight years after Baloy’s goal in Nizhny Novgorod gave a nation something to celebrate inside a 6-1 defeat, this generation has the chance to be remembered for something better. For the country that built the canal that connects two oceans, making a meaningful connection with the world’s most-watched tournament would mean everything.
The ghost of Tejada will be watching. Panama will play for him.
