Eight years after hearing their national anthem on football’s grandest stage for the first time, Panama will have the chance to relive that surge of national pride at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Having navigated a challenging qualification campaign, they return to the tournament as Central America’s highest ranked side, ready to test themselves against some of the world’s best nations.
In the words of head coach Thomas Christiansen, Panama are determined to go toe-to-toe with their more illustrious opponents and firmly put the country on the map as a regional football power.
Here’s all to know about Panama before the tournament kickoff on June 11:
Panama underwent two rounds of qualifying to punch their ticket to the World Cup.
Their journey began in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying when they topped their group with a perfect record, beating Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat and Belize. During this run, Panama scored 10 goals and conceded just one.
The next round posed a greater challenge. Drawn alongside Suriname, Guatemala and El Salvador, Panama had just six points after four match days but found their stride when it mattered most, posting a 3-2 win at Guatemala before a 3-0 triumph against El Salvador.
The victory over El Salvador on the final match day on November 18 moved Panama above Suriname in the standings, thereby securing their spot at the world’s biggest football tournament.
Panama made their World Cup debut at the 2018 edition in Russia, finishing bottom of their group after defeats to eventual semifinalists Belgium and England as well as Tunisia.
However, their campaign was best remembered for Felipe Baloy’s historic strike against the Three Lions: Panama’s first and so far only World Cup goal.
Since then, Panama have emerged as the top-ranked team in Central America, marked by their impressive runs to the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup final and 2025 Nations League final.
Panama, one of the six CONCACAF representatives at the World Cup, are ranked 33rd.
Panama are drawn in Group L, considered by many commentators to be the second most difficult behind Group I. They will compete to advance to the knock-out rounds against former champions and pretournament favourites England, last edition’s third-place finishers Croatia and African heavyweights Ghana.
Los Canaleros, which translates as “The Canal Men” in reference to the Panama Canal, will play two of their group matches in Canada and one in the United States.
Panama’s World Cup group stage matches:
Christiansen has been in charge of Panama since 2020, making him the national team’s longest-serving coach. Under him, Panama reached the semifinals in the 2023 and 2024 Nations League and the final of the 2023 Gold Cup and 2025 Nations League.
Before this role, Christiansen held coaching positions across the world – from the United Arab Emirates to Cyprus – including spells with Leeds United in England’s second tier and Union SG in Belgium’s second division.
After having watched World Cups from the stands, Christiansen will step into the 2026 edition as a coach for the first time.
“I might have to pinch myself. It’ll be an incredible moment – a dream come true,” he told FIFA in an interview.
“It’ll be really special to hear Panama’s national anthem and an honour, as a coach, to represent the country I love so dearly at the highest level.”
Born in Denmark to a Spanish mother, Christiansen represented Spain in its under-21 team and the senior side during his playing career. He also plied his trade at clubs in Denmark, Spain and Germany, including a top-scoring campaign in the Bundesliga in 2002-2003.
Experienced forward Jose Fajardo and winger Puma were Panama’s joint top scorers during the qualification phase with three goals each while striker Cecilio Waterman bagged two.
The dynamic duo of Fajardo and Waterman is particularly impactful as they combined for four goals in the final qualifying round while Adalberto Carrasquilla ensured Panama maintained their shape in central midfield.
Talented youngster Carlos Harvey has flourished under coach Christiansen’s set-up while veterans Anibal Godoy and Amir Murillo too are key to Panama’s success.
Panama played two friendlies in late March against World Cup-bound South Africa, drawing the first match 1-1 in Durban before winning 2-1 in Cape Town.
They will play one of the pretournament favourites Brazil in a friendly in Rio de Janeiro on May 31, about two and a half weeks before their World Cup campaign starts.
Christiansen has described their group as “interesting”, adding that Panama will draw confidence from past victories against big name teams like the United States as they aim to replicate that success against Ghana, Croatia and England at the tournament.
“We’re keen for our fans to feel proud of the team. Scoring a consolation goal should no longer be a reason for Panamanians to celebrate,” he said.
“It’s time for us to up our game.”
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-ups and live text commentaries and keep up to date with group standings and real-time match results and schedules.
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