Panama compete in Group Twelve of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Record:
-
Best World Cup finish: Group stage in 2018
-
Best Gold Cup finish: Runners-up in 2013
-
Best Copa América finish: Quarter-finals in 2024
-
Last World Cup appearance: 2018 (group stage)
-
FIFA ranking: 33
-
Nickname: Los Canaleros (a reference to the Panama Canal)
-
Top clubs: Tauro FC, Deportivo Árabe Unido, San Francisco FC
Qualification: The sole Central American survivor, Panama topped their group in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying — unbeaten against Suriname, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Coach: Spanish-Danish Thomas Christiansen (53), former manager of Leeds United and Union Saint-Gilloise, has been in charge of Panama since 2020. Despite failing to qualify for the Qatar World Cup, the federation retained him, and he has since delivered encouraging results — a Gold Cup final in 2023, a CONCACAF Nations League final in 2025, and a Copa América quarter-final in 2024.
Star player: Defender Amir Murillo was for years an indispensable fixture at Marseille under Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi before his role diminished. He rediscovered his best form this winter at Beşiktaş in Turkey. A versatile player capable of operating as a centre-back or in midfield, the 30-year-old is one of Panama's most important players and has earned 91 international caps.
Ambitions: After three defeats in three matches in their first World Cup appearance in 2018, Panama hope to record their first ever World Cup win. The task looks difficult, however, in a group that includes England — who thrashed them 6–1 in Russia — alongside Croatia and Ghana, a side built around players active in the English and French leagues.