Panama Fifa Ranking moved with purpose last November when Panama sealed a place at the 2026 World Cup with a 3-0 win over El Salvador. The result sent Thomas Christiansen’s side to their second World Cup after topping their Concacaf qualifying group and doing it with a defense that allowed only four goals in the final phase.
That run left Panama with a clear road into the tournament and a sharper profile than the team that reached Russia 2018. Christiansen has been in charge since 2020, and his squad is now taking a group-stage challenge that includes Ghana, Croatia and England.
El Salvador sealed Panama’s place
The decisive step came last November, when Panama beat El Salvador 3-0 to finish the job in qualifying. Topping the Concacaf group mattered as much as the margin, because it showed Panama did not need a rescue route or a playoff to get back to the World Cup stage.
Panama’s defensive numbers carried the campaign. They conceded just four goals in the final group phase, a figure that fits the way Christiansen has shaped the side since taking over in 2020. It was a controlled qualification run, not a scramble.
Christiansen’s Panama core
Christiansen has said the team want to do more than return. “Our faith moves mountains,” he said. “To be at the World Cup for the second time, we want to improve on 2018 and compete like never before.” He also said, “We want to compete and get out of the group. The selección is more than ready,”.
Michael Murillo sits at the center of that push as the right-back and talisman. He has more than 90 caps and has played in MLS, Belgium, France and Turkey, giving Panama a senior presence in a squad built around experience as much as form.
Ghana, Croatia and England
Panama’s group schedule now gives the qualification a practical next step. They will play Ghana on 17 June in Toronto, face Croatia on 23 June in Toronto, and meet England on 27 June in New York/New Jersey.
That draw follows a strong stretch in tournament play, with Panama reaching the final of the 2023 Gold Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América. Aníbal Godoy, the captain and midfielder, summed up the mood: “We will give everything. This group is united and hungry to make history.”
England are in the same group again after beating Panama 6-1 at Russia 2018, when Panama made their World Cup debut. This time, Christiansen’s team arrives with a longer record, a tighter defense and a second chance to turn qualification into a result that lasts beyond the group stage.
