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Arun - June 5, 2026
Panama return to the World Cup for only the second time in their history. Their debut came in Russia 2018, where they lost all three games, scored twice and left without a point.
In the eight years since, under Thomas Christiansen, they have become the most consistent nation in CONCACAF football and arrived at this tournament with a settled, experienced squad that has achieved more collectively than any previous generation of Panamanian footballers.
The squad Christiansen has named is built around the experienced core that delivered qualification. Captain Anibal Godoy holds a national record 157 caps.
Three other players in the squad have over 100 international appearances. Christiansen chose to back that experience over the youth option; 18-year-old Kadir Barria of Botafogo was the notable omission.
The goal is simple. Win a World Cup game for the first time in Panama’s history. The Ghana opener on June 17 in Toronto is the one that offers the best chance.
Panama are drawn in Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside England, Croatia and Ghana. For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane.
Panama’s World Cup History
Appearances: 2 | Best finish: Group stage (2018) | No wins across two appearances
Panama’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup was one of the great CONCACAF stories. They qualified on the final matchday when Roman Torres scored an 88th-minute winner against Costa Rica and the United States simultaneously lost to Trinidad and Tobago. The Panamanian president declared a national holiday. The nation went to Russia on an enormous wave of emotion.
The tournament itself was difficult. They lost 3-0 to Belgium in their opener. They then faced England and a game that is remembered as one of the most one-sided in World Cup history ended 6-1. Felipe Baloy scored late for Panama, the first goal in the nation’s World Cup history, to give the occasion some meaning. They lost their final game 2-1 to Tunisia and went home without a point. Anibal Godoy played in all three games. He plays in all three again in 2026.
Between 2018 and 2026 Panama built something real. Three CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, runner-up in 2023. Runner-up at the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League. A qualification campaign for 2026 that saw them win their CONCACAF group ahead of Costa Rica. This is not the same team that arrived in Russia dazzled by the occasion. This is a team that expects to compete.
The Manager
Thomas Christiansen
Spanish-Danish · Panama manager since 2020 · Former Leeds United, Union Saint-Gilloise, AEK Larnaca, APOEL manager · Age 53
Christiansen was born in Copenhagen to a Danish father and a Spanish mother and played as a striker for Barcelona, Villarreal, Bochum and others. He won the Bundesliga top scorer award in 2002-03 with Bochum. His international career was unusual; despite being Danish by birth he earned two caps for Spain in 1993. His club management career took him to Cyprus, Belgium and Leeds United, where he lasted less than a season.
The Panama appointment in 2020 has been the defining job of his career. He has been in charge longer than any previous manager in the federation’s history and the results speak for themselves. Three finals in major CONCACAF competitions. World Cup qualification. A squad that trusts him completely. He is organised, pragmatic and understands exactly what Panama need to do to be competitive against the teams they will face in Group L. His stated goal at the squad announcement was to win Panama’s first World Cup game. Everything is built around that.
Tactical Setup
Formation: 4-2-3-1 / 5-4-1 out of possession
Christiansen uses a 4-2-3-1 in possession that drops into a compact 5-4-1 when Panama are defending. Godoy and Adalberto Carrasquilla sit as the double pivot, screening the back four. The wide midfielders tuck in to create defensive compactness. Panama are organised, physically strong and very difficult to play through. When they win the ball they look to transition quickly and use Cecilio Waterman’s pace in behind.
Against England and Croatia, Panama will defend deep and accept conceding possession. The moments on the counter are where they create their chances. Against Ghana in the opener, Christiansen will ask for more. The Ghana game is the one where Panama can control territory and create enough chances to win. How the team responds to that different tactical demand in the opening game will tell us a great deal about where they are.
Key Players
Anibal Godoy
Midfielder · San Diego FC · Age 36 | Panama caps: 157 | Captain
Godoy is Panama’s most capped player of all time and the heart of their midfield for the better part of a decade. He was part of the squad that qualified for 2018 and played in all three group games in Russia. He is back again at 36, still the captain, still the defensive anchor that organises everything around him. His experience at this level is invaluable in a squad that will face enormous occasions against England and Croatia. He does not create headlines. He makes the team function. Without Godoy at the base of the midfield, Panama are a less controlled and less disciplined side.
Adalberto Carrasquilla
Midfielder · Pumas UNAM · Age 26 | Panama caps: 60+
Carrasquilla was named the best player at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament Panama reached the final of. He plays for Pumas UNAM in Liga MX and his combination of technical quality, passing range and ability to contribute in both halves of the pitch makes him the most complete midfielder in the squad. He suffered an injury in the Liga MX final defeat to Cruz Azul just before the squad announcement and Christiansen included him despite the fitness concern. He is too important to leave out. When fully fit he is the player who makes Panama dangerous in possession.
Michael Amir Murillo
Defender · Besiktas · Age 30 | Panama caps: 80+
Murillo is Panama’s best player at a top-level European club and the one who gives Christiansen genuine quality in a wide defensive position. He moved from Marseille to Besiktas in the summer of 2025 and has been a consistent performer in the Turkish Super Lig. As a right back he combines defensive solidity with a willingness to get forward and support attacks. His experience at Anderlecht, Marseille and now Besiktas gives him a level of tactical understanding and weekly competition that most of his international teammates do not have. He sets the standard for what European-level professionalism looks like in this squad.
Cecilio Waterman
Forward · Club to be confirmed · Age 31 | Panama caps: 50+
Waterman is Panama’s most dangerous attacking player on the counter and the one Christiansen deploys to exploit space in behind opposition defensive lines. His pace and directness make him the primary threat when Panama transition from defence to attack. He has been one of Panama’s most reliable scorers in qualification and in the CONCACAF competitions of recent years. Against England and Croatia he will have limited touches. Against Ghana he could be the decisive figure if Panama create the space to release him.
Fidel Escobar
Defender · Club to be confirmed · Age 33 | Panama caps: 90+
Escobar was part of the 2018 squad and returns as one of the most experienced defenders in Christiansen’s group. A centre-back who has spent his career in MLS and Central American football, his knowledge of the tactical demands of major tournaments and his leadership in the defensive unit make him one of the key senior figures in the squad. He and his defensive partners give Panama the physical presence at the back that they need to absorb the pressure that England and Croatia will put them under.
Panama’s World Cup 2026 Fixtures
LeagueLane Verdict
Panama to finish fourth in Group L. The quality gap between them and England and Croatia is too significant to bridge over 90 minutes. But the Ghana opener on June 17 in Toronto is genuinely open and a Panama win there is far from impossible.
The Croatia game in Toronto on June 23 is the one that gives Panama their second opportunity. If Croatia have already qualified, Dalic may rotate. A rotated Croatia side against a motivated, organised Panama is a very different game to a full-strength Croatia side. Panama will be ready for that opportunity if it arrives.
For a betting angle, Panama to score in at least two of their three group games is worth considering. They scored twice in Russia 2018 in a squad with less quality than this one and they have improved significantly in the years since.
Waterman to score in the tournament at generous odds reflects his pace and directness on the counter. This Panama side will not leave North America without a moment worth remembering.
