Panama aims to defy odds in second World Cup appearance under Thomas Christiansen

Panama enters its second World Cup with aspirations to surpass its previous performance, aiming to advance beyond the group stage. Under the guidance of Spanish-Danish coach Thomas Christiansen, the team faces a formidable challenge in Group L, drawn against powerhouses England and Croatia, as well as Ghana. Panama's journey in Russia 2018 saw them finish last in their group after losing all three matches. Achieving qualification would be a remarkable feat for a nation of just over 4 million people, which lacks a professional league and has seen football gain prominence only recently against baseball and boxing. "We can be ambitious... dream of passing the group, although we know the difficulty," Christiansen stated when announcing the squad. The team's roster features few players from major European clubs, with the notable exception of right-back Michael Amir Murillo of Turkish side Besiktas. They will confront an England squad boasting stars like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Marcus Rashford, and a Croatian team that includes Luka Modric and many players who were World Cup runners-up in 2018 and finished third in 2022. "They are rivals that can score 10 goals against you," but "we want to be that surprise," said Panamanian forward José Fajardo. Former international goalkeeper Jaime Penedo acknowledged that "generating one point is already commendable in this tournament, and qualifying for the next round would be epic for us." Panama's best chance for advancement may lie in a strong performance against Ghana, as the tournament's format allows the eight best third-placed teams to advance from the 12 groups. Ghana, with four World Cup appearances, boasts players like Antoine Semenyo and Iñaki Williams, and is managed by experienced Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz. Fajardo emphasized that the match against Ghana "makes the difference" and "can give us qualification." Some observers have drawn parallels to Costa Rica's unexpected success in the 2014 World Cup, where they topped a group including Uruguay, England, and Italy, reaching the quarterfinals. "In the Brazil World Cup, it was unthinkable" that Costa Rica could achieve what they did, and "I have the feeling that Panama can emulate that," former Panamanian international Julio Dely told AFP.

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We can be ambitious... dream of passing the group, although we know the difficulty.