Panama U-20 arrives in Puebla for World Cup qualifier debut against Canada

Panama's U-20 national team has arrived in Puebla, Mexico, ready to begin their campaign in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship 2026. The team landed in the World Cup host city after concluding an intensive 12-day preparation camp in Pachuca.

During their time in Pachuca, the squad fine-tuned their tactical approach under the guidance of head coach Mike Stump. Their final training session in Pachuca on Friday involved reduced workloads to ensure the players' physical freshness. The delegation then traveled by road in the afternoon, arriving without incident at their hotel in Puebla.

The team is scheduled for its final training session before the debut match on Saturday morning. Panama's opening game, dubbed "La Rojita's" official debut, is set for Sunday at 2:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. in Panama) at the Estadio Universitario BUAP. The match against Canada is crucial, as the tournament grants direct berths to the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027.