Panama Reveal Experienced Line-up for FIFA World Cup 2026

Panama have picked a strong, experienced squad for the World Cup on Tuesday, with captain Anibal Godoy and midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla part of Thomas Christiansen’s team as they get ready for the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Panama booked their place at only their second World Cup after beating El Salvador, confirming their spot in the June 11–July 19 event, eight years after their first appearance in Russia.

Christiansen has kept most of the same players who helped Panama through the CONCACAF qualifiers. Veteran midfielder Godoy is expected to lead the side, while Carrasquilla has also been included even after picking up an injury in Sunday’s Liga MX final loss to Cruz Azul.

Veteran forward Alberto Quintero has earned a place in the squad after being ruled out of the 2018 World Cup through injury. On the other hand, Botafogo midfielder Kadir Barria was not picked in Thomas Christiansen’s final squad, making him one of the surprising exclusions.

Speaking about the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Panama head coach Thomas Christiansen said that the team wants to do something special, as they have full potential to go a long way in the tournament.

"We want to make history, we want to do something beautiful and improve on what we did before. We need to support the 26 players chosen for this World Cup. It is a source of pride to represent this national team." said Thomas Christiansen while revealing the squad for the mega event.

Panama are set to play friendly matches against Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Bosnia and Herzegovina before heading to Canada, where they will set up their World Cup base in New Tecumseth, Ontario.

They begin their Group L matches against Ghana on June 17, followed by games against England and Croatia. Panama will be aiming to do better than their 2018 World Cup debut, where they went out in the group stage without picking up a point.

Panama Squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejia, Cesar Samudio.

Defenders: Cesar Blackman, Jorge Gutierrez, Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, Edgardo Farina, Jose Cordoba, Eric Davis, Jiovany Ramos, Roderick Miller.

Midfielders: Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martinez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Cesar Yanis, Yoel Barcenas, Alberto Quintero, Azarias Londono.

Forwards: Ismael Diaz, Cecilio Waterman, Jose Fajardo, Tomas Rodriguez.