Soccer Panama

Soccer Panama

Soccer (or football, as it’s known globally) is becoming a very popular sport in the country, with a growing fan base across all age groups. While baseball has traditionally been the nation’s most beloved sport, soccer has rapidly gained traction, especially in the last few decades. The sport’s rise in popularity can be attributed to the national team’s success on the international stage, particularly their historic qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which ignited a new wave of enthusiasm for soccer throughout the country.

Panama Football National Team

The Panama football national team has enhanced its performance in international soccer competitions in the last two decades. Founded as Los Canaleros the team came to global prominence when it qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 2018. The national team is still considered to be one of the major players in the region of CONCACAF and competes with some of the strongest teams in America. Panama has today been established as a country of soccer lovers and a country developing a culture of soccer; it is up to the national soccer team to work hard and rise to be among the best soccer-playing nations in the world.

FIFA Ranking

FIFA world rankings are influenced by the nation’s results in their matches against other countries, currently, the country is at 35th place. The team posted wild oscillations but has shown signs of an upward trajectory in the recent past particularly after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This ranking shows the team’s improvement and sustenance of performance in other regional championships such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Panama Football Players

Over the years, Panama has been home to some brilliant football talents who have played the game at the highest level for both clubs and their national team. Some of them are Blas Pérez, Luis Tejada and Román Torres who were key players in making it to the World Cup for the first time. The country has fairly talented football players, many of whom have played in some of the world’s most respected leagues such as the Major League Soccer (MLS) and in some European leagues.

Panama Football Club

Football clubs found in the Isthmus nation are essential to nurturing talents. The Liga de Futbol, or LPF is the highest football division and covers teams like Tauro FC, the Plaza Amador, as well as the San Francisco FC. All these clubs play a part in the development of football besides developing young talent that finds itself in the national team.

Panama Women’s National Football Team

The women's national football team has started to rise in recent years with increased support and performances on international level. Although they are not eligible to compete in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the team has competed in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and many other continental championships. The team is young and gradually developing; hence, with increased funding for women’s football, the team will progress and attain better standing in the future.

Panama vs Colombia

The matches between Panama and Colombia are always close and greatly awaited by a considerable number of fans. As the neighbouring countries their football rivalry is greatly evenly matched with both teams having formidable line-ups. Generally, many of the games that have been played between the Isthmus nation and the Colombian team are closely contested, marked with great playing and competitive footballing display; however, it has been noticed that the Colombian team has better records comparatively.

Panama vs USA

The rivalry between Los Canaleros and the USA is one of the most vivid in the region and the two teams have been facing each other recently in the World Cup qualifications and Gold Cup. The USA has always been the favourite, especially in the previous years but the case with the canal country has changed in the last few years and so the matches are now almost fifty-fifty.

vs Uruguay

This particular encounter is a very difficult match for Panama to play, especially because Uruguay boast a great footballing tradition and they are considered a football powerhouse in South America. Historically, Uruguay has been the dominant team in these fixtures and boasts of players like Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani but Los Canaleros has been using these fixtures to build up their stamina facing stronger opponents.

vs Bolivia

Generally, the Panamanian and Bolivian games are easily contested, and both sides tend to challenge each other in the regional games. Tactical equal battles are common, where Los Canaleros aims to show that it has evolved in football by performing well against the Bolivian team from South America.

vs Mexico

The Panama vs Mexico rivalry is one of the biggest and most intense in the region of CONCACAF. Mexico is one of the greatest teams in the region and every time they meet each other it is always a very strong match. The Isthmus nation has historically been on the opposite side of Mexico but the matches between these two teams are always very competitive, particularly in World Cup qualifiers and the Gold CU interpolate tournaments.

vs Guatemala

The Panama vs Guatemala rivalry is a key fixture within Central American football. Both teams are relatively well-matched, making these encounters exciting to watch. Their matches in the Copa Centroamericana and other regional competitions are typically close, with both sides pushing for dominance in Central America.

vs Paraguay

The matches Panama vs Paraguay bring out the differences between Central and South American football. This is due to the fact that Paraguay which is usually a hard-working team, especially in defensive formation pose a real challenge but they are a good encounter for the Los Canaleros

vs Costa Rica

Panama against Costa Rica is probably one of the best rivalries that the Central American region could come up with. The two nations regularly compete in regional competitions, and the games that they play are usually very intense and closely contested. This has traditionally been one of the better teams in the region but the canal country has shown that they are catching up to the team and their games are very exciting.

Sport Channel

Specifically to football lovers, the Panama Sports Channel is known to air most of the local and international games involving the national team as well as other games from the LPF as well as other related world contests. There are many important channels dedicated to sports like PanamSports, and others international channels such as ESPN(https://www.espn.com.pa/) and Fox Sports depending on the cable TV operator.