Panama

Panama enter World Cup 2026 in Group L, where the early tests are England, Croatia, and Ghana. Panama have never won the World Cup and made their finals debut in 2018, when they exited in the group stage but celebrated a first tournament goal and a landmark national moment. The current squad is shaped around Jose Fajardo, Adalberto Carrasquilla, and Eric Davis, a core that gives the team recognizable quality in the moments that usually decide group-stage matches: set pieces, transition attacks, and pressure around the box.

For this tournament, the assignment is both tactical and psychological: start quickly, protect the middle of the pitch, and make the group feel uncomfortable before the knockout picture forms. The draw is demanding, so Panama need discipline and emotional control. Carrasquilla can help them compete in midfield, but taking chances early will be essential to changing the group dynamic. If Panama can turn its best individual stretches into a full 90-minute platform, the campaign has room to grow beyond a simple participation story.