Panama meets Ghana to open second World Cup appearance

Panama kicks off its world cup campaign in Group L, at Toronto Stadium.

TORONTO – The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues with Panama kicking off its campaign against Ghana in Group L on Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local), at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The occasion presents the first ever meeting between the two nations.

Panama begins its second World Cup appearance, following a Group Stage exit at Russia 2018. Los Canaleros had a flawless performance in the Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers, finishing first in Group A with 12 points and an undefeated 3-3-0 record.

Led by manager Thomas Christiansen, Panama will look to the likes of star midfielder, and 2023/24 Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year Award, Adalberto Carrasquilla, right-back Amir Murillo, and forward Ismael Díaz, who claimed the Top Scorer Award at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup with six goals.

Ghana qualified for a second consecutive World Cup, fifth overall, by winning Group I of the CAF (Confederation of African Football) qualifiers. The Black Stars sealed the top spot with 25 points from an 8-1-1 record to finish six points clear of second place Madagascar.

Ghana vs Panama – Facts

• This will be the first-ever meeting between Ghana and Panama at any level of international competition.
• Ghana’s three previous FIFA World Cup matches against Concacaf opposition all came against the United States. The Black Stars won two of those encounters (2006 and 2010) before falling 2-1 in Brazil 2014. Panama’s only World Cup match against African opposition ended in a 2-1 defeat to Tunisia during the group stage of Russia 2018.
• Ghana are making their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance, with all five coming in the 21st century. Their best performance remains the quarterfinal run at South Africa 2010, where they were eliminated by Uruguay in a dramatic penalty shootout. Ghana have exited at the group stage in each of their two most recent appearances (2014 and 2022).
• The Black Stars secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as group winners, posting a record of eight wins, one draw, and one defeat. Their only loss came away to Comoros, falling 1-0.
• Ghana have won just one of their last seven FIFA World Cup matches (D2 L4), a thrilling 3-2 victory over Korea Republic during the group stage of Qatar 2022.
• Defensive consistency has been a challenge for Ghana on the world stage. They have conceded in each of their last 10 FIFA World Cup matches and have allowed two or more goals in each of their last six. Their most recent World Cup clean sheet came in a 1-0 victory over Serbia in the 2010 group stage.
• Aerial play has been a major weapon for Ghana. Four of their last eight FIFA World Cup goals have come via headers, while they also led all CAF nations in headed goals during qualifying, with nine of their 23 goals (39%) scored from aerial situations.
• Panama are appearing in their second FIFA World Cup after making their tournament debut in 2018. Los Canaleros finished bottom of their group in Russia, losing all three matches and conceding 11 goals.
• During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Panama conceded more goals than any other team (11), posted the second-highest expected goals against per match figure (2.3), and recorded the fourth-lowest average possession percentage (36.3%).
• Panama and Curaçao were the only teams to remain unbeaten throughout the 2026 Concacaf World Cup qualifiers among nations that advanced to the final round (W7 D3). Panama also led the region in turnovers won (82) and pressing sequences (138), while only Guatemala (6) scored more headed goals than Panama (5).
• Ghana forward Jordan Ayew was directly involved in 14 goals during CAF qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists. His total matched Algeria’s Mohammed Amoura for the highest goal involvement in African qualifying.
• Carlos Queiroz will guide Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming only the third head coach in history to manage teams in five different World Cup editions, joining Carlos Alberto Parreira (6) and Bora Milutinović (5).
• Only three players recorded more assists during Concacaf qualifying than Panama defender Amir Murillo (3). He also ranked second among all players in expected assists (2.6).
• Panama striker Ismael Díaz finished as the top scorer at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, scoring six goals—twice as many as any other player in the tournament, with no one else netting more than three.