MIAMI –  The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues with Costa Rica hosting Nicaragua in Group C on Monday at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica.

 

Costa Rica comes into the match following its goalless draw on the road against Honduras. Los Ticos currently sit third in Group C with three points from three draws.

 

Costa Rica will look to continue a streak of seven wins at home against Nicaragua and extend its current 15-match unbeaten run when facing Central American opponents in World Cup Qualifiers (12-3-0). 

 

Nicaragua will aim to bounce back after its 3-nil loss against Haiti. La Azul y Blanco is fourth in Group C with one point and a record of one draw and two losses.

 

The meeting will be the second between the sides in the Final Round, following a 1-1 draw on September 5, and 21st overall. Costa Rica leads the all-time series with 17 wins to one for Nicaragua, while two matchups resulted in draws.

 

Head-to-Head Record

  • Matches played: 20
  • Costa Rica wins: 17
  • Draws: 2
  • Nicaragua wins: 1
  • Goals scored by Costa Rica: 74
  • Goals scored by Nicaragua: 12

 

Their most recent encounter took place on September 5, 2025, in Managua, ending in a 1-1 draw. Alexis Gamboa scored for Costa Rica in the 60th minute, while Byron Bonilla equalized for Nicaragua in the 81st.

Tico Dominance in San José

This will be the eighth time Costa Rica hosts Nicaragua in San José across all competitions. In the previous seven meetings, Costa Rica earned seven wins, scoring 31 goals and conceding only five.

Last meeting in San José:

June 16, 2019

Group Stage – Gold Cup

Costa Rica 4-0 Nicaragua

Goals: Bryan Oviedo, Celso Borges, Elías Aguilar, Allan Cruz

Key Streaks

Costa Rica:

  • Unbeaten in 15 straight home qualifiers against Central American opponents (12 wins, 3 draws).
  • Their last home loss to a Central American side in WCQ was more than 21 years ago:

August 18, 2004

2-5 loss to Honduras at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto

Honduras goals: David Suazo, Julio de León, Amado Guevara, Iván Guerrero, Saúl Martínez

Costa Rica: Andy Herron brace

Nicaragua:

  • This will be their 9th away match in Central America in World Cup Qualifying.
  • Their record stands at 1 win and 7 losses.

The lone victory came on June 8, 2024 — a 4-0 win over Belize.