MIAMI – The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues on Thursday with Guatemala hosting El Salvador in Group A at Estadio Cementos Progreso in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Guatemala kicks off its fifth appearance in the Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers. Los Chapines earned their spot by finishing second in Group E in the Second Round, with nine points and a 3-0-1 record.
Luis Fernando Tena’s side recently impressed by making a run to the semifinals in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Olger Escobar claimed Gold Cup Young Player Award honors after featuring in all five matches for Guatemala and scoring twice, including a goal in the Semifinals against the United States.
El Salvador will make its eighth appearance in the Final Round. La Selecta to return to a FIFA World Cup after participating in the 1970 and 1982 editions. The team arrives at the decisive stage after finishing second in Group F in the Second Round with eight points and an unbeaten 2-2-0 record.
The encounter presents the 10th meeting between the Central American nations in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and 76th overall in their history. Guatemala leads the series with 34 wins to 18 for El Salvador, while also playing out 23 draws.
All-Time series
It will be the 76th meeting in history between Guatemala and El Salvador. The Guatemalans have recorded 34 wins, suffered 18 defeats, and drawn 23 times.
In FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, this will be their 10th encounter. The series is tied with 3 wins each and 3 draws. They have not faced each other since the qualifiers for the Korea & Japan 2002 World Cup, in Matchday 3, when El Salvador won 1-0 with a goal from Raúl Díaz Arce on April 2, 2000, and in the 1-1 draw on Matchday 5 (Juan Carlos Plata for Guatemala and Raúl Díaz Arce for El Salvador) on May 7, 2000, in the First Round of Central America.
In the Final Round, it will be their second meeting. The first was a 2-2 draw in the qualifiers for Argentina 1978 on Matchday 5, October 23, 1977, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Sergio Rivera scored twice for Guatemala, while Elmer Rosas and Norberto “Pajarito” Huezo netted for El Salvador.
Guatemala is participating for the fifth time in the Final Round of World Cup Qualifiers, having previously competed in Germany 1974 (5th place, eliminated), Argentina 1978 (5th place, eliminated), Italy 1990 (4th place, eliminated), and Germany 2006 (5th place, eliminated).
For El Salvador, this will be their 8th participation in the Final Round of World Cup Qualifiers, starting with Mexico 1970 (qualified after a playoff against Honduras in Mexico), Argentina 1978 (3rd place, eliminated), Spain 1982 (2nd place, qualified), Italy 1990 (5th place in the pentagonal, eliminated), United States 1994 (3rd place, eliminated), France 1998 (5th place, eliminated), South Africa 2010 (5th place, eliminated), and Qatar 2022 (7th place, eliminated).
Top scorer in the Final Round for Guatemala: Carlos Ruíz (4).
Top scorers in the Final Round for El Salvador: Raúl Díaz Arce (5), Nenei (3), Norberto Suazo (3), Elmer Rosas (3).
All-Time series:
75 matches
34 wins Guatemala, 89 goals
23 draws
18 wins El Salvador, 64 goals
