MIAMI – The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues with Honduras hosting Costa Rica in Group C on Thursday at Estadio Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Honduras will aim to extend its unbeaten run and solidify its place as the leader in Group C, having recorded a win and a draw for four points.
Los Catrachos enter the match after defeating Nicaragua 2-nil on home soil with goals from Romell Quioto and Alexy Vega. Goalkeeper Edrick Menjívar had a solid performance in the win as he posted a second clean sheet in the Final Round.
With the victory against Nicaragua, Reinaldo Rueda reached 15 World Cup Qualifying wins as Honduras manager and is now just two shy of Ramón Maradiaga’s record. Additionally, Honduras has recorded four straight clean sheets, a streak not seen since the 2002 cycle.
Costa Rica are currently second in the group with two points, after two consecutive draws, and will strive for a victory to take first place.
In the team’s past match, Los Ticos drew 3-3 against Haiti in a thriller that saw Kenneth Vargas, Alonso Martínez and Juan Pablo Vargas score.
The occasion presents the 26th meeting in Concacaf Qualifiers and 66th all-time encounter between the Central American rivals. Honduras leads the series in Qualifiers with 10 wins to six for Costa Rica, with nine draws.
Costa Rica leads the all-time series with 23 wins to 18 for Honduras, with 24 matches resulting in draws.
Historical Series
The Central American clásico between Honduras and Costa Rica will be the 26th meeting in Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers. Honduras leads the series with 10 wins, 6 losses, and 9 draws.
Overall, this will be the 66th all-time match between the two national teams. Costa Rica leads the historical series with 23 wins, 18 losses, and 24 draws.
In their last 10 meetings across all competitions, Costa Rica has recorded 3 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws. The most recent match was a 3-1 Costa Rican victory in the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Play-in for the 2024 Copa América USA, held on March 23, 2024, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco (USA). Costa Rica’s goals were scored by Orlando Galo, Warren Madrigal, and Jefferson Brenes, while Michaell Chirinos scored for Honduras.
In Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, this will be the 26th match. Honduras has 10 wins, 6 losses, and 9 draws. Their last four qualifier meetings ended in 3 draws and 1 win for Costa Rica — a 2-1 victory in the Final Round of the Qatar 2022 Qualifiers on Matchday 8 at Estadio Nacional in San José (CRC). Goals for Costa Rica came from Óscar Duarte and Gerson Torres, while Romell Quioto scored for Honduras.
In the Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, this will be the 13th meeting between the two sides. It is the 5th most frequent matchup in the history of the Final Round (12 meetings), only trailing Honduras vs. Mexico (14), USA vs. Costa Rica (16), Mexico vs. USA (19), and Mexico vs. Costa Rica (20). This tally includes only Final Round matches. In this stage, Costa Rica has the edge with 3 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws.
Costa Rica is currently on a 4-match unbeaten run against Honduras in the Final Round (3 draws, 1 win). The last time Honduras defeated Costa Rica in a Final Round qualifier was on October 11, 2013, a 1-0 win at Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula (HON), with a goal from Jerry Bengtson — nearly 12 years ago.
Top scorers for Honduras vs. Costa Rica in qualifiers: Rigoberto “Shula” Gómez (4), Amado Guevara (3), José Roberto “Macho” Figueroa (3)
Top scorers for Costa Rica vs. Honduras in qualifiers: Marvin Rodríguez (3), Rubén Jiménez (2), Andy Herron (2), Rolando Fonseca (2), Andy Furtado (2), Kendall Waston (2)
Historical Series: 65 matches
18 wins Honduras, 79 goals
24 draws
23 wins Costa Rica, 108 goals
