MIAMI – The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues with Panama hosting El Salvador in Group A on Tuesday at Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City, Panama.
Panama (2-3-0) enters the match as the second-place team in Group A on goal difference, tied on nine points with first place Suriname. Panama can secure its World Cup ticket with a victory, combined with a Suriname loss or draw. If Panama draws, it will need Suriname to lose its encounter. If both nations win, Panama must at least match Suriname on goal difference to advance on the next tiebreaker, goals scored.
Los Canaleros are coming off a thrilling 3-2 win in Guatemala. A brace from Cecilio Waterman and a goal from José Fajardo led the way for the victory in Guatemala City in what marked Panama’s first-ever triumph on Guatemalan soil.
El Salvador (1-0-4) is eliminated from contention after a 4-nil loss against Suriname and will look to close out the Final Round on a positive note.
The encounter presents a rematch of Panama’s 1-nil victory at El Salvador on October 10. José Fajardo scored the goal to secure the win for Los Canaleros on that night.
Historical Post-Match Data
Guatemala 2–3 Panama
Historic victory for Panama in Guatemala
Panama’s 3-2 win was its first-ever victory on Guatemalan soil in any competition after 6 encounters. It was also the first time Panama scored three goals against Guatemala in World Cup Qualifying.
A historic brace for Cecilio Waterman
With two goals in Guatemala City, Cecilio Waterman registered his first WCQ brace and reached 8 total goals, moving into 6th place on Panama’s all-time scoring list in qualifiers, breaking the tie with Roberto Brown (7). At 34 years and 214 days, he is also the oldest Panamanian player to score two goals in a WCQ match.
Thomas Christiansen climbs into the Top 5
Head coach Thomas Christiansen earned his 17th victory in World Cup Qualifying, tying Jorge Luis Pinto and José de la Paz Herrera for 4th place among managers with the most wins.
