CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ (AP) — Panama rode goals from César Blackman, Eric Davis, and José Luis Rodríguez to a 3-0 victory over El Salvador and booked its spot in the World Cup for the second time in its history.
In a dramatic and evenly matched closing day of the CONCACAF final round, Curaçao pulled off the feat of clinching its first World Cup berth by holding Jamaica to a 0-0 draw on the road, while Haiti secured its second World Cup trip by beating Nicaragua 2-0 on neutral ground.
Panama’s progress in Group A also benefited from the exit of Guatemala, which defeated Suriname 3-1. Suriname had entered the last day level on points with the Panamanians and ahead on goal difference. The Canal Men finished the group undefeated with 12 points, three more than Suriname (9).
With its draw, Curaçao closed Group B on 12 points, one more than Jamaica, which earned the playoff’s best runner-up berth. Haiti advanced from Group C with 11 points, two more than Honduras (9), which did not advance after a goalless draw with Costa Rica (7). The Hondurans, led by Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, and the Costa Ricans, under Mexican Miguel Herrera, were eliminated.
Despite the setback, Suriname advanced to the playoff alongside Jamaica. It finished level on points with Honduras but had a better goal difference.
The playoff, which will award two more World Cup berths, also includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Africa, Bolivia from South America, New Caledonia from Oceania, and Iraq from Asia.
Panama: From Humble Beginnings to a Breakthrough
Led by Spanish-Danish coach Thomas Christiansen, in his second stint after failing to secure a Qatar berth, Panama arrived at the final match needing a win and a Guatemala slip to lock up the automatic qualification.
Panama threatened from early on, including a header from striker Ismael Díaz that the Salvadoran goalkeeper superbly cleared. But at 17 minutes, the hosts opened the scoring with a powerful strike from inside the box by defender César Blackman, after Díaz had carved the path with a neat corner routine that initially yielded a shot by Adalberto Carrasquilla that clashed off a defender.
Davis added a second from a stoppage-time penalty in the first half, after defender Elvis Claros fouled Cecilio Waterman inside the area. And five minutes from the end, Rodríguez came on as a substitute and struck the third, triggering a roar from more than 20,000 red-clad fans at the Rommel Fernández stadium in Panama City. Following the victory, Panama rolled out into the streets in a vehicle caravan to celebrate.
“People don’t know… the sacrifices we make for what we love, but living far away from family is a sacrifice that is rewarded on a day like today,” Christiansen said, visibly moved, after having said the night before that he hoped to follow in the steps of Colombian Hernán Darío Gómez, the El Salvador coach who led Panama to its first World Cup in Russia 2018.
Panama had entered the decisive round with only two draws—0-0 against Suriname and a 1-1 home result with Guatemala. They also drew 1-1 at home in the return with Suriname. But last week they had beaten El Salvador 1-0 and Guatemala 3-2.
“We suffered along with the country in the qualifiers, but we achieved the objective,” said midfielder Cristian Martínez. “We went out to play our match, knowing Guatemala wouldn’t hand us anything.”
Curacao, with an experienced coach, into its first World Cup
Curacao, coached by veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, arrived at the Jamaica match with control of its destiny, knowing a draw would seal its historic passage.
Having a veteran at the helm like Advocaat aided the cause, even though the coach had to miss the crucial game after returning to the Netherlands at the weekend for family reasons.
Advocaat, 78, has previously led the Dutch national team on three occasions and also coached South Korea, Belgium, and Russia before taking charge of Curaçao.
According to Curaçao’s Central Statistics Office, the country had a population of 156,115 residents as of January last year. Iceland, with just over 350,000 inhabitants, had been the smallest nation to reach the World Cup when it qualified for Russia 2018.
Curacao also finished the campaign unbeaten.
Haiti, to the World Cup for the second time
With goals from Louicius Deedson in the 9th minute and Rubén Providence on 45, Haiti defeated Nicaragua 2-0 to reach the World Cup for the second time — and the first since 1974.
That result eliminated Honduras and Costa Rica from the running, as they could not advance with a draw in San Jose.
The match was played in Curaçao due to the violence in Haiti caused by gang activity.
Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
A record 48 teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
On Tuesday, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland, and Austria secured the final automatic European places. Later, Curaçao, Panama, and Haiti claimed the three available CONCACAF berths.
A total of 43 teams will win World Cup berths through the confederation qualifying tournaments. Two more will secure spots in the intercontinental playoff, which will involve six teams and is scheduled for March in Mexico. The host nations automatically qualify.
The distribution
Asia has eight direct slots and one — Iraq — in the intercontinental playoff.
Africa has nine direct slots plus one — Congo — for the playoff.
CONCACAF gets three direct berths (plus the three host nations) and two more playoff spots — Jamaica and Suriname — in the playoff.
South America has six direct slots and will send one more team — Bolivia — to the playoff.
Oceania, for the first time, has a guaranteed place: New Zealand secured it in March. It could add another through New Caledonia, which is in the playoff.
Europe will have 16 teams guaranteed to compete in the World Cup.
Already qualified:
United States, Mexico, Canada (automatic as hosts)
Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Uzbekistan
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland
Oceania: New Zealand
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay
CONCACAF: Curaçao, Panama, Haiti
