Panama aims to be Morocco of 2026 World Cup

Panama national team coach Thomas Christiansen said he dreams of achieving something significant at the 2026 World Cup, stressing that his team is not heading to the tournament merely to take part, but aspires to become “the Morocco of this World Cup” and emerge as one of its surprise stories.

He added that Panama will enter the competition with major ambitions and a desire to compete against the world’s strongest teams, drawing inspiration from Morocco’s historic run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when it reached the semifinals and became the tournament’s standout surprise.

The Spanish-Danish coach continued: “Why can’t we be the Morocco of this World Cup?” He argued that Panama is capable of springing a surprise if it continues the progress it has made in recent years.

Since Christiansen took charge of the Panamanian national team, football in the country has enjoyed one of its most successful periods. The team climbed from 87th in the FIFA rankings to 29th — the highest position in its history — and currently sits 33rd in the world.

The draw for the 2026 World Cup placed Panama in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Ghana, a group Christiansen describes as extremely difficult.