Panama

Panama qualified for the W Gold Cup by topping their League A Nations League group ahead of Guatemala and Jamaica.

What to expect

They have made four appearances at the Conccaf Women’s Championship with their best result being semi-final finish in 2018.

In 2021 they qualified for an inter-continental play-off spot for the 2023 World Cup having finished third in their group at the Concacaf W Championship in Monterey, Mexico.

In 2023 qualifying they beat Papua New Guinea 2–0 and Paraguay 1–0.

At the World Cup they opened with a 4-0 loss to Brazil before losing to Jamaica 1-0 and, in an entertaining match, 6-3 to France. They will meet Brazil again in the W Gold Cup group in San Diego.

Pre-W Gold Cup they beat Paraguay 1-0 in a friendly.

Panama are very solid defensively but have often struggled to score goals. If they can find the back of the net more regularly then they could be a surprise package. They will be targeting the knockout rounds and will expect to beat Puerto Rico in their group. They open against Colombia which could prove to be the crucial game in group B in terms of dictating group position, assuming Brazil perform to their ranking level.

Panama are ranked 55^th in the world, Brazil are ranked 5^th. Colombia are ranked 23^rd.

Player to watch

Converted to a goalkeeper having started as a midfielder, Yenith Bailey is Panama’s standout player with numerous world class performances for her team. At the 2018 Conancaf Women’s Championship she made 24 saves, winning the tournament’s Golden Glove award.

Panama’s top scorer is Marta Cox who plays her club football in Mexico having transferred from Pachuca to Tijuana for the 2024 season. A graduate of the U17 and U20 national teams, she has played 20 times for the senior team, scoring four times

Head coach

Ignacio Quintana was appointed In 2021. He helped Panama gain parity in salaries and conditions between the men’s and women’s national teams as well as taking them to their first Women’s World Cup.

He has worked for Concacaf as a coaching license instructor and was also an assistant for the Nicaragua Women’s team. Before that, he worked as a youth manager at Reforma  and Lioness FC in Mexico.

Schedule

February 21 vs Colombia, Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

February 24 vs Puerto Rico, Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

February 27 vs Brazil. Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

Squad