2026 World Cup Team Chronicle·Panama: From Román Torres' Strike to the Next Hard Fight

Writing about Panama still begins with that sound from 2018.

Román Torres drove the ball in during the final stretch of qualifying and a whole country seemed to be pulled out of its chair. It was not an ordinary goal. It was the noise of a smaller football nation forcing its name onto a World Cup list for the first time. In Russia, Belgium and England hurt them badly, but Felipe Baloy's goal against England still deserves its replay. The score was 6-1. The smile was not.

That is how the World Cup sometimes works.

Great teams remember trophies. Smaller teams remember firsts.

The 2026 Panama side cannot live only on first-time emotion. Aníbal Godoy's hardness remains. Adalberto Carrasquilla has become the hinge in midfield. José Fajardo has to turn half-chances into whole ones. Panama's football identity is not mysterious: do not hide from contact, do not surrender the duel, run when the game allows it, and when it does not, turn the match into a fight of second balls.

They are not elegant.

But lack of elegance is not lack of method. Panama often look best when they do not keep the ball long: three or four passes, then wide, then into the striker. Carrasquilla matters because of that. He is not a midfielder who needs every touch to become a highlight. More often he puts his body between pressure and the ball, carries it past the first press, then releases the side. Godoy is the iron nail in the old boat: not always noticed, but the structure sounds different without him.

Their 2026 task is plain.

Stop being merely the team that once appeared at a World Cup. Hold a match long enough that the opponent feels the bruises. Make someone admit after ninety minutes that Panama are not here for a photograph. They will bump your waist, steal your second ball, and make set pieces feel unsafe.

It is hard to write a high ceiling for them. A knockout path would need a little luck, one extra save, and Fajardo or Ismael Díaz finishing a rough chance on the right night. But that is the interesting part of expanded World Cups. Teams like Panama may not go deep, yet they can make one stronger group opponent suddenly look uncomfortable.

The 2018 Panama were like someone holding a passport for the first time: nervous, thrilled, looking everywhere.

The 2026 Panama should travel differently. Less luggage, more miles on the shoes, aware that airport lights are pretty and that the real road begins after landing.

Panama 2026 Squad Core

Note: this list reflects recent competitive matches, qualifying use and regular national-team call-ups. The final 26-man squad depends on official registration.

• Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejía, César Samudio
• Defenders: Michael Murillo, Fidel Escobar, José Córdoba, Éric Davis, Andrés Andrade, Iván Anderson
• Midfielders: Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Cristian Martínez, César Blackman, Jovani Welch
• Forwards: José Fajardo, Ismael Díaz, Cecilio Waterman, Eduardo Guerrero, Freddy Góndola

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