Panamá coach Thomas Christiansen praises players after narrow loss to Croatia

Panama fell 1-0 to Croatia in their Group L match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but head coach Thomas Christiansen walked away from the pitch focused on what went right rather than what went wrong.

Christiansen praised his squad’s effort and resilience against a Croatian side with significantly more World Cup pedigree. The result leaves Panama needing a victory against England to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.

A competitive showing despite the scoreline

This is only Panama’s second World Cup appearance in the nation’s history. The first came in 2018 in Russia, where the team lost all three group-stage matches. The Croatia loss followed a 1-0 defeat to Ghana on June 17, 2026, in their opening group match.

Christiansen’s long road to this moment

The Danish-Spanish coach took the Panama job in July 2020, inheriting a program that had tasted World Cup football once and wanted more. Panama punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in November 2025, clinching qualification with a convincing 3-0 victory over El Salvador.

Across 91 matches as of mid-June 2026, Christiansen has guided Panama to 43 wins, 22 draws, and 26 losses. That’s a win rate just north of 47%.

The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US, giving Panama the advantage of playing in a relatively familiar time zone and travel environment compared to tournaments in Europe or Asia.

What a win against England would mean

Panama sits at the bottom of Group L with two losses, but the group format means a victory in the final match could still be enough to advance, depending on other results.

Christiansen’s post-match comments after the Croatia loss suggest a coach keeping the door open, reminding his squad that qualification scenarios still exist, and pointing to the effort against Croatia as evidence they can hang with top-tier opposition.

Two matches, zero goals. Against England, Panama will likely see less of the ball and face a backline with Premier League-level defenders.

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