World Cup scouting report: the lowdown on England’s next opponents Panama

Panama apparently have nothing to play for when they face England in New Jersey on Saturday. After an attritional 1-0 loss to Ghana in their opener, and a slightly unlucky 1-0 defeat by Croatia , there is no path to the knockouts for Los Canaleros . There is, however, something else at stake: a first point at a World Cup at the sixth attempt. Panama lost all three matches on their debut appearance at the 2018 edition, so getting anything against England would be a statement result. For a veteran generation of players and their long-time coach, it would be a crowning achievement on a body of work that has elevated a once-irrelevant program on to the global stage. Until 2004, Panama had never cracked the top 100 in the Fifa rankings. They rose through the ranks steadily and, by 2023 established themselves as a top-50 team, climbing as high as 29th last year. Along the way, Panama reached the knockout stages at the 2024 Copa América, the final of the 2025 Concacaf Nations League finals, and a third silver medal at the Gold Cup in 2023. They also made themselves a monumental pain in the backside of the United States men’s national team, largely the leading power in the region over the last half decade. In all three of those competitions, Panama vanquished the USMNT and induced their elimination. It was never pretty, though. The secret sauce for the Canaleros is that they’ve been playing together an awfully long time. …