Panama were the revelation of the 2024 Copa America by capturing a second-place finish in Group C to reach the knockout stages. While that may have raised the eyebrows of some, it was not that much of a surprise to anyone paying attention to the performances of the Central American nation in recent years.
Since the arrival of Thomas Christiansen as head coach in 2020, Los Canaleros have twice reached the Concacaf Nations League Finals and the final of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, to go along with their Copa America exploits. More importantly, though, they are a strong contender to reach the FIFA World Cup 26™, which would be only their second World Cup and first since their maiden appearance at Russia 2018.
The Danish-born, former Spain international, has become a beloved figure in the country, and the bond is reciprocal for the 51-year-old, who told FIFA that he won’t rest until he has brought “great joy” to the Panamanian people.
What did you think of the team’s performance at the Copa America?
Thomas Christiansen: I thought it was very positive. The fact that we advanced past the group stage, it was something historic and great for the national team. The truth is that when the draw came out and we were in a group with Bolivia, USA and Uruguay, people saw us with few possibilities of advancing, but we had that desire and hope of trying to do it and that carried us to compete hard against those teams and get good results.
What lessons can you take from the Copa America and apply to World Cup qualifying?
I think the fact that we had so many important players, who had been starters in previous matches with me, missing because of injury or suspension made it that I had to call on other players that were able to respond. They grew with each game and that has been positive for our group. Now we have tougher competition for starting spots and I think that creates a benefit for the team.
The next 12-18 months are very important for Panama. What are you expecting from your team?
I think we’ll keep growing and getting players to improve on what we have and above all fulfill our objectives. We’ve started World Cup qualifying with two victories against Guyana and Montserrat and we have two games coming up against Belize and Nicaragua to close out the group. We hope to close it out in a good way and prepare ourselves for the next phase.
Do you feel like your team is in a good spot to reach the next World Cup?
I think we’re in a good place. I think in this moment it is an obligation for us to be at the World Cup. For the last World Cup, we knew we had three teams in USA, Mexico and Canada that were ahead us both in historical and football terms, but now since those three teams won’t be in the qualifying fight, we should be among the favorites to qualify. On paper we should be able to advance, but football isn’t easy, whether it’s against Guyana, Montserrat or other islands, they make you suffer. Football nowadays is won with consistency, work, commitment and you also have to be efficient with every goal. We have played very good games in which we dominated and created but in the end we lost 1-0, which can knock you out.
What would it mean to Panama to return to the World Cup?
It would be massive. I’ve seen the highlights of when they reached the World Cup, I saw the highlights of the goal against England, which was their first goal in a World Cup; the celebrations, the happiness, the people crying. Imagine a situation that makes you cry and experience such emotions, getting to another World Cup would be a great achievement and would be a great joy for all of the Panamanian people.
How have Panama’s footballers improved in your time there?
I think they have been adapting to what we want in the national team, the way of playing. They are following instructions well and are assimilating to our ideas. They learn quickly and I think that has helped them improve a lot.
Are Panama the biggest team in Central America?
No, Costa Rica are a big team with more history than us and you have to respect them. Right now in the FIFA Rankings we are third in Concacaf, which is a great achievement, but from a football standpoint we are very even, so I don’t want to say that we are better than them, but I will say that we are up there.
You have been coaching Panama for four years. What does the country mean to you?
It is a place where I am very happy. I feel loved. I am working with good people and they let me do my job. That is important. Even though we didn’t get to Qatar, the affection of the people from the first moment has been there and the results accompany that. I think the people have seen an evolution, a change in philosophy, a change in playing model that we have implemented in the national team that has inspired hope. That transformed itself into a [contract] renewal because normally when you don’t get to a World Cup, they usually don’t bring you back. But they saw that there was a lot of work that had been put in, there was hope from the fans, from sponsors, from everyone that had faith in me and later the federation as well.
And what do your players mean to you?
There is a lot of affection between me and the players. It’s been four years now with many of them. Every year there are some who come into the team and others that leave with the passing of time, but the truth is that we are a small family when we get together, but with a lot of mutual respect. The commitment on the part of the players and mine as well along with the federation is very high, but joining those things together makes Panama stronger collectively. We have players who always put the team first ahead of themselves and that is worthy of praise.
