Panama Team Ready for Matches Against Uruguay in Qualifiers

While García, at the helm of Panama, reiterated that with the players he has he is "fit to compete in a great way and undoubtedly hopes to win these games," the coach of the national quintet stated, referring to today's match at the Roberto Durán Arena and the return leg to be played on November 30 in Montevideo. Both Panama's coach, Gonzalo García, and Uruguay's coach, Gerardo Jauri, agree that they arrive "full of hope" and with the goal of being able to reach the next World Cup. Panama and Uruguay are playing in Group D of the qualifiers for the 2027 Qatar World Cup, where the teams of Argentina and Cuba are also seeded; the top three teams advance to the second round. Meanwhile, Uruguay's director, Gerardo Jauri, told South American media that the "visit to Panama is key because it is a direct rival." The "Charrúa" quintet is a known rival for Panama, and its coach, Gonzalo García, admits it. Jauri expressed that he arrives in Panama with the mindset of snatching the game, having "confidence and optimism" for these two matches. "Without a doubt, I respect him very much because it is a very tough team (Uruguay), they have been playing together for years, they have the game system very well learned, and we have to be alert, because without a doubt it will be a very tough nut to crack," warned the Argentine coach serving the isthmian team. Panama, which has been in four World Cups: Yugoslavia, 1970; Colombia, 1982; Spain, 1986; and Japan, 2006; seeks to return to the great basketball event for the fifth time. The national team's coach added that the "locker room" of the Panamanian team is "fine," "motivated," and that "these guys have been playing together for a while." García lamented not being able to count on Iverson Molinar (injured) and Ernesto Mauro Olivie (permission from his team) for the first window of the qualifiers, where they will face Uruguay in home and away matches, and he announced that Jhivvan Jackson will be the "natural leader" of the Panamanian team for these two matches. The road is long, and the first stone on the path is Uruguay, in the first window of Group D, which will be played this Thursday, November 27, at 8:40 p.m., at the Roberto Durán Arena, corresponding to the qualifiers for the 2027 Qatar event. Panama aspires to return to another Basketball World Cup. Regarding that point guard position, García clarified that it is well-covered, also having veteran Trevor Gaskins and Roberto Armstrong.