Guatemala will host Surinam in the final matchday of the Concacaf Qualifiers, which will determine the three direct qualifiers to the World Cup and the two countries that will go to the intercontinental playoff. After the victory against Guatemala on Thursday night, the national team reached nine points, tying with Surinam, who had previously defeated El Salvador 4-0, eliminating them from any chance of qualification. Guatemala and El Salvador are already eliminated with five and three points respectively. The outlook for Panama is positive as a win would secure one of the two playoff spots, and if Surinam loses or draws against Guatemala, Panama would qualify directly for the World Cup. However, the South American team competing in Concacaf has a superior goal difference of +5, compared to Panama's +2. Following a 3-2 victory over Guatemala away on Thursday night, the Panama National Football Team returned to training on Friday afternoon at the Pandeportes High Performance Center (CAR) in Llano Bonito, Juan Díaz. The Panamanian team traveled by charter flight from Guatemala to Panama in the early hours of Friday, where they rested at their concentration hotel and resumed training at 4 p.m. The session, led by head coach Thomas Christiansen and his technical staff, saw players who had limited minutes or did not play against Guatemala train, while the starters remained at the concentration hotel with physiotherapists and medical staff doing recovery exercises. Training is expected to continue over the weekend and on Monday in preparation for the crucial match against El Salvador on Tuesday, November 18th, at 8:00 p.m. at the Rommel Fernández National Stadium.
