The head coach of the Panama national football team, Thomas Christiansen, commented on the draw for the 2026 World Cup. Panama was placed in Group L, where their opponents will be England, Croatia, and Ghana. Christiansen acknowledged that this is a difficult group but noted that the team's goal remains the same as before the draw: to improve upon their performance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "This is not what we wanted, or at least not to have one team from another continent instead of two Europeans, but well, this is what we got and now we have to enjoy the three matches we have," added the coach. Christiansen emphasized that despite the difficulties, the national team will maintain the same objective. "The idea is the same, we are not going to change anything. The only thing that will be more difficult. The truth is that all the teams that were at the draw today are very good, and it was truly impossible not to end up in a difficult group," he stated. Regarding having two European rivals in the same group, Christiansen expressed that it was not what they wanted prior to the draw, but it is what they have to face and they must do so responsibly and enjoy the games. "As we have said, two European teams plus one African team, which are very difficult, is what we have to deal with, and we will try to do our best, improving on what we did in Russia," he pointed out. "It's a very difficult group," concluded Christiansen.
