Thomas Christiansen, head coach of the Panama national team that will play in the 2026 World Cup, commented after learning of his rivals in Group L, saying the task is complicated but they must fight, compete, and make a good impression.
The task looks daunting for Panama on its second trip to these World Cups, especially when facing teams like England, Croatia, and Ghana.
In the German Bundesliga, they coincided. «If he maintains that same spark as a strategist, we have to see and do our work,» pointed out Odo.
Meanwhile, the Englishman Thomas Tuchel notes that the group is difficult and they know little about Panama.
The first two (England and Croatia) are among the top ten favorites to reach the final stages, and the Africans are not far behind in these tournaments.
Panama now awaits the announcement of its venues, which are expected to be announced this Saturday. However, the Goal website noted that Panama will debut on June 17 against Ghana at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, followed by a match against Croatia on June 23 at BMO Stadium in Toronto, Canada, and will close against England on June 27 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.
Christiansen met with the three coaches who lead the other teams he will face, and they all agree that they know little about Panama, although they do know about the Canalero coach. They will have six months to expand their studies and develop strategies for their matches.
These statements were taken from the TVMAX broadcast that featured the coaches: Otto Addo of Ghana; Thomas Tuchel of England; and Zlatko Dalić of Croatia, who lost the 2018 final to France and was third in Qatar 2022.
Otto Addo, Ghana's coach, met with the colleague who leads Panama, Thomas Christiansen, and both agreed that they know little about each other's teams.
Panama sees itself as the underdog in the group, but in terms of probability, nothing is impossible, and Ghana is the most accessible team to aim for one of the best third-place spots.
«We cannot be inferior, we must compete and fight with them,» expresses Christiansen, with optimistic arguments in one of the most complicated groups of the 12 that were drawn at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Additionally, Christiansen stated that he «would have liked to have had another team from another confederation in his group, not two from Europe».
The Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalić, is on an upward trajectory, and dealing with England and Ghana will be more difficult than with Panama, at least on paper. Addo did indicate that he knows Thomas and described him as a player in his time as intelligent.
