Panama has been placed in Group L alongside a familiar rival, England, as well as Croatia and Ghana, who are challenging opponents. «This is what we've got,» stated coach Thomas Christiansen after the draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.
The Danish-Spanish coach made it clear his desire to «compete» and surpass the team's performance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as he said in an interview with TvMax.
Christiansen admitted he will begin preparations, look into possible friendly matches, and work on potential host cities and training camp locations. But he made one thing clear about his team and expectations for the 2026 World Cup: «We don't have to be the underdogs. We have to go and compete,» he retorted.
The coach of the Panamanian squad admitted he knows Otto Addo, whom he faced as a player in the Bundesliga (Germany), but acknowledged he doesn't have much information about the African team, although he highlighted the figure of Athletic Club striker Iñaki Williams.
The Panamanian national team will face England again, a team now coached by Thomas Tuchel and which is always a candidate to be a protagonist of the tournament.
The manager added that he is not closing the door on any young players, although there is a solid core group in the team.
«These are three complicated rivals,» reiterated Thomas Christiansen. He also added that at the draw, he would have preferred opponents from «other confederations,» not just two European ones, but stated, «We are going to give it our all.»
Regarding Croatia, Christiansen expressed that against European teams, one must go out and «fight.» «You never know what can happen».
