Panama's senior women's national football team will today seek to add a second win in as many away games in the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, when they face Saint Kitts and Nevis. The match, corresponding to group E of this Concacaf qualifier, will be held in the city of Basseterre at 6 PM (Panama time). For today's game, Panama will not be able to count on its captain Marta Cox, who suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left leg. The Panamanian team, led by Spanish coach Toña Is, won its first match of this group stage on November 30, when they defeated Curacao 6-1. In addition to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Panama's group also includes Aruba, Cuba, and Curacao. Following the game against Saint Kitts and Nevis, Panama will host Aruba on April 9 and close out the group stage at home against Cuba on April 17. Only the winner of the group will qualify for the W Championship, where the four Concacaf spots for the 2027 World Cup, to be held in Brazil, will be decided. A press release from the Panamanian Football Federation (FPF) highlights that at the pre-game press conference against Saint Kitts and Nevis, coach Toña Is stated that the team is focused on getting a good result in today's game. "We are very focused on the game we have," she said, emphasizing the importance of not deviating from the immediate goal despite the good start in the competition. Ahead of this match, Toña Is valued the growth the team has had since she took over the helm, which will be her thirteenth match coaching Panama: "We have improved in many facets since we started coaching the team. Additionally, she highlighted the positive impact of the increased competitiveness of the Women's Football League (LFF), a factor she considers key to elevating the level when players are called up to the squad. Finally, the coach acknowledged the excitement surrounding the national team after its historic participation in the last World Cup and the collective desire to return to an event of that magnitude: "The people are very excited about our qualification for the World Cup, about seeing us again at a World Cup event. We are taking it step by step and are very eager to qualify," she affirmed. "We believe we need to dominate all contexts a bit," she explained, underlining the need for the team to be able to adapt to different game scenarios.
