Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday that he will travel to Canada in June to attend the national soccer team’s opening match against Ghana in the 2026 World Cup. “In June we have that great event, the World Cup; we’ll be there in Canada supporting our team,” Mulino stated during the inauguration of the Luis “Matador” Tejada High-Performance Center. The president added that he is confident Panama can start with a victory in its first match of the tournament, precisely against the Ghanaian squad. “I want them to win the first match, which I believe is against Ghana; we’re going to beat Ghana,” he said with a laugh.
Panama, placed in Group L of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held between June and July in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will debut on June 17 against Ghana, and then face Croatia and England on June 23 and 27, respectively, in the group stage. The Panamanian national team is currently preparing for two friendly matches against South Africa, scheduled for March 27 at Moses Mabhida Stadium and March 31 at DHL Stadium. Panama’s coach, the Spanish-Danish Thomas Christiansen, stated last Tuesday that these matches will serve as key tests to finalize the roster for the World Cup.
