Panama are always one of the underdogs when they take part in the Copa America, but there remains a craze to see Los Canaleros in action.
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History: Panama National Team at Copa America
Panama made its Copa America debut in 2016, courtesy of a third-place finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup the previous year. Since 1993, CONMEBOL have invited several non-South American nations to take part in Copa America.
Panama won its Copa America group opener against Bolivia, 2-1, with star striker Blas Pérez scoring twice. Los Canaleros subsequently tasted heavy defeats against Argentina and Chile, as both of these South American juggernauts would advance to the Copa America final for a second successive year.
As they prepare to take to the field at Copa America 2024, Panama will be determined to cause an upset over their superior opponents.
Panama's Historic Performance at Copa America 2024
Panama enjoyed a historic Copa América 2024, becoming the first time the Central American nation had ever reached the knockout stage of a major tournament. They navigated a tough Group C which included Uruguay, the United States and Bolivia with real quality, recovering from a 3-1 opening loss to Uruguay by beating the tournament hosts USA 2-1 and then dispatching Bolivia 3-1 to finish second in the group. The win over the US was the standout moment: played in front of nearly 60,000 fans in Atlanta, Panama came from behind against a ten-man US side to win through a Jose Fajardo winner in the 83rd minute — widely described as one of the greatest results in their football history.
Their run ended in the quarter-finals against Colombia, who proved a step too far. Panama were beaten 5-0 in Glendale, Arizona, with James Rodríguez pulling the strings throughout. But the defeat did little to diminish what had been a landmark tournament for the country. Much of the credit goes to Danish coach Thomas Christiansen, who had taken the side from 81st in the FIFA world rankings all the way up to 43rd since taking charge in 2020. Copa América 2024 felt like a genuine coming-of-age moment for Panamanian football.