Panama coach praises team spirit after World Cup exit to Croatia

Thomas Christiansen said he was proud of Panama after the Selección de Panamá fell 1-0 to Croatia in Toronto, a result that ended its World Cup 2026 run. Ante Budimir scored the only goal in the second half on June 23, and the defeat followed Panama’s opening loss to Ghana, leaving Christiansen’s side eliminated before its final group match.

Christiansen tried to frame the loss on Panama’s own terms: effort, identity and commitment. “Hemos jugado bien, hemos muerto con las botas puestas, con nuestra identidad y lo único que puedo decir es que estoy orgulloso de mis jugadores.” His point was not empty consolation. Panama did not fold against a Croatia side that needed points to keep its own advance hopes alive, and the performance was strong enough for Christiansen to call it “un partidazo.”

That claim held up in part. Panama stayed organized for long stretches, played with the intensity Christiansen demanded and forced Croatia to work for the result in a match that carried weight for both teams. The loss, though, exposed the same hard edge that has defined Panama’s campaign: chances did not turn into goals, and a side still chasing its first World Cup victory again left without the decisive finishing touch.

The broader context made the disappointment sharper. Panama reached the 2026 tournament only for its second World Cup appearance, after Russia 2018, and had entered the group stage still looking for a first win on the sport’s biggest stage. Christiansen, the Danish coach who once played for FC Barcelona, has been credited with turning Panama into a more competitive national team, but this result showed the distance that remains between resilience and advancement.

Panama’s final group match was scheduled against England on Saturday, June 27, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Croatias’s win, meanwhile, kept its own path alive, while Panama’s stay in the tournament ended with a performance Christiansen asked fans to remember for its fight as much as for the scoreboard.