Panama and Nicaragua go head to head at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in the final Group D outing of the 2026 FIFA World Cup second qualifying round on Tuesday night.

Both nations, who have enjoyed a 100% record in the qualifiers so far, have their sights on clinching top spot in the standings and this makes for an exciting group finale in Panama City.

Match preview

Panama maintained their perfect record in the second round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers as they picked up a 2-0 victory over Belize when the two nations squared off on Saturday night.

In a one-sided affair at the FFB Stadium, the visitors proved too hot to handle for Belize as Fidel Escobar and Eduardo Guerrero scored either side of the half-time break to hand them a comfortable victory.

This was Panama’s first piece of action since their CONCACAF Nations League heartbreak in March, when they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Mexico in the final after seeing off the United States 1-0 in the semi-finals in Inglewood.

Having edged out Guyana and Montserrat in the first two games in Group C back in June 2024, Thomas Christiansen’s men have now booked their spot in the main qualifying round as they sit second in the table, six points clear of third-placed Guyana and only behind Wednesday’s visitors on goal difference.

Panama now return to home soil, where they are unbeaten in each of their last five competitive matches, picking up four wins and one draw since a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Canada in the Nations League semi-finals back in 2023.

Meanwhile, Nicaragua made it three wins from three games in the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday when they edged out Guyana 1-0 at the Nicaragua National Football Stadium.

Jaime Moreno struck four minutes before the half-time break to put Nicaragua in front and this proved to be the difference as the Blue and White turned in a solid defensive display after the break to repel Guyana and see out the win.

Marco Antonio Figueroa’s men had kicked off their qualifying journey with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Montserrat at the Nicaragua National Football Stadium in June 2024, three days before hammering Belize 4-0 in Belmopan.

Prior to Saturday’s victory, Nicaragua failed to win any of their three outings in 2025, losing home and away against Guadalupe in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in March before playing out a 1-1 stalemate with Puerto Rico in a friendly on June 1.

While Nicaragua will be looking to secure top spot in Group C, they will need their A-game at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez as they take on an opposing side who are unbeaten in 23 of their previous 28 meetings, claiming 22 wins and one draw since their first encounter in May 1941.

Panama World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Panama form (all competitions):

Nicaragua World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Nicaragua form (all competitions):

Team News

Anibal Godoy was forced off injured late in the game against Belize on Saturday night and the San Diego FC man is a doubt for the midweek group finale.

Should he fail to shake off the injury, 21-year-old Edward Cedeno will push for a starting role at the centre of the park for Panama, teaming up with Cristian Martinez and Cobresal man Cesar Yanis.

At the defensive end of the pitch, Jose Cordoba, Carlos Harvey and Escobar should form the back three while we expect an unchanged attacking duo of Cecilio Waterman and Dunamis Kyiv man Eduardo Guerrero.

Off the back of a solid defensive display against Guyana, Figueroa could name a similar Nicaragua XI on Wednesday, with Josue Quijano, Christian Reyes, Justing Cano and Oscar Acevedo forming the back four once again.

With his winner against Guyana last time out, Moreno now boasts 13 goals in 44 senior caps for the Blue and White, and the 30-year-old should lead the attack alongside Ariagner Smith and Real Esteli man Bancy Hernandez.

Panama possible starting lineup:

Mejia; Cordoba, Harvey, Escobar; Rodriguez, Godoy, Martinez, Blackman; Waterman, Guerrero, Yanis

Nicaragua possible starting lineup:

Rodriguez; Quijano, Reyes, Cano, Acevedo; Arteaga, Barrera, Arauz; Hernandez, Smith, Moreno

We say: Panama 2-0 Nicaragua

While Panama and Nicaragua have enjoyed a stellar run of results in Group C and have already booked their spot in the main qualifying phase, both sides will be looking to clinch top spot in the standings, adding some more excitement to Wednesday’s clash.

However, Panama have enjoyed the better of this fixture, and given the gulf in class and experience between the two nations, we are backing them to come out on top once again.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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