Team Profile

The Costa Rica men’s national team will participate in its 16th Concacaf Gold Cup, and 14th consecutive, as it aspires to win the tournament for the first time.

Costa Rica will participate in Group C with Panama, El Salvador, and the winner of the Prelims 8 match. Costa Rica and Panama meet again after being paired in Group B of League A in the 2022–23 Concacaf Nations League, where a top-two finish earned both countries their Gold Cup qualification.

With an overall record of 24W-17D-22L and 96 goals scored and just 74 conceded, the Ticos boast one of the best all-time records in the Gold Cup and have been led by some of the region’s finest goal-scorers.

Look no further than Walter Centeno and Paulo Cesar Wanchope, who amassed nine and seven goals, respectively, in their Gold Cup careers. Among active players, MF Celso Borges ranks as the top scorer for Costa Rica in the Gold Cup with five goals, including two in the last edition in 2021.

Borges is also Costa Rica’s all-time appearances leader in the tournament, with 25 games and followed closely behind by Bryan Ruiz (23), Alvaro Saborio (21) and Harold Wallace (21).

This year’s journey begins on Monday, June 26, versus Panama as the group kicks off in a doubleheader at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL. The road won’t get any easier as El Salvador is up next on Friday, June 30, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ, where the team will remain for their final group stage match on Tuesday, July 4.

Runners-up in the 2002 edition, the nation is looking to reach the knockout stages for the 15th occasion. If they are successful, a quarterfinals participation will start on Saturday, July 8, at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, against either the first or second-placed team from Group B.

Los Ticos will look to make a run for the trophy with the likes of veterans Kendall Waston, Francisco Calvo, Joel Campbell, and Borges.

Borges can extend his tally as the country’s leader in Gold Cup matches played with 25. He and Campbell led the nation in scoring with two goals apiece in the previous edition.

Among the young players to watch is forward Anthony Contreras, who will make his tournament debut. Contreras picked up his first senior goal against El Salvador during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, a journey that led to his first World Cup participation last November.

Luis Fernando Suarez manages the Central Americans after helping them reach the quarterfinals two years ago. The Colombian coach previously coached Honduras to consecutive semifinal appearances in the 2011 and 2013 editions.