MIAMI, Florida – The Road to W Gold Cup in League A begins on Wednesday night with a Group B encounter between Central American rivals Guatemala and Panama at the Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, Guatemala.
This will be the first official match between the Chapines and Canaleras since 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Championship Qualifying when Panama registered a 3-1 victory in October 2019.
Guatemala would go on to finish a solid third place in their group during 2022 Concacaf W Championship Qualification with two victories, powered by Andrea Alvarez and Maria Monterroso, who had three goals each.
Guatemala’s previous outing came last month in a friendly with Honduras, which ended in a 1-0 triumph for the Chapines. They will be aiming for a similar result in this affair, which will be the first of two meetings between Guatemala and Panama in this window.
No doubt that it has been a memorable 2023 for Panama. The Canaleras emerged victorious from the Inter-Confederation Playoffs to qualify for their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup at Australia/New Zealand 2023.
While their run in the tournament ended in the group stage, they certainly made an impact, scoring their first ever Women’s World Cup goal against France on a wonder strike from star player Marta Cox.
It is now up to Cox, Riley Tanner and the other Panama stars to turn their attention to a Group B campaign with the objective of finishing first and qualifying for the inaugural W Gold Cup in 2024.
Match Officials Guatemala vs Panama
REF: CARLY SHAW-MACLAREN (Canada)
AR1: GABRIELLE LEMIEUX (Canada)
AR2: MELISSA SNEDDEN (Canada)
4TH: KEDEEN FOSTER (Cayman Islands)
