As Panama’s First World Cup Match vs Ghana Approaches the Team Strengthens Ties with Canada
Panama’s national team maintains ties of friendship with the community in Canada by signing autographs for fans. While the World Cup was officially inaugurated on June 11 in Mexico City, Panama keeps its focus on Toronto Stadium.
Panama: Just six days before their historic debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Panama’s senior national team transformed their base camp at the Nottawasaga Resort into a setting for social integration. The national team held a 90-minute open training session that allowed the New Tecumseth community and local Panamanian residents to closely observe the tactical preparation of the national team.
A Training Session with a Community Feel
The day began with an official welcome from the mayor of New Tecumseth pictured below left, who thanked the Panamanian delegation for their presence in the municipality. Under the guidance of Thomas Christiansen pictured below right, the players completed an intense session that included finishing drills and ball control exercises. Goalkeeper César Samudio then held a press conference where he highlighted the positive atmosphere and the team’s motivation for this World Cup experience.
A training session with a community feel The day began with an official welcome from the mayor of New Tecumseth, who thanked the Panamanian delegation for their presence in the municipality.
Canada: A Panamanian baseball player from the New York Yankees showed up at the Nottawasaga Training Site during the Panamanian national team’s open training at their base camp. The event featured a special guest: Panamanian outfielder José “Chema” Caballero of the New York Yankees pictured above center. Taking advantage of his time in Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays, Caballero attended practice, shared dinner with the team, and participated in a jersey exchange with captains Aníbal Godoy and Eric Davis. This gesture of support adds to the previous meetings the national team has had with other major leaguers like Iván Herrera and Edmundo Sosa, reinforcing the unity of Panamanian sports.
Countdown to debut: While the World Cup officially kicked off on June 11 in Mexico City, Panama remains focused at Toronto Stadium. The national team will continue its regular morning training sessions before facing its first major challenge in Group L against Ghana , scheduled for Wednesday, June 17. The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicked off on June 11 with an unprecedented event: for the first time in history, 48 national teams are competing in the most important tournament in world football. The 32-team format, used continuously since France 1998, is now a thing of the past.
This edition, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada , will feature a total of 104 matches, a record number that far surpasses the 64 matches played in recent editions. The 48 participating teams are divided into twelve groups of four teams each. The format also introduces a historic innovation to the knockout structure: at the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the next round , along with the eight best-performing third-placed teams , thus forming a knockout bracket of 32 teams that will debut with a new round: the round of 32.
