Panama’s Image Was Very Good at the World Cup: Coach Christiansen Does Not Define his Future

Panama’s coach, Thomas Christiansen, stated on Saturday that his team’s image to the world has been “very good,” despite being eliminated in the group stage without any points or goals scored.  “We haven’t won, zero points, zero goals, but Panama’s image to the world has been very good,” the coach said at the press conference after losing 0-2 to England in the final match of Group L at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.  Panama finished the group stage with a perfect record of defeats, having also fallen to Ghana and Croatia by the same score (0-1).  “There’s no doubt that I like to win and be ambitious, and as I’ve mentioned before, I was hoping to play well and get points, but it wasn’t to be,” he noted. 

The Spanish-Danish coach nevertheless expressed his pride in the Panamanian squad and emphasized that, in his opinion; Panama had a “very respectable” 2026 World Cup.  “From my point of view, they had a spectacular World Cup, and I hope these players attract a lot of interest,” he declared. Christiansen emphasized that the team was “compact” and “organized” against England, but lacked decisiveness in attack.  “We have to remember who we were up against. England applied very intense pressure throughout the match, and when we won the ball back, we lost it too quickly,” he analyzed. 

He also lamented the absence due to injury of Adalberto Carrasquilla pictured above, midfielder for Pumas in Mexico, in the three group stage matches of the 2026 World Cup.  “It was a shame, but now the most important thing is that he recovers, has a good preseason, and is ready for what’s to come with the national team,” he expressed.  He also revealed that Carrasquilla seemed like he was going to be fit in time, but he suffered a “setback” in his recovery process that prevented him from playing with the senior team in the group stage.

Future

Christiansen left his future in the position uncertain after being eliminated from the group stage of the 2026 World Cup on Saturday with three defeats and no goals scored against Ghana, Croatia, and England.  “My contract ends in a couple of days, and well, I need some time to analyze everything that has happened in this World Cup, the six years I’ve been here, that we’ve been in Panama. It’s something that needs to be discussed with many parties,” the coach stated at a press conference after losing 0-2 to England at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.  The Spanish-Danish coach specified that he will discuss his future with his family, who “are the ones most affected” by his absence during his time leading the Central American team. 

“But, but, I’m proud to have been part of this team. We tried to give our best, and what was seen in this World Cup is a reflection of everyone’s work,” he said in a farewell tone.  When asked again about his future as Panama’s national team coach, Christiansen reiterated that he needs to “weigh” whether the best course of action at this moment “is to continue, step down, or try something new.”  “I want to reflect a bit on what has happened in these three matches (of the 2026 World Cup), on the experience of working together during this time, and on what is best for me and for the federation,” he explained. 

“We also shouldn’t be selfish. We all have to want and seek what is best for progress. If it’s to continue in the same way, it’s not worth it. We have to analyze things, and that’s why I say we need time,” he added.  Panama concluded its second appearance in a World Cup finals this Saturday with a perfect record of losses in the group stage and no goals scored, having conceded four against Ghana (0-1), Croatia (0-1), and England (0-2).  Nevertheless, the coach considered the image the Panamanian team has projected to the world to be “very good.”