Who are the Panama players England need to look out for?
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- Adalberto Carrasquilla is Panama's tempo-setter and the first Panamanian named Concacaf men's player of the year (2024), but has yet to play a minute at this World Cup after a thigh injury sustained on 24 May, with indications he could feature against England.
- Jose Cordoba — known at Norwich City as the 'Prince of Panama' — averaged 6.2 ball recoveries per 90 minutes among Championship centre-backs with at least 750 minutes in 2025-26, having flourished since Philippe Clement's November appointment.
- Cristian Martinez became the first Panamanian to win FIFA's man-of-the-match award in a World Cup game against Croatia, with head coach Thomas Christiansen calling his metrics 'numbers we hadn't seen in six years.'
- Michael Amir Murillo was the only Panama squad member in a top-five European league in 2025-26 until his sudden February departure from Marseille, and already played against England at the 2018 World Cup.
- Cecilio Waterman — a 35-year-old veteran forward — celebrated his stoppage-time winner against the USA by climbing onto a TV studio platform to embrace idol Thierry Henry, and had to be restrained from a training-ground shoving match with teammate Jose Luis Rodriguez on Friday.
- Panama — the oldest and most-capped squad at this tournament after their 2018 debut ended in three straight defeats including a 6-1 loss to England — have already been eliminated and are playing only for pride.
Why it matters: England face a Panama side with nothing to lose and a squad packed with veterans averaging the most international experience in Qatar, raising the stakes for Gareth Southgate's side beyond a dead-rubber fixture — a slip would be the most embarrassing result of the group stage.
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