Costa Rica national football team

Costa Rica
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Los Ticos (The Ticos)
La Sele (The Selection)
La Tricolor (The Tricolor)
AssociationFederación Costarricense de Fútbol (FCRF)[1]
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationUNCAF (Central America)
Head coachGustavo Alfaro
CaptainKeylor Navas/Celso Borges
Most capsCelso Borges (163)
Top scorerRolando Fonseca (47)
Home stadiumEstadio Nacional
FIFA codeCRC
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 52 Increase 2 (4 April 2024)[2]
Highest13 (February–March 2015)
Lowest93 (July 1996)
First international
 Costa Rica 7–0 El Salvador 
(Guatemala City, Guatemala; 14 September 1921)
Biggest win
 Costa Rica 12–0 United States 
(Barranquilla, Colombia; 10 December 1946)
Biggest defeat
 Mexico 7–0 Costa Rica 
(Mexico City, Mexico; 17 August 1975)
 Spain 7–0 Costa Rica 
(Doha, Qatar; 23 November 2022)
World Cup
Appearances6 (first in 1990)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2014)
CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup
Appearances22 (first in 1963)
Best resultChampions (1963, 1969, 1989)
Nations League Finals
Appearances1 (first in 2021)
Best resultFourth place (2021)
Copa América
Appearances6 (first in 1997)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2001, 2004)

The Costa Rica national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in men's international football. The national team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body for football in Costa Rica. It has been a member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) since 1927, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1961, and a member of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) since 1990.

Costa Rica is the most successful national football team from the region of Central America. Winning three CONCACAF Championships (1963, 1969, 1989) and leading the Copa Centroamericana tournament with four championships up until 2017, when it was absorbed into the CONCACAF Nations League. Costa Rica is the only national team in Central America to have played in six FIFA World Cup editions. Costa Rica's national football team has the all-time highest average Football Elo Ranking in Central America with 1597.1, and the all-time highest Football Elo Ranking in Central America, with 1806 in 2014.

Since the late 1980s, the team has continuously been visible as a solidly competitive side, with a prominent performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, making it to the knockout stage in their debut after finishing second in their group during the first phase, below Brazil. They also qualified for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

In 2014, Costa Rica achieved their best performance in history by finishing first in their group that consisted of three former World Cup champions: Uruguay, Italy, and England. During the round 16 they defeated Greece 5–3 via a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. Moreover, during their match against the Greek team, Keylor Navas saved more than 15 shots. They reached the quarter-finals for the first time but were defeated by the Netherlands, also in a penalty shoot-out (3–4) after a scoreless draw on 5 July.[4][5] Both their 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns ended in a fourth place group stage exit, with their only points coming from a 2–2 draw against Switzerland in 2018 and a 1–0 win over Japan in 2022.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

Costa Rica national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

The national team made its debut in the Independence Centenary Games held in Guatemala City in September 1921, winning their first game 7–0 against El Salvador. In the final, Costa Rica defeated 6–0 Guatemala to claim the trophy.[6]

Costa Rica's team in the late 1940s acquired the nickname "The Gold Shorties".[7] Throughout the '50s and '60s, they were the second strongest team in the CONCACAF zone behind Mexico, finishing runners-up in World Cup qualifying in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 qualifiers. Stars of the side during this period included Ruben Jimenez, Errol Daniels, Leonel Hernandez and Edgar Marin. However, Costa Rica was not able to utilize this advantage, hence failed to reach any World Cup at that decade.

At the end of the 1960s their fortunes declined as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and Canada rose in prominence.

1980s[edit]

Costa Rica failed to qualify for any of the World Cups in the 1970s and 1980s, and did not reach the final round of the CONCACAF qualifying until the 1986 qualifiers.

They participated in two consecutive Summer Olympic Games, in Moscow 1980 and in Los Angeles 1984. In 1980, Costa Rica competed against Yugoslavia, Finland and Iraq in Group D, losing 3–2, 3–0 and 3–0 respectively. In Los Angeles, the Ticos lost 3–0 against the United States, and 4–1 against Egypt, but beat a strong Italy team, which included Walter Zenga, Pietro Vierchowod, Franco Baresi and Aldo Serena, 1–0 with a goal by the midfielder Enrique Rivers.

1990 World Cup[edit]

Team that played against Scotland in the World Cup Italy 1990

Costa Rica won the 1989 CONCACAF Championship to qualify for the finals of a World Cup for the first time. In the first round of the qualifiers, they beat Panama 3–1 on aggregate after a 2–0 away victory in the second leg, with goals by Juan Arnoldo Cayasso and Hernán Medford. They were drawn against Mexico in the second round, but advanced automatically when their opponents were disqualified for youth player age tampering.

Costa Rica started the final qualifying group stage with a home victory and an away defeat against both Guatemala and the United States. They drew 1–1 with Trinidad and Tobago and then beat the same opponents 1–0 at home with a goal by Cayasso. They achieved an important away win, 4–2 against El Salvador at the Estadio Cuscatlán, with goals from Carlos Mario Hidalgo, Cayasso and a double from Leonidas Flores, before beating El Salvador 1–0 in San José with a goal from Pastor Fernández. They finished first in the group table, ahead of the United States on goal difference.

Italy 1990, or Italia 90, is considered a seminal moment in Costa Rican football history. In particular, the players are notable for being primarily non-professionals, in that most players had other jobs and did not make a living playing football. Due to the success of the team during the World Cup, a number of the squad members went on to success in Costa Rican football (and international, in the case of Conejo).

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Costa Rica 8 5 1 2 10 6 +4 11
 United States 8 4 3 1 6 3 +3 11
 Trinidad and Tobago 8 3 3 2 7 5 +2 9
 Guatemala 6 1 1 4 4 7 −3 3
 El Salvador 6 0 2 4 2 8 −6 2
Source: RSSSF

Placed in Group C at the World Cup finals, Costa Rica began by beating Scotland 1–0 thanks to another goal by Cayasso. Although they lost to Brazil by the same score, they came from behind to beat Sweden 2–1 in their final group match to reach the knockout stages. There, they lost 4–1 to Czechoslovakia, for whom Tomáš Skuhravý scored a hat-trick.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Costa Rica 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 4
3  Scotland 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 2
4  Sweden 3 0 0 3 3 6 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

2002 World Cup[edit]

The Ticos won the qualification for the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. During the qualifiers, Costa Rica were coached by the Brazilian, Gílson Nunes, and then by the naturalised Brazilian, Alexandre Guimarães. The first qualifying group stage began with an unexpected 2–1 defeat to Barbados. After this humiliation, Costa Rica beat the United States 2–1 at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, with goals from Rolando Fonseca and Hernán Medford. They then beat Guatemala 2–1 in the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, with two goals from Paulo Wanchope and Barbados 3–0 at the Ricardo Saprissa, with goals from Jafet Soto, Fonseca and Medford. A draw against the United States and a 2–1 defeat to Guatemala forced Costa Rica into a play-off against Guatemala in Miami. Costa Rica won 5–2 with two goals from Fonseca and one each from Wanchope, Reynaldo Parks and Jafeth Soto.

Costa Rica displayed fine attacking form during the final qualifying round, beginning with a 2–2 draw against Honduras at the Ricardo Saprissa, with goals from Fonseca and Rodrigo Cordero, and a 3–0 defeat of Trinidad and Tobago at the Morera Soto. Their only loss in this round came when the United States beat them 1–0. Costa Rica bounced back with a 2–1 win against Mexico in Mexico City, a match known as the Aztecazo,[8] with goals from Fonseca and Medford. Further wins over Jamaica, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago took Costa Rica to the brink of qualification, which they sealed with an emotional 2–0 win against the United States in the Saprissa, with a double from Fonseca.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Costa Rica 10 7 2 1 17 7 +10 23 Qualified to the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2  Mexico 10 5 2 3 16 9 +7 17
3  United States 10 5 2 3 11 8 +3 17
4  Honduras 10 4 2 4 17 17 0 14
5  Jamaica 10 2 2 6 7 14 −7 8
6  Trinidad and Tobago 10 1 2 7 5 18 −13 5
Source: FIFA

In the finals, Costa Rica were drawn into Group C with Brazil, China, and Turkey. Their campaign started in Gwangju, where the Ticos beat China 2–0. In their second game against Turkey in Incheon, Winston Parks scored an 86th-minute goal to earn a 1–1 draw. Against Brazil, Costa Rica fought back from 3–0 down to 3–2 early in the second half, only to concede two further goals and lose 5–2. With Turkey beating China 3–0, Costa Rica finished behind Turkey on goal difference and were eliminated.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 11 3 +8 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Turkey 3 1 1 1 5 3 +2 4
3  Costa Rica 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
4  China 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

2006 World Cup[edit]

Costa Rica again managed to qualify for the World Cup finals in 2006, albeit with difficulties that saw their American coach Steve Sampson depart after they required away goals to beat Cuba in the preliminary phase. The Colombian Jorge Luis Pinto took over for the next round, which began with a disastrous 5–2 defeat at home against Honduras and a 2–1 loss in Guatemala. Costa Rica recovered with two wins over Canada and a resounding 5–0 triumph over Guatemala, when Wanchope scored a hat-trick and Carlos Hernández and Fonseca added further goals. Costa Rica advanced to the hexagonal round by winning the group.

In the final round they started with a 2–1 defeat against Mexico at the Saprissa, before beating Panama by the same score, with goals from Wayne Wilson and Roy Myrie. Pinto was dismissed after a goalless draw with Trinidad and Tobago, and Guimarães returned as coach. His first match ended in a 3–0 defeat to the United States, but wins followed against Guatemala, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Costa Rica decisively beat the United States in the Saprissa, 3–0, with a goal from Wanchope and two from Hernández, to guarantee their third World Cup qualification.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification United States Mexico Costa Rica Trinidad and Tobago Guatemala Panama
1  United States 10 7 1 2 16 6 +10 22[a] 2006 FIFA World Cup 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2  Mexico 10 7 1 2 22 9 +13 22[a] 2–1 2–0 2–0 5–2 5–0
3  Costa Rica 10 5 1 4 15 14 +1 16 3–0 1–2 2–0 3–2 2–1
4  Trinidad and Tobago 10 4 1 5 10 15 −5 13 Inter-confederation play-offs 1–2 2–1 0–0 3–2 2–0
5  Guatemala 10 3 2 5 16 18 −2 11 0–0 0–2 3–1 5–1 2–1
6  Panama 10 0 2 8 4 21 −17 2 0–3 1–1 1–3 0–1 0–0
Source: [9]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: United States +1, Mexico −1.

On 9 June 2006, Costa Rica made their debut in Munich in the opening match of the World Cup against the hosts, Germany. Wanchope scored to equalise an early goal from Philipp Lahm, and later added another, but Costa Rica lost 4–2. However, they failed to match this encouraging performance in their remaining two games, losing 3–0 against Ecuador and 2–1 against Poland in a dead rubber.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany (H) 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Ecuador 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6
3  Poland 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4  Costa Rica 3 0 0 3 3 9 −6 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Hosts

2010 World Cup[edit]

Costa Rica began the qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup against Grenada, winning 5–2 on aggregate (2–2, 3–0). They won all six games played in the next phase, against El Salvador (1–0, 3–1), Haiti (3–1, 2–0) and Suriname (7–0, 4–1).

With two games left in the Hexagonal round, Costa Rica trailed Honduras by one point in trying to win the third automatic qualification place behind the United States and Mexico. When Honduras lost 3–2 at home to the United States, Costa Rica overtook them with a 4–0 win against Trinidad and Tobago. Needing to win the final match in Washington, D.C. against the United States to ensure qualification, the Ticos led 2–0 at half-time, but Jonathan Bornstein scored an injury-time equaliser to draw the match 2–2. Meanwhile, Honduras's 1–0 victory over El Salvador moved them into third place in the group table on goal difference.

Costa Rica finished fourth, pushing them into a play-off with the fifth-placed team from the CONMEBOL region, Uruguay. The Ticos lost the first leg in San José 1–0, after a goal by Diego Lugano, and finished with ten men after Randall Azofeifa was sent off. In the second leg, played at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Sebastián Abreu put Uruguay ahead twenty minutes from time, and although Walter Centeno equalised, the 1–1 draw sent Uruguay to the World Cup finals, 2–1 on aggregate.

After failing to qualify, the team began a new era, with the young talent of players such as Azofeifa, Keylor Navas, Cristian Bolaños, Michael Barrantes and Joel Campbell. Rónald González was the interim coach before Ricardo La Volpe was appointed in September 2010. He lasted only ten months before being replaced by the Colombian, Jorge Luis Pinto, in his second spell in charge. During this period, Costa Rica played many friendlies against the top-ranked teams in the world, including the world champion Spain, most of them in the new national stadium, the Estadio Nacional, which was opened in 2011.

2014 World Cup[edit]

The Ticos' 2014 World Cup campaign began with a 2–2 draw against El Salvador in the third round of the qualifiers. They followed this with a 4–0 win over Guyana with a hat-trick by Álvaro Saborío. Two defeats to Mexico put the Ticos one defeat away from elimination, but they resurrected their campaign with a 1–0 win against El Salvador, with the only goal scored by José Miguel Cubero. They clinched a final round berth with a 7–0 win over Guyana, with goals scored by Randall Brenes, Saborío, Cristian Bolaños, Celso Borges and Cristian Gamboa.

The fourth round began with a 2–2 draw against Panama. In March, Costa Rica lost 1–0 against the United States in Denver, and launched an unsuccessful appeal against the match because of inclement weather.[10] Costa Rica again fell 1–0 to the United States in the Gold Cup that June.[11] Costa Rica then won 2–0 against Jamaica, beat Honduras 1–0 against, drew 0–0 at the Azteca against Mexico and won at home 2–0 against Panama. In September, they won 3–1 against the United States in San José.

On 10 September 2013, Costa Rica drew 1–1 with Jamaica, thanks to a goal from Brenes, to qualify with two games to spare. After a 1–0 loss at Honduras and 2–1 win over Mexico in October, Costa Rica finished second in the table, behind the United States.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 10 7 1 2 15 8 +7 22 Qualification to 2014 FIFA World Cup 1–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0
2  Costa Rica 10 5 3 2 13 7 +6 18 3–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 2–0
3  Honduras 10 4 3 3 13 12 +1 15 2–1 1–0 2–2 2–2 2–0
4  Mexico 10 2 5 3 7 9 −2 11 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 0–0 0–0 1–2 2–1 0–0
5  Panama 10 1 5 4 10 14 −4 8 2–3 2–2 2–0 0–0 0–0
6  Jamaica 10 0 5 5 5 13 −8 5 1–2 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1
Source: [12]

Costa Rica were drawn in finals Group D against three previous tournament winners – Italy, England and Uruguay – and were given odds of 2500–1 to win the tournament.[citation needed] However, they beat Uruguay and Italy and drew 0–0 with England to finish top of the group and qualify for the knockout stage.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Costa Rica 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Uruguay 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 6
3  Italy 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
4  England 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

In the second round, they beat Greece 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, seeing them through to the quarter-finals for the first time. There, they held the Netherlands to a 0–0 draw after extra time, before losing 4–3 on penalties. Costa Rica rose 12 places to 16th in the FIFA World Rankings. Former player Rónald González cited their long-term progress since 2007 as the reason for their achievement.[13]

2018 World Cup[edit]

The Ticos' qualification for the 2018 World Cup started with a bye to the fourth qualifying round, where they won five games and drew one, winning their group. In the final round, they finished second behind Mexico to qualify automatically, winning four matches, drawing four and losing two.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Mexico Costa Rica Panama Honduras United States Trinidad and Tobago
1  Mexico 10 6 3 1 16 7 +9 21 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 3–1
2  Costa Rica 10 4 4 2 14 8 +6 16 1–1 0–0 1–1 4–0 2–1
3  Panama 10 3 4 3 9 10 −1 13 0–0 2–1 2–2 1–1 3–0
4  Honduras 10 3 4 3 13 19 −6 13 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 3–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 3–1
5  United States 10 3 3 4 17 13 +4 12 1–2 0–2 4–0 6–0 2–0
6  Trinidad and Tobago 10 2 0 8 7 19 −12 6 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Costa Rica were drawn in Group E alongside Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia. Many key players from 2014 tournament remained in the squad, but they made a disappointing exit at the group stage. Costa Rica lost their first two games, against Serbia and Brazil, without scoring, but drew 2–2 with Switzerland in their last match after equalising in injury time.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Switzerland 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5
3  Serbia 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4  Costa Rica 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

2022 World Cup[edit]

The Ticos' qualification for the 2022 World Cup started with a bye to the final qualifying round, they finished fourth behind United States to advance to inter-confederation play-offs winning seven matches, drawing four and losing three. In the inter-confederation play-offs in Al Rayyan, Costa Rica won the match 1–0 against New Zealand and qualified for the World Cup.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Canada 14 8 4 2 23 7 +16 28 2022 FIFA World Cup
2  Mexico 14 8 4 2 17 8 +9 28
3  United States 14 7 4 3 21 10 +11 25
4  Costa Rica 14 7 4 3 13 8 +5 25 Inter-confederation play-offs
5  Panama 14 6 3 5 17 19 −2 21
6  Jamaica 14 2 5 7 12 22 −10 11
7  El Salvador 14 2 4 8 8 18 −10 10
8  Honduras 14 0 4 10 7 26 −19 4
Source: FIFA, CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Costa Rica 1–0 New Zealand
  • Campbell 3'
Report

On November 23, 2022, Costa Rica lost 7–0 against Spain becoming the biggest World Cup loss since 2010.[14] This match also tied for their worst defeat in professional football with a match against Mexico, which ended with the result Mexico 7–0 Costa Rica (Mexico City, Mexico; 17 August 1975). Despite an improvement from beating Japan and initially make a little justice of scoring 2 goals from losing a goal of Germany in the first half, the latter scored 3 goals and thrashed Costa Rica’s qualification to Round of 16 hope.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6 Advanced to knockout stage
2  Spain 3 1 1 1 9 3 +6 4
3  Germany 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1 4
4  Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 3 11 −8 3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Home stadium[edit]

Estadio Nacional is the home stadium of the Costa Rica national team since its opening on 10 January 2011, after a short construction that took only 22 months. This venue hosts their friendly matches as well as the World Cup qualifying matches against CONCACAF rivals. Before the construction of the stadium the matches where played in Estadio Ricardo Saprissa or in Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.

Team image[edit]

Costa Rica's 2018 FIFA World Cup kit showcased in Limón

Costa Rica wears traditionally a red jersey with blue shorts and white socks. Their away kit historically was a Juventus-style black and white striped jersey with white shorts and white or black socks, due to these colors being the ones of CS La Libertad, one of the oldest clubs in Costa Rica. However, after 1997, the striped kit was replaced by a white kit. In 2015, Boston based sportswear company New Balance became the provider of the national team, after taking over for Italian company Lotto. Since 2023, Adidas is the kit provider for the national team.

Kit sponsorship[edit]

Supplier Period
Costa Rica Desport 1980–1989
Italy Lotto 1990–1994
United States Reebok 1995–1999
Costa Rica Trooper 1999
Mexico Atletica 2000–2001
Spain Joma 2001–2007
Italy Lotto 2007–2014
United States New Balance 2015–2022
Germany Adidas 2023–present

Results and fixtures[edit]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023[edit]

20 June Friendly Ecuador  3–1  Costa Rica Chester, United States
20:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Subaru Park
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Víctor Cáceres (Mexico)
26 June 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Costa Rica  1–2  Panama Fort Lauderdale, United States
18:30 UTC−4
Report Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium
Attendance: 10,101
Referee: Drew Fischer (Canada)
30 June 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup El Salvador  0–0  Costa Rica Harrison, United States
20:30 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Attendance: 22,615
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)
4 July 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Costa Rica  6–4  Martinique Harrison, United States
20:30 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Attendance: 21,531
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)
8 July 2023 Gold Cup QF Mexico  2–0  Costa Rica Arlington, United States
20:30 UTC−5 Report Stadium: AT&T Stadium
Attendance: 60,355
Referee: Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
8 September Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–3  Costa Rica Newcastle, England
20:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: St James' Park
16 November 2023–24 Nations League QF Costa Rica  0–3  Panama San José, Costa Rica
21:00 UTC−6 Report Stadium: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Attendance: 17,787
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
20 November 2023–24 Nations League QF Panama  3–1
(6–1 agg.)
 Costa Rica Panama City, Panama
21:00 UTC−5 Report Calvo 51' Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández
Attendance: 15,288
Referee: Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
Note: Panama won 6–1 on aggregate and qualified to the 2024 Copa América. Costa Rica advanced to the play-in.

2024[edit]

2 February Friendly Costa Rica  2–0  El Salvador San José, Costa Rica
20:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: Estadio Nacional
Referee: Steven Madrigal (Costa Rica)
23 March 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs Costa Rica  3–1  Honduras Frisco, United States
18:15 UTC−5
Report Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)
Note: Costa Rica qualified for the 2024 Copa América after winning this game.
26 March Friendly Costa Rica  1–3  Argentina Los Angeles, United States
20:00 UTC−7
Report Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Referee: Josef Mickelson (United States)
9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Grenada  v  Costa Rica Grenada
--:-- UTC−4 Stadium: TBD

2025[edit]

Coaching staff[edit]

Current Coach Gustavo Alfaro
Position Name
Manager Argentina Gustavo Alfaro
Assistant Coach 1 Argentina Carlos Gonzalez
Assistant Coach 2 Argentina Claudio Cristofanelli
Goalkeeper's Coach Argentina Diego Martin Carranza
Fitness Coach 1 Argentina Sergio Omar
Fitness Coach 2 Argentina Pedro Ignacio
Video Analyst Argentina Alejandro Juan
Doctor Costa Rica Alejandro Ramírez
Physiotherapist Costa Rica Martha Sisfontes
Physiotherapist Costa Rica Brayner Sánchez
Nutritionist Costa Rica Alhelí Mateos
Massage Therapist Costa Rica Óscar Segura
Props Costa Rica Randall Obando
Props Costa Rica Alberto Mena
Team Administrator Costa Rica Alvaro Herrera
Sporting Director Argentina Claudio Vivas

Coaching history[edit]

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up for the 2024 Copa América qualifying play-offs match against  Honduras on 23 March 2024.[15]

Caps and goals as of 20 June 2023, after the match against  Ecuador.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Keylor Navas (captain) (1986-12-15) 15 December 1986 (age 37) 114 0 France Paris Saint Germain
18 1GK Kevin Chamorro (2000-04-08) 8 April 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
23 1GK Patrick Sequeira (1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Spain Ibiza

15 2DF Francisco Calvo (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 (age 31) 83 9 Mexico Juárez
19 2DF Juan Pablo Vargas (1995-06-06) 6 June 1995 (age 28) 16 3 Colombia Millonarios
2DF Joseph Mora (1993-01-15) January 15, 1993 (age 31) 7 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
6 2DF Julio Cascante (1993-10-03) 3 October 1993 (age 30) 7 1 United States Austin
2DF Yael López (1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense
2DF Alexis Gamboa (1999-03-20) 20 March 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense
3 2DF Pablo Arboine (1998-04-03) April 3, 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
5 2DF Fernán Faerron (2000-08-22) 22 August 2000 (age 23) 2 0 Costa Rica Herediano
2 2DF Gerald Taylor (2001-05-28) 28 May 2001 (age 22) 2 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
22 2DF Haxzel Quirós (1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Costa Rica Herediano

12 3MF Joel Campbell (1992-06-26) 26 June 1992 (age 31) 132 27 Costa Rica Alajuelense
10 3MF Elías Aguilar (1991-11-07) 7 November 1991 (age 32) 22 2 Costa Rica Herediano
11 3MF Ariel Lassiter (1994-01-23) 23 January 1994 (age 30) 19 1 Canada CF Montréal
14 3MF Orlando Galo (2000-08-11) 11 August 2000 (age 23) 12 1 Costa Rica Herediano
13 3MF Jefferson Brenes (1997-04-13) 13 April 1997 (age 27) 9 1 Costa Rica Saprissa
20 3MF Brandon Aguilera (2003-06-28) 28 June 2003 (age 20) 8 0 England Bristol Rovers
21 3MF Álvaro Zamora (2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 (age 22) 8 0 Greece Aris Thessaloniki
16 3MF Alejandro Bran (2001-03-05) 5 March 2001 (age 23) 6 0 United States Minnesota United

8 4FW Josimar Alcócer (2004-07-07) 7 July 2004 (age 19) 8 0 Belgium Westerlo
7 4FW Anthony Contreras (2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 24) 18 3 Cyprus Pafos
9 4FW Manfred Ugalde (2002-05-25) 25 May 2002 (age 21) 8 2 Russia Spartak Moscow
4 4FW Kenneth Vargas (2002-04-17) 17 April 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Scotland Heart of Midlothian
17 4FW Warren Madrigal (2004-07-24) 24 July 2004 (age 19) 9 1 Costa Rica Saprissa

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have been called up within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Aarón Cruz (1991-05-25) 25 May 1991 (age 32) 5 0 Costa Rica Herediano v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
GK Kevin Briceño (1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 32) 1 0 Costa Rica Cartaginés v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
GK Alexandre Lezcano (2001-08-26) 26 August 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Costa Rica Herediano v.  Panama, 20 November 2023
GK Jussef Delgado (1994-01-27)27 January 1994 (aged 29) 0 0 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup

DF Jeyland Mitchell (2004-09-29) 29 September 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
DF Yeison Molina (1996-01-25) 25 January 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Costa Rica Guanacasteca v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
DF Jefry Valverde (1995-06-10) 10 June 1995 (age 28) 3 0 Costa Rica Saprissa v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
DF Ian Lawrence (2002-05-28) 28 May 2002 (age 21) 4 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
DF Douglas Sequeira (2003-09-16) 16 September 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Costa Rica Saprissa v.  El Salvador, 2 February 2024
DF Giancarlo González (1988-02-08) 8 February 1988 (age 36) 90 2 Costa Rica Sporting San José v.  Panama, 20 November 2023
DF Bryan Oviedo (1990-02-18) 18 February 1990 (age 34) 81 2 United States Real Salt Lake v.  Panama, 20 November 2023
DF Ronald Matarrita (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 29) 54 3 Greece Aris Thessaloniki v.  United Arab Emirates, 12 September 2023
DF Carlos Barahona (2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Costa Rica Cartaginés v.  United Arab Emirates, 12 September 2023
DF Elián Quesada (2005-02-19) 19 February 2005 (age 19) 0 0 England Arsenal Under-21s and Academy v.  Saudi Arabia, 8 September 2023
DF Kendall Waston (1988-01-01) 1 January 1988 (age 36) 70 10