Panama coach Thomas Christiansen named a 27-man squad on September 17 for the national team’s first matches since the 2026 World Cup, mixing established players with new faces for a tour of Asia.
Adalberto Carrasquilla, Amir Murillo, José Córdoba and José Fajardo are among the returning players. The list also includes first senior call-ups for forwards Josué Vergara and Mijahir Jiménez. In all, 13 players were not part of Panama’s World Cup squad, according to La Estrella de Panamá.
Two players from Panama’s domestic league made the selection: goalkeeper Marcos de León of Sporting San Miguelito and midfielder Daivis Murillo of Plaza Amador. Botafogo forward Kadir Barría was left out, while Ariel Arroyo, Édgar Bárcenas and Newton Williams are unavailable through injury.
Panama will face India in late September before playing New Zealand in Japan on October 1. A second match in Tokyo on October 5 will be against either Japan or Ecuador, depending on the results of a four-team tournament.
The trip begins a new phase for Christiansen after a difficult World Cup. Panama lost all three group matches - 1-0 to Ghana, 1-0 to Croatia and 2-0 to England - and left the tournament without scoring. It was the country’s second appearance at a men’s World Cup, following its debut in 2018.
The Asian fixtures give Christiansen an early chance to assess players outside the World Cup group while preparing for Panama’s next competitive matches in the Concacaf Nations League.
Sources: La Estrella, Fepafut