Golden Jaguars lose 2-0 to Panama in World Cup qualifier

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars suffered a setback in their quest for qualification to the 2026 Football World Cup, losing 2-0 to Panama on Thursday night.

After some brilliant saves from keeper Quillan Roberts saw a nil-all scoreline at the half with Guyana also creating several opportunities, Panama surged ahead in the second half with two goals in the space of three minutes.

Cristian Martinez opened the scoring in the 62^nd minute although he was in a slightly off-side position, while fellow substitute Jose Rodriguez netted in the 65^th. The Golden Jaguars now travel to Barbados to play Belize on June 11.

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Guyana is drawn in Group D alongside Panama, Nicaragua, Montserrat and Belize, with this qualification phase between June 2024 and June 2025.

The qualification process comprises three stages, involving 32 FIFA-affiliated Concacaf Member Associations. In the initial round, the lowest-ranked Member Associations, such as Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, United States Virgin Islands, and Anguilla, competed.

Moving into the Second Round, the first-round victors and the remaining 28 participating Member Associations, including Guyana, will partake in a series of four matches. Only the group winners and runners-up will progress to the third and final round of Qualifiers.

In the Final Round, the second-round group winners and runners-up (comprising 12 teams) will be divided into three groups of four teams each. These teams will battle it out in six home-and-away matches across the FIFA international match windows of September, October, and November 2025.

The victorious trio from these groups will secure their places in the prestigious World Cup.

Guyana’s ambition is to secure one of these three spots for direct qualification, aiming to make their debut appearance in the World Cup alongside hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States.