---
title: "Dely Valdés Says Panama Can Surprise at the 2026 World Cup"
date: 2026-04-09
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/panama-world-cup-dely-valdes/
categories:
  - "Sports"
tags:
  - "Costa Rica 2014"
  - "Julio César Dely Valdés"
  - "Panama"
  - "Panamanian football"
  - "World Cup 2026"
---

# Dely Valdés Says Panama Can Surprise at the 2026 World Cup

## What Happened

Panamanian soccer icon Julio César Dely Valdés believes Panama could emerge as a surprise team at the 2026 World Cup, reaching a level comparable to Costa Rica’s memorable run in 2014. The former striker, known as “Panagol” for his more than 200 career goals, said he expects Panama to do better than it did in Russia and believes the national team can advance beyond the group stage for the first time.

Valdés said Panama has shown steady improvement during qualifying and that the squad appears increasingly convinced it can compete on the world stage. He pointed to that growing confidence as a key reason for his optimism.

## Panama’s World Cup Challenge

Valdés acknowledged that Panama would face a difficult group, but he said the same was true for Costa Rica in Brazil 2014, when the Central American side advanced from a section that included Uruguay, Italy and England. He said Panama could go toe to toe with strong opponents and at least fight for qualification.

Panama will compete at its second World Cup in 2026, and Valdés believes the team has enough momentum to make a deeper impact than in its debut tournament appearance. He also said Concacaf’s level has changed, with Panama standing out as the national team in the region that has grown the most.

## Other World Cup Favorites

Asked about the overall tournament, Valdés named Spain and Portugal among his top favorites, with France also in contention. He said he hopes the eventual champion will be a country that has never won the title before. He also identified Portugal, Colombia and Uruguay as possible surprise teams, noting Uruguay’s strong player pool and its tendency to improve as tournaments progress.

Valdés, who also scored 105 goals for Nacional in Uruguay, said his admiration for South American football continues to shape his view of the global game.

## Concerns About the Tournament

Valdés also raised concern about the impact of the war in the Middle East, saying the thought has crossed his mind that the World Cup could be suspended. He said that would be difficult for such a major event, but he did not dismiss the possibility that unexpected developments could affect the tournament closer to kickoff.

Despite that concern, he said he hopes the competition goes ahead and that conflicts around the world end first. His comments mixed football optimism with a broader worry about global instability surrounding the event.

## Looking Back at Panamanian Football

Valdés said Panamanian football has changed significantly since his playing days. He noted that the federation then had fewer resources and less support, and that far fewer Panamanian players were active abroad. He said the growth of the national team in the Concacaf region reflects the sport’s development in the country.

The 59-year-old also reflected on football’s evolution, saying the game was already fully invented long ago and that modern stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stéfano belong to an elite lineage of brilliance. He described Messi as unique and said no one can be compared with him, including Ronaldo.