The Costa Rica men’s national soccer team on Tuesday learned of its opponents as it seeks a berth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The final three teams in last round of CONCACAF qualifiers — which we and others have dubbed “The Octagon” — are Panama, Canada and El Salvador. Their results on Tuesday means they’ll join Costa Rica, the United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Honduras in the group of eight.
The top three CONCACAF teams from The Octagon will earn a spot in the 2022 World Cup, while the fourth-place team will advance to an intercontinental playoff for their invitation to Qatar.
Costa Rica’s schedule will be as follows:
- September 2021: Costa Rica at Panama, home vs. Mexico, and home vs. Jamaica.
- October 2021: Costa Rica at Honduras, home vs. El Salvador, and at the United States.
- November 2021: Costa Rica at Canada, and home vs. Honduras.
- January 2022: Costa Rica home vs. Panama, at Mexico, and at Jamaica.
- March 2022: Costa Rica home vs. Canada, at El Salvador, and home vs. the United States.
The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out international matchdays in 2020, and that forced changes to the usual North American format for qualifying.
Every month has at least one home fixture for Costa Rica, highlighted by September (vs. Mexico), November (Honduras) and March 2022 (the United States and Canada).
