Costa Rica will welcome fans back to the National Stadium as La Sele begins 2022 Men’s World Cup qualifiers next month.
Up to 3,000 fans will be allowed at the 35,000-seat venue, representing less than 9% of the stadium’s maximum capacity. Attendees will be required to wear masks and remain distanced from people outside their social bubble, among other Covid-related measures.
The decision to allow fans is considered a pilot program for La Sele’s matches in September. Capacity and other measures may change in October and beyond.
Details regarding how to obtain tickets to Costa Rica’s home World Cup qualifiers have yet to be announced.
Costa Rica’s scheduled World Cup qualifiers for September and October are as follows:
- Sept. 2: Panama v. Costa Rica (away) – vaccinated fans only, up to 80% capacity
- Sept. 5: Costa Rica v. Mexico (home) – up to 3,000 fans
- Sept. 8: Costa Rica v. Jamaica (home) – up to 3,000 fans
- Oct. 7: Honduras v. Costa Rica (away) – about 10,000 fans allowed
- Oct. 10: Costa Rica v. El Salvador (home) – TBD
- Oct. 13: USA v. Costa Rica (away; Columbus, Ohio) – full capacity
The Costa Rican men will play 14 matches, seven home and seven away, over windows in September, October and November 2021 and January and March 2022.
The top three finishers advance to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while the fourth-place squad has a playoff next June to decide another berth.
The 3,000-person limit at the National Stadium will also apply to the Costa Rica women’s national team, which will host friendlies against Guatemala in mid-September.
