The Costa Rican Football Federation has ended its partnership with Mexican coach Miguel “El Piojo” Herrera after the national team missed out on the 2026 World Cup. The decision came on Thursday, November 20, following a meeting where federation leaders agreed to terminate his contract.
In a short statement, the federation said Herrera and his coaching staff would step down immediately. “Miguel Herrera will no longer be the head coach of the Costa Rican national team, along with his coaching staff, as of Thursday, November 20,” the announcement read. It added that the executive committee would soon start looking at new candidates to guide the team through upcoming FIFA matches. “We will provide updates on the process in due course.”
Herrera took over in January, stepping in after Gustavo Alfaro moved to Paraguay and Claudio Vivas was let go. His first game was a friendly against the United States, which Costa Rica lost 3-0. He then managed the team in the Gold Cup, where they exited in the quarterfinals without making a strong impact.
The real blow came in the Concacaf qualifiers. Costa Rica, a team with six World Cup appearances, ended third in Group C behind Haiti and Honduras. They only won against Nicaragua and drew 0-0 at home with Honduras on Tuesday – a result that sealed elimination for both sides.
Herrera spoke openly about his disappointment after the Honduras draw. “I’m heavy-hearted. Honestly, I had never found myself in this kind of unfortunate situation in my career. We tried and it didn’t happen,” he said. “The hopes and dreams this staff had of being at the World Cup didn’t come to pass; today, unfortunately, they vanished.” He described feeling a mix of pain, bitterness, sadness, anger, and frustration. “I was really excited,” added a clearly upset Herrera.
Federation vice president Leonardo Vargas called for patience in the transition. “We have to take it slowly. We would like to act quickly, but we have to analyze things,” he said after leaving the Proyecto Gol meeting. Vargas also noted that the executive committee would review National Team Director Ignacio Hierro’s role next week. “It wasn’t reviewed, and that was left for next Wednesday’s meeting.”
Hierro, who joined in December 2024 after Vivas left, has faced heavy criticism since the qualification failure. Known in Costa Rican soccer mainly for his time with Sporting San José, his hiring sparked doubts from the start.
Federation president Osael Maroto defended him in a September 22 interview on Radio Monumental’s 120 Minutos program: “He has the résumé to be there. He has enough experience.” But fans have pointed fingers at Maroto too, holding him accountable for the team’s poor run.
Herrera had hinted at leaving earlier, saying on Tuesday, “In the next few days, once things have calmed down, we’ll surely sit down and finalize this.” He faced sharp backlash from fans and media during his 10-month tenure, which included 15 games: seven wins, five draws, and three losses.
Costa Rica’s absence from the 2026 tournament, hosted in North America, marks a low point for our country that has long punched above our weight in international soccer. The federation now faces pressure to rebuild ahead of future competitions.
