Costa Rica national football team

This article is about Costa Rica's men's national football team. For the women's team, see Costa Rica women's national football team.
Costa Rica
Nickname(s) La Sele
La Tricolor
Los Ticos
Los Mata Campeones[1]
Association Federación Costarricense de Fútbol
(FEDEFUTBOL)
Sub-confederation UNCAF (Central America)
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Head coach Paulo Wanchope
Asst coach Luis Antonio Marín
Captain Bryan Ruiz
Vice-captain Keylor Navas
Celso Borges
Most caps Walter Centeno (137)
Top scorer Rolando Fonseca (47)
Home stadium Estadio Nacional
FIFA code CRC
FIFA ranking 15 Decrease 2 (9 April 2015)
Highest FIFA ranking 13 (February 2015-March 2015)
Lowest FIFA ranking 93 (July 1996)
Elo ranking 15 (27 November 2014)
Highest Elo ranking 13 (10 March 1960)
Lowest Elo ranking 81 (March 1983)
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Costa Rica 7–0 El Salvador 
(Guatemala City, Guatemala; 14 September 1921)
Biggest win
 Costa Rica 14–0 Nicaragua 
(Guatemala City, Guatemala; September 14, 1921)
Biggest defeat
 Mexico 7–0 Costa Rica 
(Mexico City, Mexico; 17 August 1975)
World Cup
Appearances 4 (First in 1990)
Best result Quarter-finals, 2014
CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup
Appearances 17 (First in 1963)
Best result Champions, 1963, 1969 and 1989
Copa America
Appearances 4 (First in 1997)
Best result Quarter-Finals, 2001 and 2004
Copa Centroamericana
Appearances 13 (First in 1991)
Best result Champions, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2014

The Costa Rica national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in international men's football. Costa Rica is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body for football in Costa Rica. They have been a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) since 1927, a member of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1961 and a member of the Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol (UNCAF) since 1990.

Costa Rica are the current Central American champions after winning the 2014 edition of the tournament. Costa Rica is the most successful national football team in the history of Central America, with eight championships: 1991, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2014. They are also one of the most successful team in CONCACAF with three titles. Costa Rica is the only national team in Central America to have played in four FIFA World Cup editions. Costa Rica's national football team has the all-time highest average Football Elo Ranking in Central America with 1597.1, and the all-time highest Football Elo Ranking in Central America, with 1806 in 2014.

Since the late 1980s, the team has continuously been visible as a solidly competitive side, with a prominent performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, making it to the knockout stage in their debut after finishing second in their group during the first phase, below Brazil. They also managed to qualify for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In 2014, Costa Rica made their best performance in history by finishing first in their group that consisted of three former World Cup champions: Uruguay, Italy, and England. During the Round of 16 they defeated Greece 5-3 via a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Reaching the quarterfinals for their very first time the "Ticos" were defeated by the Netherlands also in a penalty shootout (3-4) after a scoreless draw on July 5.[2][3]

History

Costa Rica has a long-standing football culture and tradition.

The national team made its debut in the Independence Centenary Games held in Guatemala City in September 1921, winning their first game 7–0 against El Salvador. In the final, Costa Rica defeated 6–0 Guatemala to claim the trophy.[4]

The football team of Costa Rica has been characterized above all by its regularity over the years. Well remembered is the selection of this country formed in the late 1940s acquiring the nickname of "The Gold Shorties". Throughout the 50s and 60s, they were very much the second strongest team in the CONCACAF zone behind Mexico, finishing runners-up in World Cup qualifying in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 qualifiers. Stars of the side during this period were Ruben Jimenez, Errol Daniels, Leonel Hernandez and Edgar Marin.

However, at the end of the 60s their fortunes would decline as other teams in the region such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and Canada came to the fore. Although the majority of these participants have been short on points in their World Cup performances. During the 1970s and most of the 1980s, the Costa Rican team went unnoticed, and was absent from World Cups. Costa Rica failed to make the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying rounds until the 1986 qualifier. Currently its historical topscorer is Rolando Fonseca with 47 goals.

1980s

Costa Rica participated in 2 straight Summer Olympic Games, in Moscow 1980 and in Los Angeles 1984. In 1980, Costa Rica competed against Yugoslavia, Finland and Iraq, in Group D, losing all 3 games 2-3, 0-3 and 0-3 respectively. Los Angeles saw Costa Rica's first win in a worldwide international participation. Again in Group D, the Ticos played against The United States, Egypt and Italy. The game against The US ended in a loss, 0-3. The second game didn´t see much improvement, 1-4 against Egypt. But in the last game, against an Italian squad that included Walter Zenga, Pietro Vierchowood, Franco Baresi and Aldo Serena, Costa Rica prevailed 1-0, with an Enrique Rivers goal.

Qualifying to Italy 1990

Flores (C)
Chavarria
Chávez
Marchena
Gómez
Ramirez
Team that played against Scotland in the World Cup Italy 1990
Main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup

After a great campaign in the CONCACAF Championship in 1989, Costa Rica got their first ticket to the finals of a World Cup where they made a huge showing after beating Scotland and Sweden in the first round. It all started with a tie against Panama. To advance to the qualifying group stage. Costa Rica suffered against the Panamanians in the first game at Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Alajuela, and ended up taking a local one to one tie. In the second game at the stadium Revolution (now Rommel Fernández), with goals from Juan Arnoldo Cayasso and Hernán Medford gave the away victory to Costa Rica 0–2 victory to advanced to the group stage. Costa Rica started the group stage with a defeat in Guatemala by 1 to 0. Then beat the same Guatemala 2–1 at home, goals from Róger Flores and Evaristo Coronado. Then Costa Rica beat the U.S. in San Jose by 1–0 with a goal from Gilberto Rodden. Then they lost to the U.S. 1–0 in St. Louis – Missouri. Following this they tied in Trinidad and Tobago 1 to 1, the scorer was Evaristo Coronado. Beat Trinidad and Tobago in San Jose with a goal by Juan Arnoldo Cayasso. A substantial away win was next for the Ticos in El Salvador at the Cuscatlán by 2–4, with goals from Carlos Mario Hidalgo, Juan Arnoldo Cayasso and a double from Leonidas Flores. Finally in the last game a victory over El Salvador in San Jose by 1 goal to 0 signified a trip to the 1990 Fifa World Cup. Pastor Fernandez scored the lone goal. Costa Rica finished first with 11 points in the pentagonal and the United States in second also with 11 points in 8 games respectably both qualifying, but Costa Rica first on goal difference. Mexico was disqualified from this qualifier because of youth player age tampering.

In the World Cup finals, Costa Rica was second in their group behind Brazil, but lost in the round of 16 to Czechoslovakia.

Qualifying Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Costa Rica 8512106+411
 United States 843163+311
 Trinidad and Tobago 833275+29
 Guatemala 611447−33
 El Salvador 602428−62

1990s and early 2000s

After its brilliant performance in the Italian summer, the national team failed to qualify for World Cup USA 1994 and France 1998 due to lack of planning and poor results. It was an important and historical moment when, in 1997 Costa Rica was invited for the first time to the Copa América held in Bolivia, Costa Rica also played memorable friendlies including a 5–4 defeat against Uruguay in Estadio Centenario.

Main article: 1997 Copa América
Qualifying Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Brazil 3300102+89
 Mexico 311155-4
 Colombia 310255-3
 Costa Rica 3012210-81

2001 Copa América

Main article: 2001 Copa América

Korea / Japan 2002 World Cup Qualifiers

Main article: 2002 FIFA World Cup

After the failures in qualifying for the World Cup 1994 and World Cup 1998, the Ticos won the qualification for the World Cup in 2002 held in South Korea and Japan. This included victories against favorites Mexico and the United States. During the World Cup the results were mixed, losing to Brazil (tournament champion) 5–2 (only team to score 2 goals against Brazil at this World Cup), tying with Turkey (third in the championship) 1–1 and beating China 2–0. Costa Rica finished in third place in their group, behind Turkey on goal difference. The match against Brazil is remembered as one of the most exciting matches of the tournament.

During the qualifiers, though, Costa Rica started with many ups and downs, first in command of Brazilian coach Gilson Nunes Sequeira and then with Costa Rican Alexandre Guimarães. The first group stage began with an unexpected defeat to Barbados 1–2. After this humiliating loss, Costa Rica proceeded to beat the United States at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium 2–1, with goals from Rolando Fonseca and Hernán Medford. Then they beat Guatemala in the Morera Soto Alajuela by 2–1, with two goals from Paulo Wanchope and defeated Barbados at the Ricardo Saprissa 3–0, with goals from Jafet Soto, Rolando Fonseca and Hernan Medford. After this good run, Costa Rica's level decreased and took a scoreless match against the United States, then lost to Guatemala in Mazatenango 2–1. This result forced a playoff against Guatemala in Miami, Florida. The match was won 5–2 by Costa Rica with two goals from Rolando Fonseca, one from Paulo Wanchope, one from Reynaldo Parks and Jafeth Soto.

Costa Rica displayed a fine offensive form with a rather solid front line, thanks to their new coach, Alexandre Guimaraes. This display of football evidenced itself during the final hexagonal round, although it began with a draw against Honduras at the Ricardo Saprissa 2–2, with goals from Rolando Fonseca and Rodrigo Cordero. Then Costa Rica defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3–0 at the Morera Soto. Their only loss in this final round came thanks to the U.S., who defeated Costa Rica 1–0. Afterwards, Costa Rica bounced back with a huge win against Mexico in Mexico city 1–2, which is usually referred as the "Aztecazo", with goals from Rolando Fonseca and Hernan Medford. Morale was high after this game, and Costa Rica beat Jamaica 2–1 in Alajuela. Again, Costa Rica came away with an away win over Honduras in Tegucigalpa 2–3, goals scored by Paulo Wanchope, Rolando Fonseca and Mauricio Solis. A crucial away win in Port of Spain against Trinidad and Tobago 2–0, with two goals from Rónald Gómez, meant Costa Rica was just 3 points away from qualification to the World Cup. Costa Rica sealed their qualification to Korea/Japan in an emotional match against the U.S. by beating them 2–0 in the Saprissa, with a double from Rolando Fonseca. The final 2 games were uneventful, as Costa Rica managed a goaless tie with Mexico at the Ricardo Saprissa and defeated already-eliminated Jamaica 0–1, using subs and reserves. Costa Rica finished first in that hexagonal round with 23 points in 10 games.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Costa Rica 107211771023
 Mexico 10523169717
 United States 10523118317
 Honduras 104241717014
 Jamaica 10226714−78
 Trinidad and Tobago 10127518−135

Germany 2006 World Cup Qualifiers

Main article: 2006 FIFA World Cup

In 2006, Costa Rica had an uneven season but managed to make the qualification to the World Cup. On 9 June 2006, Costa Rica made its debut in the opening match in Munich against the host German squad, losing the match 4–2.

However, the good performance in that game did not translate over to the other games, where they fell 0–3 against Ecuador, and 1–2 against Poland. This time they also started the journey with ups and downs. First in command U.S. coach Steve Sampson, who was separated after qualifying with doubts over Cuba in the preliminary phase, Both these games results were ties. First in Havana 2–2, with goals Douglas Sequeira and Álvaro Saborío, and then in the second game at the Morera Soto in Alajuela 1–1. Costa Rica advanced to the away goals.

The Colombian Jorge Luis Pinto took over in the group stage. He began with an unheard of 2–5 defeat against Honduras in Costa Rica. Then they visited Guatemala and lost 1–2. Bounced back against Canada at the Saprissa 1–0, with a goal from Paulo Wanchope. Then a resounding triumph over Guatemala in Tibas 5 to 0, a hat-trick from Paulo Wanchope, single goals from Carlos Hernández and Rolando Fonseca resounding. Vancouver,Canada meant a decent 1–3 win, with goals from Paulo Wanchope, William Sunsing and Carlos Hernández. They pulled a goalless draw against Honduras in San Pedro Sula. Costa Rica advanced to the hexagonal winning their group. In the final round they started with a defeat at the Saprissa against Mexico by 1–2. Paulo Wanchope's goal was not enough. They beat Panama in the Saprissa by 2–1, with goals from Wayne Wilson and Roy Myrie.

In Port of Spain tied Trinidad and Tobago in a disappointing scoreless draw. This result marked Pinto's dismissal and the arrival of Alexandre Guimarães. He and the team lost the visit to the United States by 3–0. Guatemala was beaten at the Saprissa 3–2, with goals from Carlos Hernández, Ronald Gomez and Paulo Wanchope. Then lost in Mexico by 2–0. The ticos sank Panama in an away match at the Rommel Fernández 1–3, with goals from Álvaro Saborío, Ronald Gomez and Walter Centeno. Then beat Trinidad and Tobago at the Saprissa by 2–0 with goals from Walter Centeno and Álvaro Saborío.

Decisively beating the United States in the Saprissa by 3–0 equaled clinching the selections third World Cup birth. The first Goal was scored by Paulo Wanchope plus a Double from Carlos Hernández. With the ticket to Germany assured then traveled to Guatemala for a 3–1 loss. Roy Myrie scored their only goal. Costa Rica finished third behind the United States and Mexico in the standings.

South Africa 2010 World Cup Qualifiers

A very strange start for the Ticos. They faced Grenada in the second phase, drew the first leg 2–2, and then won the return by 3–0. In the third phase, forming the Group 3, won all six games played against the teams of El Salvador (1–0 and 3–1), Haiti (3–1 and 2–0) and Suriname (7–0 and 4 -1) in both outward and return. Skipping ahead towards the end of the final phase with Costa Rica achieving 12 points and Honduras 13 points. This meant a dramatic fight for the final spot to qualify for the South African World Cup. Costa Rica had to win their last two games and hope that the selection of Honduras lost. In the first instance they did well. Honduras lost at home 2–3 to the United States. Costa Rica on the other had won 4–0 against Trinidad and Tobago and overtook Honduras in the standings. Honduras closed their matches in El Salvador. However, Costa Rica still needed to give a good showing at the final match in the United States. This was achieved in-part. All went well for the Ticos winning 2–0 at halftime in Washington, D.C.. In the second half the United States scored at the 71st and 95th minutes and the Ticos only finished with a tie. Honduras's, 1–0 victory over El Salvador was devastating. Both Costa Rica and Honduras finished the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification CONCACAF Fourth Round with 16 points. Honduras slipped into the 2010 FIFA World Cup on goal difference. The Costa Ricans finished fourth in the Concacaf final qualifying round and were sent to a playoff with the fifth seated CONMEBOL team. In the playoff, Costa Rica faced Uruguay. In the first leg in San Jose. The Ticos lost 0–1, the Costa Rians finished the match with ten men on the pitch because Randall Azofeifa was sent off at the 52' with his second yellow card. Goal scored by defender Diego Lugano sky. The second leg, played at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. The goals were scored by Sebastián Abreu at the 70' and Walter Centeno 74' and finished in a 1–1 tie. Costa Rica was not able to take advantage of a slight extension of the game or "extra time". Uruguay won 2–1 on aggregate.

CONCACAF 4th place v CONMEBOL 5th place

The fourth-place team in the CONCACAF qualifying fourth round (Costa Rica) played off against the fifth-place team in the CONMEBOL qualifying group (Uruguay). Uruguay won the play-off and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 18 November 2009.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Costa Rica  1–2  Uruguay 0–1 1–1

2010 to present

After failing to qualify for 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the team the need to initiate a new era, based on the combined generational shift with young but experienced talent such as Bryan Ruiz, Keylor Navas, Cristian Bolaños, Randall Azofeifa, Michael Barrantes and of course the very young and upcoming star Joel Campbell. Rónald González was interim contract before hiring in September 2010 of Ricardo La Volpe, whose job lasted only 10 months to be replaced by the Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto, in his second chance in front of the national team, with the goal of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. This era has been characterized by friendlies against the top ranked teams in the world, including world champion Spain, most of them through the construction of the new national stadium.

Brazil 2014 World Cup Qualifying and Tournament

The Ticos' campaign to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup began in June with a 2–2 draw against El Salvador. The Ticos followed this up with a 4–0 win over Guyana with a hat trick by Álvaro Saborío. In September, Costa Rica hit a bump in the road with 2–0 and 1–0 defeats to rivals Mexico, putting the Ticos one defeat away of being eliminated. On 12 October, Costa Rica resurrected their campaign with a 1–0 win against El Salvador with the only goal scored by Jose Miguel Cubero. On 16 October, they finally clinched a final round berth with a 7–0 win over Guyana with goals scored by Randall Brenes, Álvaro Saborío, Cristian Bolaños, Celso Borges and Cristian Gamboa.

The fourth round began with a 2–2 draw against Panama. In March, Costa Rica lost 1–0 against the United States in Denver, Colorado. The Costa Rican Football Federation appealed the match due to inclement weather in Denver, but FIFA rejected the appeal as being without basis.[5] Despite feeling aggrieved by the meteorological conditions, Costa Rica would again fall to the US 1-0 in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup that June.[6] On March 26th, Costa Rica won at home 2–0 against Jamaica. In June, Costa Rica won 1–0 against Honduras, tied 0–0 at the Estadio Azteca against Mexico and won at home 2–0 against Panama. In September, Costa Rica won 3 - 1 against the United States in Estadio Nacional in San José.

On September 10 Costa Rica tied with Jamaica. Goals were scored by Randall Brenes at the 73rd minute and by Jermain Anderson at the 90th minute. Despite losing its lead, Costa Rica qualified to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with two games to spare. After a 1-0 loss at Honduras and 2-1 win over Mexico in October, Costa Rica finished second in the final CONCACAF qualifying round table behind the United States, with five home wins, three draws and two losses.

In December 2013, Costa Rica was drawn in Group D against Italy, England, and Uruguay. Costa Rica were widely perceived as minnows who had no hope in a group against three former World Cup champion nations. They were given extremely unlikely odds of 2500-1 to win the tournament. Amazingly, they ended up topping the group with two wins against Uruguay and Italy and a 0-0 draw with England. In the round of 16 they beat Greece 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, seeing them through to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. At the quarterfinals, the Costa Ricans fought the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw after extra time; the game then went to penalties in which Costa Rica lost 4-3 to the Netherlands. After the tournament, Costa Rica rose 12 places in the FIFA World Rankings, reaching 16th place, which at the time was the best ranking ever of the national team. Currently, La Sele is 13th in the FIFA Ranking.

Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 10 7 1 2 15 8 +722
 Costa Rica 10 5 3 2 13 7 +618
 Honduras 10 4 3 3 13 12 +115
 Mexico 10 2 5 3 7 9 −211
 Panama 10 1 5 4 10 14 −48
 Jamaica 10 0 5 5 5 13 −85
  Costa Rica Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama United States
Costa Rica  — 1–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 3–1
Honduras  1–0 — 2–0 2–2 2–2 2–1
Jamaica  1–1 2–2 — 0–1 1–1 1–2
Mexico  0–0 1–2 0–0 — 2–1 0–0
Panama  2–2 2–0 0–0 0–0 — 2–3
United States  1–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 —

Competitive record

* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter Did Not Enter
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958 Did Not Qualify 6411167
Chile 1962 95132214
England 1966 8710213
Mexico 1970 421173
West Germany 1974 201145
Argentina 1978 614186
Spain 1982 8143610
Mexico 1986 8251108
Italy 1990 Round of 16 13th / 24 teams 420246 10622137
United States 1994 Did Not Qualify 84041611
France 1998 167362217
South KoreaJapan 2002 Group Stage 19th / 32 teams 311156 1711333110
Germany 2006 31st / 32 teams 300339 188463025
South Africa 2010 Did Not Qualify * 2012354122
Brazil 2014 Quarter-Finals 8th / 32 teams 523052 168442712
Total Quarterfinals 4/20 15 5 4 6 17 23 153 77 37 41 274 160
* Uruguay beat Costa Rica 2-1 in the 2010 CONCACAF vs CONMEBOL play-off.

CONCACAF Championship / CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship / CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 14 2
Guatemala 1965 Third Place 3rd 5 2 2 1 11 4
Honduras 1967 Did Not Enter
Costa Rica 1969 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 13 2
Trinidad and Tobago 1971 Third Place 3rd 5 2 1 2 6 5
Haiti 1973 Did Not Qualify
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981
1985 Third Place 3rd 8 2 5 1 10 8
1989 Champions 1st 8 5 1 2 10 6
United States1991 Fourth Place 4th 5 1 0 4 5 9
United StatesMexico 1993 Third Place 3rd 5 1 3 1 6 5
United States 1996 Did Not Qualify
United States 1998 Group Stage 5th 2 1 0 1 8 4
United States 2000 Quarter-Finals 6th 3 0 2 1 5 6
United States 2002 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 8 5
United StatesMexico 2003 Fourth Place 4th 5 2 0 3 9 7
United States 2005 Quarter-Finals 6th 4 2 1 1 6 4
United States 2007 7th 4 1 1 2 3 4
United States 2009 Semi Final 3rd 5 2 2 1 10 6
United States 2011 Quarter-Finals 5th 4 1 2 1 8 6
United States 2013 5th 4 2 0 2 4 2
Total 3 Titles 17/22 83 36 23 24 136 87

Copa Centroamericana

Copa Centroamericana record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Costa Rica 1991 Champions 1st / 4 teams 3 3 0 0 10 1
Honduras 1993 Runners-Up 2nd / 4 teams 3 2 0 1 3 2
El Salvador 1995 Fourth Place 4th / 6 teams 4 1 1 2 5 6
Guatemala 1997 Champions 1st / 6 teams 5 3 2 0 12 3
Costa Rica 1999 Champions 1st / 6 teams 5 3 0 2 13 3
Honduras 2001 Runners-Up 2nd / 7 teams 5 2 2 1 8 5
Panama 2003 Champions 1st / 6 teams 5 4 1 0 5 1
Guatemala 2005 Champions 1st / 7 teams 4 3 1 0 8 2
El Salvador 2007 Champions 1st / 7 teams 4 2 1 1 5 2
Honduras 2009 Runners-Up 2nd / 7 teams 4 3 1 0 9 1
Panama 2011 Runners-Up 2nd / 7 teams 4 1 2 1 6 5
Costa Rica 2013 Champions 1st / 7 teams 5 4 1 0 6 1
United States 2014 Champions 1st / 7 teams 3 2 1 0 7 3
Total 8 Titles 12/12 54 33 13 8 99 35

Copa America

Copa América record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ecuador 1993* Not Invited
Uruguay 1995
Bolivia 1997 Group Stage 10th / 12 teams 3012210
Paraguay 1999 Not Invited
Colombia 2001 Quarter Finals 5th / 12 teams 421173
Peru 2004 7th / 12 teams 410338
Venezuela 2007 Not Invited
Argentina 2011 Group Stage 9th / 12 teams 310224
Chile 2015 Not Invited
United States 2016 Qualified
Total Quarterfinals 4/9 14 4 2 8 14 25
* Ecuador 1993 was the first time nations from outside CONMEBOL were invited.

CCCF Championship

CCCF Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Costa Rica 1941 Champions 1st / 5 teams 4 4 0 0 23 5
El Salvador 1943 Third Place 3rd / 4 teams 6 3 0 3 20 15
Costa Rica 1946 Champions 1st / 6 teams 5 4 0 1 24 6
Guatemala 1948 Champions 1st / 5 teams 8 5 1 2 25 11
Panama 1951 Runners-up 2nd / 3 teams 4 2 1 1 13 5
Costa Rica 1953 Champions 1st / 7 teams 6 6 0 0 19 2
Honduras 1955 Champions 1st / 7 teams 6 6 0 0 19 4
Netherlands Antilles 1957 Did Not Enter
Cuba 1960 Champions 1st / 5 teams 5 3 2 0 14 4
Costa Rica 1961 Champions 1st / 9 teams 7 7 0 0 32 4
Total 7 Titles 9/10 51 40 4 7 191 56

Olympics record

Olympics record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1900 Did Not Enter
United States 1904
United Kingdom 1908
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
Nazi Germany 1936
United Kingdom 1948
Finland 1952
Australia 1956
Italy 1960
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968 Did Not Qualify
Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980 First Round 16 300329
United States 1984 First Round 13 310227
South Korea 1988 Did Not Qualify
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Australia 2000
Greece 2004 Quarter-finals 8 411248
China 2008 Did Not Qualify
United Kingdom 2012
Total Quarter-finals 3/25 10 2 1 7 8 24

Pan American Games record

Panamerican Championship record

Honours

Costa Rica national football team players celebrating their classification at the FIFA World Cup 2014 for the round of 16 in first place of Group D at Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte after their draw with England.

Recent results and upcoming fixtures

      Win       Draw       Loss

2014

2015

Current squad

The following 21 players were selected for the friendly match against Paraguay and Panama on March, 2015.
Caps and goals updated as of March 31, 2015 after the game against Panama.

# Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
GK Keylor Navas December 15, 1986 61 0 Spain Real Madrid
GK Esteban Alvarado April 28, 1989 4 0 Netherlands AZ
DF Júnior Díaz September 12, 1983 72 1 Germany Mainz 05
DF Óscar Duarte June 3, 1989 21 2 Belgium Club Brugge
DF David Myrie June 1, 1988 18 0 Costa Rica Herediano
DF Francisco Calvo July 8, 1992 4 0 Costa Rica Santos de Guápiles
DF Waylon Francis September 20, 1990 2 0 United States Columbus Crew
DF Keyner Brown December 30, 1991 1 0 Costa Rica Herediano
DF Lemark Hernández February 11, 1989 1 0 Costa Rica Limón
DF Jordan Smith April 23, 1991 1 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
MF Celso Borges May 27, 1988 75 19 Spain Deportivo La Coruña
MF Yeltsin Tejeda March 17, 1992 31 0 France Évian
MF Esteban Granados October 25, 1985 12 0 Costa Rica Herediano
MF David Guzmán February 18, 1990 10 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
MF Johan Venegas November 27, 1988 8 3 Costa Rica Alajuelense
MF Deyver Vega September 19, 1992 2 0 Costa Rica Saprissa
MF Elías Aguilar November 7, 1991 1 0 Costa Rica Herediano
MF Aarón Navarro May 29, 1987 0 0 Costa Rica Puma
FW Álvaro Saborío March 22, 1982 98 35 United States Real Salt Lake
FW Bryan Ruiz August 18, 1985 74 17 England Fulham
FW Joel Campbell June 26, 1992 44 10 Spain Villarreal
FW Marco Ureña March 5, 1990 32 9 Denmark Midtjylland
FW John Jairo Ruiz January 10, 1994 4 1 Belgium Oostende
FW Guillermo Ortiz June 20, 1992 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Patrick Pemberton May 24, 1982 24 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
GK Daniel Cambronero December 1, 1987 4 0 Costa Rica Herediano 2014 Copa Centroamericana
GK Kevin Briceño October 21, 1991 0 0 Costa Rica Saprissa 2014 Copa Centroamericana
DF Roy Miller November 24, 1984 52 1 United States New York Red Bulls v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
DF Giancarlo González February 8, 1988 41 2 Italy Palermo v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
DF Cristian Gamboa October 24, 1989 33 1 England West Bromwich Albion v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
DF Michael Umaña July 16, 1982 88 1 Iran Persepolis v.  South Korea, October 14, 2014
DF Johnny Acosta July 21, 1983 32 1 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  South Korea, October 14, 2014
DF Felicio Brown August 28, 1991 1 0 Russia Ufa v.  South Korea, October 14, 2014
DF Bryan Oviedo February 18, 1990 26 1 England Everton v.  Oman, October 10, 2014
DF Pablo Salazar November 21, 1982 5 0 Mexico Mérida 2014 Copa Centroamericana
DF Christopher Meneses May 2, 1990 17 0 Sweden Norrköping 2014 Copa Centroamericana
DF Heiner Mora October 21, 1984 22 1 Costa Rica Saprissa 2014 FIFA World Cup INJ
DF Kendall Waston January 21, 1988 2 0 Canada Vancouver Whitecaps 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary squad
MF Juan Bustos July 9, 1992 5 2 Costa Rica Saprissa v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
MF José Miguel Cubero February 14, 1987 42 2 England Blackpool v.  Oman, October 10, 2014
MF Rodney Wallace June 17, 1988 17 3 United States Portland Timbers 2014 Copa Centroamericana
MF Christian Bolaños May 17, 1984 60 2 Qatar Al-Gharafa 2014 FIFA World Cup
MF Michael Barrantes October 4, 1983 52 4 Norway Aalesund 2014 FIFA World Cup
MF Diego Calvo April 25, 1991 10 1 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2014 FIFA World Cup
MF Carlos Hernández April 9, 1982 39 6 India Dempo 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary squad
MF Ariel Rodríguez April 22, 1986 16 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary squad
FW David Ramírez May 28, 1993 6 1 France Évian v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
FW Mayron George October 23, 1993 2 0 Greece OFI Crete v.  Uruguay, November 13, 2014
FW Armando Alonso March 21, 1984 23 3 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2014 Copa Centroamericana
FW Jonathan Moya January 6, 1992 1 0 Costa Rica Saprissa 2014 Copa Centroamericana
FW Randall Brenes August 13, 1983 42 8 Costa Rica Cartaginés 2014 FIFA World Cup
FW Jairo Arrieta August 25, 1983 17 4 United States D.C. United 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary squad

INJ = Withdrew due to an injury.

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup
Gold Cup
Copa América

Records

As of 31 March 2015.
Bold indicates active players.

Most Caps[7]
# Player Caps Goals Career
1 Walter Centeno 137 24 1995–2009
2 Luis Marín 128 5 1993–2009
3 Rolando Fonseca 113 47 1992–2011
4 Mauricio Solís 110 6 1993–2006
5 Harold Wallace 101 3 1995–2009
6 Álvaro Saborío 98 35 2002–
7 Ronald Gomez 91 24 1993–2008
8 Hernán Medford 89 18 1987–2002
9 Michael Umaña 88 1 2004–
10 Erick Lonnis 76 0 1992–2002
Wilmer López 76 6 1995–2003
Top Goalscorers[7]
# Player Goals Caps Career
1 Rolando Fonseca 47 113 1992–2011
2 Paulo Wanchope 45 73 1996–2008
3 Álvaro Saborío 35 98 2002–
4 Juan Ulloa 27 27 1955–1970
5 Ronald Gómez 24 91 1993–2008
Walter Centeno 24 137 1995–2009
7 Jorge Hernán Monge 23 27 1955–1961
8 Celso Borges 19 75 2008–
9 Hernán Medford 18 89 1987–2002
10 Bryan Ruiz 17 74 2005-

Managers

 
Name Years
Costa Rica Eladio Rosabal Cordero1921
Costa Rica Manolo Rodríguez1930
El SalvadorCosta RicaSpain Ricardo Saprissa1935, 1938
Costa Rica Alejandro Morera Soto1941
Costa Rica Jorge ''Lalo'' Rojas1943
Costa Rica Alejandro Morera Soto1943
Costa Rica Hernán Bolaños1946
England Randolph Galloway
Costa Rica Hernán Bolaños		1946
Costa Rica Hernán Bolaños1948
Costa Rica Santiago Bonilla1950
Costa Rica Ismael ''Melo'' Quesada1951
El SalvadorSpain Ricardo Saprissa
Costa Rica Luis Cartín Paniagua		1951
BrazilSpain Otto Bumbel1953
Costa Rica Alfredo Chato Piedra1955, 1957
Uruguay Rubén Amorín1960
Chile Hugo Tassara Olivares1960
Spain Eduardo Toba Muíño1961
Costa Rica Alfredo Chato Piedra1961, 1963
Spain Eduardo Viso Abella
Costa Rica Alfredo Chato Piedra
Costa Rica Mario "Catato" Cordero		1965
Costa Rica Rodolfo Ulloa Antillón1967–1968
HungaryBrazil Américo Brunner1968
  
Name Years
Costa Rica Rogelio Rojas1969
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez1969
Spain Eduardo Viso Abella1970
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez1971
Argentina Humberto Maschio1972
Uruguay José Etchegoyen1975
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez1975
Costa Rica Juan José Gámez1976
Spain Antonio Moyano Reina1979–80
Czechoslovakia Ivan Mráz1980
Spain Antonio Moyano Reina1983–84
BrazilCosta Rica Odir Jacques1985
Costa Rica Álvaro Grant MacDonald1985
Uruguay Gustavo De Simone1987–89
Spain Antonio Moyano Reina
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez		1989
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez1989–90
Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaMexico Bora Milutinović1990
Costa Rica Rolando Villalobos1991
Uruguay Héctor Núñez1992
Costa Rica Juan José Gámez1993
Costa Rica Álvaro Grant MacDonald1993
SpainCosta Rica Juan Luis Hernández Fuertes1993–94
Spain Antonio Moyano Reina1994
  
Name Years
Costa Rica Toribio Rojas1994–95
Costa Rica Juan Blanco1995
Brazil Valdeir Vieira1996
Argentina Horacio Cordero1997
SpainCosta Rica Juan Luis Hernández Fuertes1997
Costa Rica Rolando Villalobos1998
Colombia Francisco Maturana1998–99
Costa Rica Marvin Rodríguez1999–00
Brazil Gílson Nunes2000
BrazilCosta Rica Alexandre Guimarães2001–02
Costa Rica Rodrigo Kenton2002*
United States Steve Sampson2003–04
Colombia Jorge Luis Pinto2004–05
BrazilCosta Rica Alexandre Guimarães2005–06
Costa Rica Carlos Watson2006*
Costa Rica Hernán Medford2007–08
Costa Rica Rodrigo Kenton2008–09
Brazil Renê Simões2009
Costa Rica Rónald González Brenes2010*
Argentina Ricardo La Volpe2010–2011
Colombia Jorge Luis Pinto2011–2014
Costa Rica Paulo Wanchope 2014–Present

Coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Paulo Wanchope
Assistant Coach 1 Luis Marín
Head Athletic Trainer Erick Sánchez
Goalkeeper's Coach Luis Gabelo Conejo
Medic Alejandro Ramírez Elizondo

Record versus other nations

As of 2011-03-25

Facts

Kit history

Costa Rica wears traditionally a red jersey with blue shorts and white socks. Its away kit historically was a Juventus-style Black and White Striped Jersey with white shorts and white socks.(due to these colors being the ones of CS La Libertad, one of the oldest clubs in Costa Rica) However after 1997, the striped kit was replaced by a white kit with blue shorts.

1990 Home (Vs Scotland)
1990 Home (Vs Czechoslovakia)
1990 Away
1997 Copa América Home
2000 Home
2002 Home
2014 World Cup away

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Costa Rica la “mata campeones” clasificada a octavos". Elfortindeguayana.com. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Hopes of Central America Rest on a Perpetual Underdog : World Cup 2014: Costa Rica Could Learn From Uruguay's Example". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "When Saturday Comes - Costa Rica goes crazy for the "team of migrants"". Nytimes.com. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ Romero, Marcos (28 August 2009). "Costa Rica International Soccer Matches Since 1920". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "U.S. win stands as Costa Rica appeal blown away". CNN. March 26, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ "U.S. downs Costa Rica 1-0 in Gold Cup group stage, advances to quarters". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin. "Costa Rica – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 July 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Costa Rica national football team.
Wikinews has related news: Germany wins, 4–2 over Costa Rica in first World Cup match
Preceded by
Inaugural Champion		 CONCACAF Champions
1963 (First title) 		Succeeded by
1965 Mexico 
Preceded by
1967 Guatemala 		 CONCACAF Champions
1969 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
1971 Mexico 
Preceded by
1985 Canada 		 CONCACAF Champions
1989 (Third title) 		Succeeded by
1991 United States