Panama operates with a balanced, mixed-tempo tactical identity. The team maintains significant possession control and an aggressive pressing structure, though they rely heavily on Ismael Díaz to anchor their attacking output.

Playing identity · system ↔ individual × direct ↔ possession

Panama is plotted from possession share and top-scorer concentration. PPDA and recent form are supporting context when present.

+Recent form8 · 3W 2D 3L

2026-06-27World Cup 2026HPAN 0-2 ENGL

2026-06-23World Cup 2026HPAN 0-1 CROL

2026-06-17World Cup 2026APAN 0-1 GHAL

2025-11-19World Cup 2026 qualifying · CONCACAFHPAN 3-0 SLVW

2025-11-14World Cup 2026 qualifying · CONCACAFAPAN 3-2 GUAW

2025-10-15World Cup 2026 qualifying · CONCACAFHPAN 1-1 SURD

2025-10-11World Cup 2026 qualifying · CONCACAFAPAN 1-0 SLVW

2025-09-09World Cup 2026 qualifying · CONCACAFHPAN 1-1 GUAD

International friendly matches are excluded

N2 · Scoring

open play 83%

How they score

Panama relies heavily on open play to generate their scoring output. With over 80% of their goals originating from open play, the team demonstrates a clear preference for fluid attacking sequences. While their set-piece conversion rate significantly outperforms the field average, their primary threat remains consistent movement in active play.

Goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

82.6%

Open play82.6%Corner8.7%Free kick8.7%

17% set piececorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play13%avg 20%-6 pts

38 goals from 288 shots.

Set piece9.8%avg 4.5%+5 pts

8 goals from 82 shots.

benchmark average higher than field by 3+ pts lower than field by 3+ pts

Goal-source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values; own goals are excluded.

+Top scorers · still a threat?100% intact

100% of listed scorer goals come from players still marked in the squad.

Ismael Díaz	in squad	12 · 24%
José Fajardo	in squad	6 · 12%
José Luis Rodríguez	in squad	3 · 6%
Tomás Rodríguez	in squad	3 · 6%

N3 · Conceding

open play 74%

How they concede

Panama's defensive structure is most vulnerable during open play, which accounts for 74% of their conceded goals. While their set-piece conversion rate against is notably higher than the field average, opponents may find the most consistent success by exploiting space in transition. Maintaining defensive shape during active play remains the primary challenge for this unit.

Conceded goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

74.3%

17.1%

Open play74.3%Corner8.6%Free kick17.1%

26% set piece concededcorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conceded conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play16%avg 20%-3 pts

26 conceded from 158 shots faced.

Set piece12%avg 4.5%+7 pts

9 conceded from 77 shots faced.

benchmark average lower than field by 3+ pts higher than field by 3+ pts

Conceded source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values.

N4 · Big moments

falls short · -0.89 GD residual

Better than their rating?

Panama consistently underperforms against their Elo-based expectations. With a residual of -0.89, the team struggles to bridge the gap against higher-rated opponents and exhibits higher volatility than the field median. While they have produced notable upsets, their overall performance profile suggests difficulty maintaining consistency in high-stakes environments.

Over-performance DNA · beats-its-rating × reliability, the tournament field

PANTournament field · 48solid line = rating-neutral · dashed = field-median reliability100 Elo ~= -0.37 goals

+Biggest over- & under-performances32 matches

Residual = actual goal difference minus what the Elo gap predicted.

vs QAT · 2023-07-08	GD +4 vs exp +1.11	+2.89
vs JAM · 2025-06-24	GD +3 vs exp +1.12	+1.88
vs SLV · 2025-11-19	GD +3 vs exp +1.81	+1.19
vs ENG · 2018-06-24	GD -5 vs exp -0.20	-4.80
vs COL · 2024-07-07	GD -5 vs exp -0.39	-4.61
vs COL · 2024-07-06	GD -5 vs exp -0.39	-4.61