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El Salvador will welcome Panama to the Estadio Cuscatlán in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday. The visitors drew their two qualifying games last month and will look to return to winning ways here.
The hosts got their third round campaign underway with a 1-0 win over Guatemala and suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Suriname in their previous outing. They have not qualified for the group stage of the World Cup since the 1982 edition.
Los Canaleros were held to a goalless draw by Suriname in their campaign opener and played out another 1-1 draw last time around against Guatemala. Óscar Santis gave Guatemala the lead in the 35th minute, and Carlos Harvey pulled them level two minutes later.
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El Salvador vs Panama Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 59 times in all competitions. They have been evenly matched in these meetings, with 23 wins for each side.
- They last met in the group stage of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Nine of the last 12 meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals.
- The hosts have the upper hand in 12 World Cup qualifying games against Los Canaleros, recording seven wins.
- The visitors recorded a 2-1 win when they last squared off against El Salvador in the third qualifying round for the 2022 edition.
- La Selecta have registered just one win in their last eight games in this fixture, with that triumph registered at home in the World Cup qualifiers in 2021.
- La Selecta have two wins across all competitions in 2025, with both registered away from home.
El Salvador vs Panama Prediction
La Selecta have failed to score in three of their last five games, and they have suffered three defeats in that period as well. Notably, they have won their last four home games in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the visitors.
La Marea Roja have lost just one of their last eight games in all competitions, with that loss registered on penalties against Honduras in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. Notably, they are unbeaten in their last seven World Cup qualifiers, keeping five clean sheets.
The visitors have a good recent record in this fixture, and considering their unbeaten streak in the qualifiers, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: El Salvador 1-2 Panama
El Salvador vs Panama Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Panama to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
