Panama and Chile are set to face each other in a friendly match next month on South American soil.
Panama is currently looking to host warm-up matches to effectively prepare for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League Final Four. The team already has an international friendly scheduled for this month against Club Universitario de Deportes of Peru, and now has the opportunity to face Chile in South America.
According to Panamanian journalist David Samudio, the Peruvian Football Federation invited the team, coached by Dane Thomas Christiansen, to a friendly match scheduled for February.
“For February, they invite the Panama national team to Chile for a friendly match, which would take place outside the FIFA window,” Samudio emphasized on the Tiempo Extra radio show.
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The Chilean team is looking to evaluate its players and prepare effectively for the South American qualifiers ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where they are scheduled to face Paraguay and Ecuador in March.
The selection, led by Argentinian Ricardo Gareca, is currently experiencing footballing difficulties, ranking penultimate in the Conmebol standings with 9 points, resulting from 2 wins, 3 draws and 7 defeats.
Historically, Panama and Chile have faced each other four times, with their first meeting at the 1952 Pan American Championship ending in a 6-1 victory for Chile. The two teams drew 0-0 in 2008 in a friendly, while Panama lost 1-2 in 2010 in another friendly. Their last meeting in 2016 at the Copa América Centenario ended in a 4-2 defeat for the Central Americans.
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Currently, no federation has confirmed this information, but if it comes to fruition, it would provide valuable experience to the Central Americans, who are aiming to reach the final of the Nations League, with a semi-final challenge against the United States in waiting.
