The Panama Football Federation (Fepafut) announced on Tuesday the contract extension of manager Thomas Christiansen and the hiring of a new coach for its youth national teams. The Dane will remain in charge of the Panama national football team for the next four years, a deal that will see him lead the side through the 2030 World Cup.
Why was Thomas Christiansen given a new contract?
Christiansen's continuity was confirmed via Fepafut's social media channels. "Thomas Christiansen remains in charge of the Panama Senior Men's National Team for the next four years. 2030 awaits us," the federation stated. The coach, who took over in 2020, led the national team at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where Panama finished fourth in their group with zero points from three games, having scored no goals and conceded four.
Despite the World Cup performance, the federation values the manager's work in establishing Panama as a regional force. Under his guidance, the team were runners-up in the 2023 Gold Cup and finalists in the 2024-2025 Concacaf Nations League. The team aims to turn around its recent form of one win, one draw, and three losses in its last five matches, including a 0-2 defeat to England on June 27.
Who is Pedro Morilla and what is his role?
In a parallel move, Fepafut introduced Spaniard Pedro Morilla as the new head of Methodology for the Men's Youth National Teams. Morilla, who arrives with a recommendation from Christiansen himself, has already started work and will also take on the role of head coach for the U-16 side. His first task will be to lead the team at the UNCAF tournament in El Salvador this October.
Morilla holds a UEFA PRO license and has extensive experience in youth and professional football. He had a successful stint in Chinese football, where as sporting director and later manager of Wuhan Three Towns FC he achieved promotions and league titles. His hiring is part of a strategy to strengthen the foundations of Panamanian football, a process fans can follow through our squad page with call-ups for all categories.
How did Andrés Andrade fare in his Champions League debut?
Panamanian defender Andrés Andrade experienced a bittersweet debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage with Austria's LASK. The starting center-back played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 away loss to AEK Athens in Greece. Andrade completed 37 passes, took one shot, made an interception, and recovered the ball four times, but could not prevent Razvan Marín's free-kick goal.
This career milestone for Andrade adds to a 2026 year where he already made his World Cup debut with Panama. Other Canal Men, like César Blackman and Cristian Martínez, are also set to make their debuts in Europe's top club competition. The performance of internationals in Europe is key for the national team's future, whose complete statistics are available in our stats section.
What friendlies does Panama have in September?
The Panama national football team will return to action during the September-October FIFA window with a tour that includes a match in Asia. The next official fixture is a friendly against India on September 26 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. This match is part of the team's preparation following its World Cup participation.
India, which will also face Brazil and Uruguay, announced its squad with several recalls for these challenging friendlies. For Panama, this game represents a chance to end a three-match losing streak and build momentum. Fans can check the team's full schedule, including this trip to India, on our fixtures page. The team will then travel to Japan for an international four-team tournament before facing New Zealand.
