As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws into focus, Costa Rica find themselves at a pivotal crossroads: one step away from a fourth consecutive World Cup berth. Staring down a qualifying group featuring Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The odds, driven by a decade of unbroken superiority, suggest a near inevitability that Los Ticos will grace the grandest stage once again. But will they be able to continue their Cinderella story next summer?
One thing that is for certain is that there will be a new major player in town in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That comes in the form of a budding new website, LuckyRebel.la, which is poised to disrupt the sporting landscape. The new outlet will cover a plethora of sports, football included, and you can expect them to be providing a cutting-edge offering next summer. But will Costa Rica manage to punch their tickets to the greatest show on earth once again?
Well, if their recent history is anything to go by, it would be a surprise if they didn’t. Here is Los Ticos’ story so far.
A Debut for the Ages
The story begins in 1990. Until then, Costa Rica had watched the World Cup from home, their ambitions confined to regional skirmishes. But after navigating a treacherous qualifying campaign, Los Ticos arrived in Italy as debutants and rank outsiders.
Few could have scripted what followed. Drawn alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Sweden, Costa Rica wasted no time making headlines. In their opener, it was Juan Cayasso’s iconic, slaloming run and finish that propelled them past Scotland 1-0—a goal and a match forever etched in national memory. The Selecao proved too hot to handle on match day two, but an all-or-nothing clash with Sweden would go on to provide more magic.
Captain Róger Flores and the dynamic Hernán Medford each found the net in a 2-1 triumph that sent shockwaves across the footballing world as Costa Rica not only advanced from the group against all odds, but did so as giant-killers. In the Round of 16, reality bit back. A clinical Czechoslovakia put four past Los Ticos’ valiant defense in a 4-1 victory, but even in defeat, legends were born.
Back-to-back Appearances
Post-1990, the World Cup became the ultimate proving ground—and for twelve years, Costa Rica watched from the sidelines, rebuilding on the foundation of that maiden campaign. But by 2002, the wait was over. The squad, now laced with seasoned pros like Paulo Wanchope and Ronald Gómez, strode into the Korea-Japan tournament with new authority.
Their group, peppered with challenges—soon-to-be five-time champions Brazil, emerging Turkey, and China—demanded perfection. A 2-0 opener over China, highlighted by a Wanchope masterclass, brought belief roaring back. The momentum built with a tense 1-1 draw against Turkey, setting the stage for a final-day showdown with the Selecao. They dazzled in spells against Brazil, scoring twice, but the 5-2 defeat denied them the knockout rounds—cruelly eliminated on goal difference with the Turks advancing.
Germany 2006 brought its own flavor of drama and disappointment. An opening 4-2 defeat to the hosts in a match lauded for its relentless pace was followed by losses to Ecuador and Poland. Three defeats, nine goals conceded—harsh lessons, but ones that battle-tested a nation.
The Miracle Run in Brazil
Fast-forward to Brazil, 2014—a tournament that gripped the planet and catapulted Costa Rica into global folklore. Drawn into the Group of Death with Uruguay, Italy, and England, the consensus was swift and brutal: Los Ticos would prop up the table. But tournaments aren’t won in headlines; they’re won on the pitch.
Their opener against Uruguay signaled intent—a 3-1 demolition, propelled by Joel Campbell’s clinical finishing, Óscar Duarte’s towering presence on set pieces, and Marco Ureña’s artistry in attack. Next came Italy, then regarded as a perennial contender. Enter Bryan Ruiz, whose perfectly-timed header delivered a 1-0 triumph. Suddenly, Costa Rica was not just alive—they were thriving and progressing shockingly as group winners.
Against Greece in the Round of 16, Keylor Navas turned from goalkeeper into superhero, with a series of jaw-dropping saves before stealing the show in the penalty shootout to secure his side’s progression to a first-ever quarterfinal. In the last eight, they would play their way to a penalty shootout once again, but this time, fate would abandon them.
The second time around, it was the Netherlands that prevailed, finally breaking Costa Rican hearts. But Los Ticos exited Brazil undefeated in normal and extra time, conceding just two goals in five matches and leaving with their heads held high after a fairytale run to a maiden quarterfinal.
Regular Staple
How do you follow a fairytale? By becoming a fixture, not a footnote. Costa Rica qualified for Russia 2018, unmistakably now among the World Cup’s regular guests. The journey, however, was fraught. Placed with Brazil, Switzerland, and Serbia, they suffered slim defeats to Serbia and Brazil, their tactical rigidity only cracking in stoppage time. A 2-2 draw with Switzerland in the swansong fixture restored some pride but signaled the end of another bittersweet campaign.
The 2022 odyssey in Qatar escalated the drama. After a 7-0 thrashing by Spain, condemnation loomed. Yet, Costa Rica ripped up the script in their next match, stunning Japan 1-0 through Keysher Fuller’s strike. In a wild final round, Los Ticos even took a second-half lead against Germany, a lead that would have taken them through to the knockout round and knocked out both Spain and Germany. However, Die Mannschaft would turn things around, winning 4-2 to consign both them and Costa Rica to elimination.
And now? The next chapter is unwritten, but the outline is unmistakable. Costa Rica, National pride swirling, ambition undimmed, are poised to stamp their passport to a fourth consecutive World Cup. The faces may change—new heroes are forged, legends retire—but the identity endures: a nation that claws, surges, and ultimately dreams of upsetting the odds all over again.
