Costa Rica vs Trinidad & Tobago

On Tuesday, the top spot in Group B for the second round of CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying will be decided as Costa Rica face Trinidad and Tobago at Costa Rica’s National Stadium.

Both teams have already secured their spots in the next qualifying stage. Costa Rica’s commanding 8-0 victory over the Bahamas last weekend gave them a two-point lead over Trinidad and Tobago, who impressively defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-2 on Friday.

Costa Rica could finish this qualifying phase with a perfect record, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2010, if they win on Tuesday.

Under Miguel Herrera’s leadership, Los Ticos have been unstoppable, winning all three of their matches in this phase with a staggering 15-0 goal aggregate.

Herrera, who previously led Mexico to the 2014 World Cup’s round of 16, has transformed Costa Rica’s attack, with the team finding the net consistently in their five games this year.

At home, Costa Rica have been dominant, winning five of their last six matches across all competitions and scoring 18 goals in those games.

Including their 2022 playoff win against New Zealand (1-0), Los Ticos have won eight straight World Cup qualifying matches.

Costa Rica also hold a strong record against Trinidad and Tobago, winning their last six encounters and remaining unbeaten against them in World Cup qualifiers.

Trinidad and Tobago, despite a shaky defensive start in their third qualifying match, rallied in the second half to secure a strong win against Saint Kitts.

Coach Dwight Yorke’s halftime adjustments have clearly paid off, with the Soca Warriors outscoring their three opponents 8-1 in second halves during this phase.

However, their defense has struggled, conceding multiple goals in each of their last three matches.

When Trinidad score multiple goals, they’ve won four of their last five international matches, with their only loss coming in a 3-2 friendly against Jamaica last month.

The Soca Warriors are unbeaten in their last eight World Cup qualifying matches, stretching back to the 2018 cycle, and haven’t lost an away qualifier since a 3-1 defeat to Mexico in October 2017.

That said, Trinidad haven’t beaten a Central American team since overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat Guatemala 3-2 in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League.