Guatemala vs Panama

At the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a crucial Group C match looms on Friday as Guatemala face Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, with the top spot up for grabs.

Both teams kicked off the tournament with wins on matchday one. Guatemala secured a 1-0 shutout against Jamaica, leveling them with Panama for first place, while Panama triumphed over Guadeloupe with a 5-2 scoreline.

Guatemala, despite defensive struggles in pre-tournament friendlies, proved their backline resilience on Monday. Under Luis Fernando Tena, the team had leaked five goals in their last two warm-up games but restricted Jamaica to just two shots on target, earning their second clean sheet of 2025.

Los Chapines are unbeaten in their last five group stage matches at the Gold Cup, a streak stretching back to the third matchday of the 2021 edition. Over this period, they’ve been defensively solid, keeping three clean sheets in their last four group games.

A win on Friday would be historic for Guatemala, marking their first back-to-back victories at this tournament since 1969, when they were runners-up in what was then called the CONCACAF Championship.

This year, Guatemala remain unbeaten in two matches against Central American teams, but they haven’t beaten Panama since a 2-1 victory in August 2005.

Panama, meanwhile, are in strong form after a convincing matchday one win, positioning them well for a second straight knockout stage appearance. Coached by Thomas Christiansen, the team have won four of their last five competitive matches, including the past three with a commanding 10-2 goal margin.

Like Guatemala, Panama are unbeaten in their last five Gold Cup group stage games, with only one loss in their last six matches at this stage. Their attack has been potent, scoring multiple goals in each of their last seven group stage games in the tournament.

Defensively, Los Canaleros have been stingy, conceding just two first-half goals across their last eight Gold Cup matches, including the 2023 knockout rounds.

Panama dominate the head-to-head record, winning 10 of their last 11 matches against Guatemala across all competitions, with their only slip being a 1-1 draw at the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League.