Honduras vs El Salvador

Honduras vs. El Salvador: 2025 Gold Cup Clash in Houston

In a historic all-Central American showdown at the 2025 Gold Cup, Honduras face off against El Salvador on Saturday at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.

Both teams struggled offensively in their opening matches, with Honduras enduring a crushing 6-0 defeat to Canada, placing them last in Group B, one point behind El Salvador, who sit third after a goalless draw against Curacao.

Honduras’ tournament opener was a disaster, marking their heaviest Gold Cup loss this century. The defeat snapped a four-match winning streak across all competitions under coach Reinaldo Rueda and extended their streak of opening-match losses at the Gold Cup to two, with a combined score of 10-0. The last time Honduras suffered such a lopsided loss was a 7-0 thrashing by Brazil in a June 2019 friendly.

The Catrachos have avoided back-to-back group-stage losses at the Gold Cup since 2019, with their most recent matchday two win coming in 2021 (3-2 against Panama). This year, Honduras have won every game in which they led at halftime but have lost all but one match when trailing after 45 minutes (a 5-3 comeback against Bermuda). Against El Salvador, Honduras remain unbeaten in Gold Cup matchups this century, securing two victories with a combined 5-0 scoreline.

El Salvador, meanwhile, played out a lackluster 0-0 draw against Curacao in their opener, managing just one shot on target and 39% possession. Despite the lack of attacking flair, coach Hernan Gomez’s team secured their second clean sheet of 2025. La Selecta are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions and have earned points in their previous three Gold Cup group-stage games.

A victory on Saturday would mark El Salvador’s first Gold Cup win since July 2021, when they beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in Texas. They’ve gone unbeaten in their last six matches against CONCACAF opponents and have not lost in their last three games against Central American sides. Against Honduras, El Salvador have earned points in three of their last four encounters, including a 1-0 friendly win in Houston in 2018.

**Honduras’ 2025 Gold Cup Form:** L