Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a Central American republic of roughly 5 million people, bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, with its capital and largest city San Jose. Following a brief civil war, its 1949 constitution permanently abolished the country's army, making it one of the few sovereign nations without a standing military; the budget once reserved for defence has since been redirected toward healthcare and education. It is a stable democratic republic with executive, legislative and judicial branches, and is widely regarded as one of Latin America's most durable democracies.

In football, Costa Rica competes as Los Ticos under the Costa Rican Football Federation and has qualified for six FIFA World Cups (1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022). Its outstanding tournament remains 2014 in Brazil, when a Costa Rica side given little chance topped a group containing former champions Uruguay, Italy and England unbeaten, then eliminated Greece on penalties in the round of 16 before losing to the Netherlands on penalties in the quarter-final, their first and so FAR only appearance at that stage. The run is still ranked among the biggest surprises in World Cup history.

Costa Rica did not qualify for the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, finishing behind Haiti and Honduras in their CONCACAF final-round group under manager Miguel Herrera despite the tournament's larger CONCACAF allocation. The national team nonetheless remains a fixture of the international football calendar as a warm-up opponent for competing nations preparing for the finals, including England ahead of the 2026 tournament.