Panaji: At 44, Panama is the lowest-ranked team that India will face during the FIFA international match window, but Khalid Jamil’s team has a fierce battle on its hand as Los Canaleros will arrive here with 14 players who were part of the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026.Panama were placed in a challenging World Cup group, which included England, Croatia and Ghana. Central America’s only representatives were competitive but suffered narrow losses against Croatia and Ghana, and ended their campaign with a 2-0 loss against England as Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane clinched top spot for the Three Lions.After ending without a point at the World Cup, coach Thomas Christiansen has now started rebuilding the squad. The former Spain forward has named a strong 27-member squad for the Asia tour with a mix of World Cup players, six debutants and two from the local league, Liga Panamena de Futbol: goalkeeper Marcos De Leon (Sporting San Miguelito) and midfielder Daivis Murillo (CD Plaza Amador).The players are expected to arrive in three batches, from 15 different countries. The coaching staff, support staff, and Panama-based players departed for India on Saturday night, and will reach Bengaluru on Monday, after a layover in Amsterdam.Panama will face India at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sept 25 before they travel to Japan to take part in the Kirin Cup, where they will join hosts Japan (world no. 17), Ecuador (25) and New Zealand (86).“The match against India will provide us with more opportunities to see the new players,” Christiansen said while announcing the squad. “We have a fair idea of what to do during these three games. We know, more or less, who will feature in these matches. This is a generational shift (for Panama), but in the end, we also want to compete and give a good impression of ourselves.”Panama has a fine mix of players who play across the world. Jose Cordoba dons colours for Norwich City in the EFL Championship (England’s second tier), while Carlos Harvey represents Minnesota United in MLS. Amir Murillo (Besiktas, Turkey), Andres Andrade (LASK Linz, Austria), and Jose Rodríguez (FC Juárez, Mexico) are the other notable players.“We have players who we have not yet seen (for the national team) and these games will help us evaluate them. We cannot throw all of them into the mix straightway. It will hamper their chances of proving themselves and showing us the quality they have,” said Christiansen, who etched his name into Panamanian football folklore by leading Los Canaleros to their second FIFA World Cup.BoxPanama World Cuppers for Asia tour: Orlando Mosquera, Cesar Blackman, Jorge Gutierrez, Amir Murillo, Andres Andrade, Jose Cordoba, Jiovany Ramos, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martinez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Azarias Londono, Tomas Rodriguez, Jose Fajardo
