How they qualified
Los Canaleros (the Canal Men) qualified at the expense of fellow Central Americans Costa Rica who they have been battling with for qualification Panama clinched their spot with a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in San José. The Panamanians needed a draw or a win to qualify with Jose Fajardo’s solitary goal in the 77th minute proving to be sweet revenge for missing out on Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification to Costa Rica.
How they qualified
The 2022 World Cup finalists had to wait until the final two rounds of qualifying to top their group and book a ticket for Las Vegas. Going into the last round they were behind group leaders Honduras, having lost earlier in the group stage away from home. A 4-1 win over the Hondurans in the final game sealed qualification after a 2-1 win over Curacao had pushed them to the top of the group.
How they qualified
En route to the Netherlands, they were beaten 5-2 by Germany, but Roberto Mancini’s came good with back-to-back wins against England and Hungary to top Group 3 on 11 points, one more than the Eastern Europeans.
Tournament record
Italy staged the last edition of the final four in Torino and Milano and suffered defeat at the hands of Spain in the semi-finals 2-1.
May 12 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) have at last found a venue willing and able to host the Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki on May 24. The Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos will host a final that will be played behind closed doors.
May 12 – MLS club New York City FC, who play their home games at the Yankees baseball stadium, have released the first images of their planned new stadium in Queens, New York.
May 12 – St. Louis City will have to return to Frisco on June 7 to complete the last 40 minutes of the MLS match against FC Dallas that was suspend May 6 after lightening struck in Frisco and around the Toyota Stadium.
May 11 – Brazilian state prosecutors have charged 16 people, including seven professional players, with alleged match-fixing and illegal betting.
May 11 – The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has punished the football federations of Montenegro (FSCG) and Serbia (FSS) for racism and discriminatory behaviour by fans of both countries.
May 11 – It took Inter Milan just four minutes and two goals to take a huge step toward qualification for the Champions League final with a 2-0 defeat of city rivals AC Milan.
May 11 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) commissioner Jessica Berman has said that the league is targeting 16 teams for the 2026 season.
May 11 – The increased importance of LaLiga to ‘Brand Spain’ has been recognised in a ranking that calculates the value and Brand Strength Index of leading companies and organisations.
May 10 – San Diego is expected to be the next city to be awarded an MLS franchise with local media reporting that the announcement could be made this month with an expansion fee of $500 million.
May 10 – Brera Holdings has completed its acquisition of North Macedonia’s FC Akademija Pandev. The company acquired 90% of the club’s shares, with the value set at €600,000. The new owners said the club will be renamed Brera FC.
May 10 – Lionel Messi’s father has denied reports that his son – Paris Saint-Germain star and World Cup winner – will move to Saudi Arabia in a head-spinning money deal that some reports have pegged at $1 billion over two seasons.
May 10 – The second semi-final of the UEFA Champions League may be an all-Milan affair with AC against Inter, but AC Milan have opened up the derby to their fans worldwide inviting them to share their passion in the run-up to the first leg.