Aníbal Godoy has spent 16 years bleeding for Panama. Now, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the midfielder is making it clear: there will be no quiet farewell tour.
The 36-year-old veteran — who debuted for Los Canaleros in 2010 — is approaching this summer’s tournament with a different mindset than when Panama first qualified for the World Cup in 2018. Back then, just being there felt like the victory. This time? The expectations have shifted dramatically inside the locker room and among the fans.
“You never forget your first time,” Godoy wrote in a personal reflection for Major League Soccer. “But we’re heading into our second World Cup with a different feeling. Or, in other words, with different ambitions.”
Those ambitions go beyond simply earning Panama’s first-ever World Cup win. The team, according to Godoy, is quietly eyeing a path into the knockout stage. With the expanded tournament format allowing some third-place finishers to advance, a strong opening result against Ghana could flip the math entirely. The match in Toronto is, by all accounts, the pivot point of Panama’s group-stage hopes.
“The opening game against Ghana is the most important one,” Godoy said. “Knowing that if we earn all three points, we’ll have a solid chance of advancing out of the group stage.”
A Nation That Showed Up
Panama’s journey from an afterthought in CONCACAF to a two-time World Cup participant has been fueled by a fan base that refused to stay quiet. During qualifying, Panamanian supporters packed stadiums across the region. This summer, they are expected to travel in large numbers to both Toronto and New York for the group-stage fixtures — turning neutral venues into something resembling home games.
“I’m not saying we’ll be the home team,” Godoy wrote, “but we will definitely feel the support of our fans.”
That connection between player and country runs deep. Throughout his career, Godoy has never turned down a national team call-up — through the highs of qualifying and the lows of falling short. He describes his approach as straightforward: honest, committed, and fully invested in what the jersey represents.
Building for a Bigger Moment
The growth of Panama’s program hasn’t happened by accident. Over the past decade and a half, the federation has invested in structural improvements, coaching continuity, and player development. The result is a squad that no longer looks like just happy to be on the plane.
For Godoy, who expects this World Cup to mark his final appearances for Panama, the timing feels right. No speech about legacy or symbolic passing of the torch. He has made it simpler than that.
“We players want the fans to know that we’ve set goals for this World Cup,” he wrote. “We want to thank them for their support and assure them that this team will give everything it has.”
The veteran midfielder closed his note with a line that lands like a promise: “For me, there’s no better way to say goodbye to the national team: making history at a World Cup.”
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