The calculators have been put away, and the excuses have run dry. The Costa Rican National Team consummated the most resounding failure in its modern history last night by drawing 0-0 against Honduras at the National Stadium. This result, combined with outcomes elsewhere, leaves the Tricolor mathematically out of the 2026 World Cup.

What was supposed to be a celebration on home soil, sealing qualification against a historical rival, turned into a sporting funeral. Costa Rica showed no football, no soul, and most worryingly, no goals.

The Table of Shame

While Tico fans waited for a miracle that never came, reality struck with the force of cold, hard data. The official Group C standings are a true reflection of the mediocrity with which this qualifying campaign was handled.

OFFICIAL FINAL STANDINGS – CONCACAF GROUP C

Pos	Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Status
1	HAITI	6	3	2	1	9	6	+3	11	QUALIFIED
2	Honduras	6	2	3	1	5	2	+3	9	ELIMINATED*
3	Costa Rica	6	1	4	1	8	6	+2	7	ELIMINATED
4	Nicaragua	6	1	1	4	4	12	-8	4	ELIMINATED

> Honduras is eliminated as the worst runner-up across the groups, missing out on the intercontinental playoff spot.

The Lesson from Haiti: Heart vs. Apathy

If there is a mirror in which Costa Rica should look at itself with shame today, it is Haiti. While La Sele wandered around the pitch with no clear ideas, the Haitians—operating on a fraction of our budget, without a stable professional league, and playing all their “home” games in borrowed stadiums due to instability—delivered a masterclass in courage.

Haiti didn’t just beat us in the head-to-head during this campaign; they beat us in hunger. Last night, while we were timidly speculating with a 0-0 draw, they went out to kill off the game against Nicaragua (2-0), securing the top spot in the group and their direct ticket to the World Cup. Seeing the Haitian players celebrating in tears is the antithesis of the coldness with which our “star figures” walked off the field last night. They played for their country; we played out of obligation.

A Reality Check for Costa Rican Football

The failure is compounded when looking at the regional landscape. We are not out because CONCACAF has become impossibly difficult, but because we have remained stagnant while others evolved.

• The Attack is Dead: Costa Rica finishes the campaign with one of the lowest scoring averages in its history. You cannot go to a World Cup hoping for 0-0 draws.
• Panama is the New Giant: In the neighboring group, Panama qualified with ease. They are, indisputably, the new heavyweights of Central America. They have overtaken us on the right lane, and we didn’t even see them coming.

Costa Rica closes this cycle with no identity, a burnt-out generation, and a federation leadership that must answer for why, with everything in our favor to go to the “Home World Cup” in North America, we ended up as spectators.

The 2026 World Cup will be a party in North America, but here in Costa Rica, the stadium lights have been turned off indefinitely.