PANAMA

Ranking 55. Last time Did not qualify. Manager Hernan Dario Gomez — will never have to buy a drink again in Panama after guiding them to the World Cup for the first time in their history. In so doing, he joined Frenchman Henri Michel as the only managers to have qualified with three different nations. Gomez previously reached the tournament finals with Colombia in 1998 and Ecuador in 2002. They’re a bit like Sutton United in the FA Cup last season — just enjoying the ride.

Key man Roman Torres (left) — the man who scored Panama’s winning goal to qualify for the tournament is apparently going to have a stadium named in his honour. Awkwardly, given that his intervention knocked out the United States, Torres plays his club football for Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer. Weighing in at 99kg, he is the heaviest player at the World Cup according to the official FIFA lists.

Rising star It’s a really ageing team to be honest, but an exception is 23-year-old centrehalf Fidel Escobar, who plays for New York Red Bulls in MLS on loan from Panamanian side Sporting San Miguelito. He impressed as Panama finished runners-up at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and will now hope to impress.

Prospects If they get within a sniff of the knockout stages, it will be a miracle.