Matchday Atmosphere and Officials
The young ball boy who retrieved the ball as officials and players entered the field gave the camera a playful wink, a moment that was truly priceless.
National anthems will be played shortly. Before that, the stadium is filled with the tune that resonates with many US sports fans of a certain generation: "At guard, from North … Carolina … 6-6 … Michael Jordan!" This is "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project.
As a fun fact, during the Chicago Bulls’ championship era, the team often welcomed opponents with "On the Run," an instrumental and experimental track from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The engineer for that track was Alan Parsons himself.
The officiating team for this match includes:
- Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
- Assistant Referees: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden), Andreas Soderkvist (Sweden)
- Fourth Official: Khalid Alturais (Saudi Arabia)
- Reserve Official: Mohammed Alabakry (Saudi Arabia)
- VAR 1: Bram Van Driessche (Belgium)
- Assistant VAR: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
- Support VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Referee Nyberg has extensive experience officiating Champions League and international matches. His career includes some controversial moments, such as an incident in a Champions League quarterfinal where Arsenal’s Gabriel, mistakenly believing play had not resumed, picked up the ball in the penalty area. This event notably upset the opposing coach, Thomas Tuchel.
Current predictions favor France over Spain in one semifinal and Argentina over England in the other, with France expected to win the tournament.
A surprising development in the Panama lineup announcement is the absence of captain Anibal Godoy from the starting eleven, with no injury reported. Overall, five players predicted to start in our pre-match analysis are not in the starting lineup today.
The starting lineup for Panama facing Ghana is as follows: Mosquera; Andrade, Cordoba, Ramos, Blackman; Rodriguez, Martinez, Harvey, Murillo; Waterman, Barcenas (captain).
While most of Ghana’s squad competes in major European leagues, Panama’s players are employed across a diverse range of countries. Four players are based in Mexico, with two each in Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the USA, Venezuela, and Panama itself. Other players are active in Austria, Azerbaijan, England, Honduras, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Uruguay.
Ghana Squad and Challenges
Visa complications have affected many teams traveling to the USA, but Ghana faces a unique situation with midfielder Thomas Partey. Although welcome in the USA, Partey was denied entry into Canada. Partey, a longtime Arsenal player now with Villarreal, is awaiting trial in London on rape and sexual assault allegations, despite court documents indicating he is not currently facing charges in any country.
Injuries have sidelined Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu, who are absent from the Ghana roster.
The Ghana starting lineup is: Ati-Zigi; Mensah, Adjetey, Opoku, Senaya; Yirenkyi, Owusu; Semenyo, Sulemana, Nuamah; Ayew (captain).
London-born Antoine Semenyo enters the World Cup after a challenging Premier League season. Jordan Ayew, with 34 goals in 120 international appearances, has experienced a downturn alongside his club, Leicester City.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi starts as goalkeeper, which means Joseph Anang of St. Patrick’s Athletic, the only player from an Irish club, does not feature.
Three players in the starting eleven play for Auxerre: midfielder Elisha Owusu and full-backs Gideon Mensah and Marvin Senaya. Another player, Ernest Nuamah, competes in France with Lyon.
Historical Context and Rivalries
Another match is currently underway, drawing attention for its significance.
US supporters might feel uneasy watching this matchup, as both Ghana and Panama have historically inflicted significant defeats on the US team.
Ghana eliminated the USA in consecutive World Cups, 2006 and 2010, before the USA avenged those losses in 2014.
Panama has been a more recent challenge, prominently featured in the documentary series US Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Soccer Team. The Central American nation has defeated the USA in four of the last five meaningful encounters: a 2021 World Cup qualifier, the 2023 Gold Cup semifinal, a 2024 Copa America group-stage match, and the 2025 Concacaf Nations League semifinal.
Despite this history, local fans remain focused on the present game, which takes place in Toronto at the smallest venue of this World Cup, even after the addition of 17,000 temporary seats.
On paper, Ghana is the favorite, but US fans understand the unpredictability of facing Panama as the favored side.
Pre-Match Analysis and Team Prospects
Beau will join shortly to provide further insights. Meanwhile, fans can review essential information about Ghana and Panama through our comprehensive team guides.
Ghana’s performance in a warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff offered insight into the strategies of their new coach, Carlos Queiroz. The first half revealed a vulnerable, low defensive block with poorly coordinated pressing reminiscent of the disorganized team left by former coach Otto Addo. The second half showed significant improvement, featuring a well-coordinated mid-block with synchronized pressing and better protection for the full-backs.
Drawn into Group L alongside England, Croatia, and Panama, the Black Stars possess sufficient talent to make an impact in North America. Their best World Cup performance to date was reaching the quarter-finals in 2010.
La Marea Roja arrive with determination. Following their historic debut at Russia 2018, Panama aims to advance from the group stage this time. Led by defender Michael Murillo, creative midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, and captain Aníbal Godoy, the team is prepared to write a new chapter in their World Cup history.
The realistic goal for Panama is to progress beyond the group stage. Coach Thomas Christiansen seeks to demonstrate the team’s discipline and avoid a repeat of past shortcomings, especially against group opponents they face again. Achieving a place in the last 16 remains the dream, and the dressing room believes it is attainable.
