The first day of the 2026 Concacaf Central American Cup has not started in the best way for the Guatemalan representatives. After the adverse results of the other national teams, this Thursday it will be the turn of Municipal, which will have the responsibility of defending the honor of Chapín football when it receives Cartaginés from Costa Rica at the Manuel Felipe Carrera stadium, El Trébol.
The scarlet team will arrive at its international debut with the mission of becoming the first Guatemalan club to achieve a victory in the current edition of the regional competition, after the other national representatives lost in their respective commitments.
Mixco was the first to go into action and fell 2-0 against Olimpia of Honduras, while Xelajú MC lost 1-0 to the Liga Deportiva Alajuelense of Costa Rica, current three-time champion of the Central American Cup. Antigua GFC also started with defeat, falling 2-1 against Alianza FC of El Salvador.
With this panorama, Municipal assumes a great responsibility. In addition to seeking three important points in Group D, the red team will try to prevent the Guatemalan representation from closing the first day without positive results.
A duel with special ingredients
The Reds’ rival will be Club Sport Cartaginés, a Costa Rican team led by the Guatemalan coach. Amarini Villatoro, who returns to the country to face a special duel. The strategist arrives motivated after beating Inter San Carlos 3-1 at the start of the Costa Rican League.
Municipal, directed by the Nicaraguan Mario Acevedo is also going through a good moment after beating Deportivo Mixco 2-0 on the first day of the 2026 Apertura Tournament of the National League.
El Trébol, a fort for the red team
The Scarlets, current national champions, will seek to assert their home status at the Manuel Felipe Carrera “El Trébol” stadium, one of their main strengths. The red team usually becomes strong at home and the numbers back it up: in their last 30 games played on this stage, they have managed 27 wins and only 3 drawsremaining undefeated during that period.
In addition, Municipal will be the only Guatemalan team that will play its match on the first day of the regional tournament at home, so it will try to take advantage of the support of its fans and its impressive performance in El Trébol to start its international participation on the right foot.
Municipal will not be able to count on defender and national team player Nicolás Samayoa, who suffered an injury during the match against Mixco and will be out of the field for several weeks.
Despite this absence, the Reds are confident in the solidity of their squad, which has shown balance in all its lines and arrives with a good competitive pace to face one of the most important commitments of the season.
For international glory
Municipal knows that the Central American Cup represents an opportunity to once again appear in the region. The scarlet team is one of the most successful clubs in Central American Guatemalan soccer, but its last great international success dates back to 2004, when they won the missing Uncaf Cup.
After the defeats of Mixco, Xelajú MC and Antigua GFC in their debuts, Municipal will take to the grass tonight El Trébol with a double mission: get its first three points and rescue the pride of Guatemalan soccer on the first day of the 2026 Central American Cup.