This Thursday, October 9, Guatemala held its only training session on the Franklin Essed grass, where it will try to add its first victory in Group Aafter starting with a loss against El Salvador and a draw against Panama.
The team led by Luis Fernando Tena arrived in Paramaribo on Wednesday night, accompanied by the support of a group of Guatemalan fans who traveled to support the players in their World Cup dream.
This Thursday’s agenda included a press conference with the participation of Tena and forward Érick Lemus. Minutes later, the national team trained at the Franklin Essed stadium.
During practice, the players performed regenerative work with the ball and subsequently, the coach adjusted key tactical aspects for the duel against the Suriname team.
At the end of the session, the national team took a group photo on the Franklin Essed lawn, with the Guatemalan flag extended and the message: “I choose to believe.”
Guatemala dreams of qualifying, for the first time, for a World Cup for senior teams. He has already done it twice in the Under-20 category. However, they need a victory against Suriname to stay in the fight for qualification.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be organized by Mexico, the United States and Canada, will feature the participation of 48 teams. This expands the qualification possibilities, since the three host teams are already classified by being hosts.
12 teams participate in the final phase of the Concacaf qualification, divided into three groups of four. The first places will advance directly to the World Cup and the two best second places will play in an intercontinental playoff.
The match between Suriname and Guatemala is scheduled to be played this Friday at 3:00 p.m. (Guatemala time) at the Dr. Franklin Essed Stadium. Fans will be able to follow all the incidents of the match through the live broadcast of Tigo Sports, the official channel of the National Team, which will take the images directly from Paramaribo.
