2022 World Cup: Country profile - Costa Rica

Factfile on Costa Rica who are in World Cup Group E:

Best World Cup performance: Reached quarter-finals at 2014 World Cup.

Other honours: CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup winners: 1963, 1969, 1989

FIFA ranking: 31

How they qualified: Defeated New Zealand 1-0 in a CONCACAF-Oceania playoff.

Advanced to playoff after finishing fourth in CONCACAF qualifiers behind Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez

The 62-year-old Colombian is best known for leading Ecuador to their best ever showing at a World Cup, when they reached the last 16 at the 2006 finals only to be eliminated by England after a David Beckham free-kick in a 1-0 defeat.

He was sacked during qualifiers for the 2010 tournament but made a triumphant return to football's greatest stage after guiding Honduras to the 2014 finals in Brazil, where the team were beaten by France, Switzerland and Ecuador in the group stage.

Key player: Keylor Navas

The 35-year-old goalkeeper is an icon in his homeland, beloved after his heroics at the 2014 World Cup where his saves in a penalty shoot-out win over Greece helped Costa Rica reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

He produced another man-of-the-match performance in the last eight against the Netherlands despite finishing on the losing side in the shoot-out.

Blessed with agility and superb reflexes, Navas enjoyed a dazzling career with Real Madrid, winning three Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, before joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.

Group E fixtures:

November 23: Costa Rica v Spain

November 27: Costa Rica v Japan

December 1: Costa Rica v Germany

Squad

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Esteban Alvarado (Herediano), Patrick Sequeira (Lugo/ESP)

Defenders: Keysher Fuller (Herediano), Oscar Duarte (Al Wehda/KSA), Juan Pablo Vargas (Millonarios/COL), Kendall Waston (Saprissa), Bryan Oviedo (Real Salt Lake/USA), Carlos Martínez (San Carlos), Francisco Calvo (Konyaspor/TUR), Ronald Matarrita (Cincinnati/USA), Daniel Chacon (Colorado Rapids/USA)

Midfielders: Celso Borges (Alajuelense), Yeltsin Tejeda (Herediano), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense), Anthony Hernandez (Puntarenas), Brandon Aguilera (Nottingham Forest/ENG) Jewison Bennette (Sunderland/ENG), Youstin Salas (Saprissa), Roan Wilson (Grecia), Douglas Lopez (Herediano), Alvaro Zamora (Saprissa), Gerson Torres (Herediano)  

Forwards: Joel Campbell (Leon/MEX), Johan Venegas (Alajuelense), Anthony Contreras (Herediano)