Costa Rica women's national football team

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Costa Rica
Raquel Rodriguez (55)
Home stadiumEstadio Nacional de Costa Rica
FIFA codeCRC
First colours
Second colours
Louisville, United States; 25 June 2000)
 United States 8–0 Costa Rica 
(Pittsburgh, United States; 16 August 2015)
World Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2015)
Best resultGroup stage (2015, 2023)
CONCACAF Championship
Appearances8 (first in 1991)
Best resultRunners-up (2014)

The Costa Rica women's national football team (Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in women's international football. The national team is controlled by the governing body Costa Rican Football Federation. They are one of the top women's national football teams in the Central American region along with Guatemala and Panama.

Since 2010s, Costa Rica has emerged in women's football, and akin to their men's counterparts, its women's side is also visibly recognised as a stern and competitive opponent despite relative recent entrance to the big stage. In Costa Rica's first World Cup in 2015, despite being rated the weakest team in the group, Costa Rica shocked the tournament with two points by drawing against strong Spain and South Korea sides, and was only eliminated by a late goal from Brazil.[2][3][4]

History

The Costa Rican team just started to play an international match in 1990, when Central America was on struggle about developing women's football. The success of men's team helped the FCF to believe on the women's team. Their first tournament, was the 1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship when Costa Rica finished third and was out from the group stage.

Despite this, Costa Rica started gaining success in the 1998 CONCACAF Women's Championship and 1999 Pan American Games when Costa Rica won bronze both. But later, Costa Rica did not gain much successful achievement, as the national team was still on struggle under the shadow of men's team.

At the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica surprisingly won silver, after losing 0–6 to the USA in the final. Their second-place finish secured them a spot in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. This marked the first time Costa Rica would play in a FIFA Women's World Cup.

Costa Rica was drawn into a group with Brazil, South Korea and Spain for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Costa Rica secured two shocking draws over Spain (1–1) and South Korea (2–2), but then lost 1–0 to Brazil and were eliminated in the group stage.[5]

At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica was hoping to once again qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup. They won their first group match 8–0 over Cuba. However they lost their second match 1–0 to Jamaica in which they controversially had a goal disallowed in the second half.[6] Costa Rica would lose their final group match to Canada 3–1, elimating their chances of qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[7]

Costa Rica has done much better in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, taking second place after wins over Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Though unable to repeat the 2014 feat, only finished fourth in process, the win allowed Costa Rica to return to the Women's World Cup in 2023.

Team image

Nicknames

The Costa Rica women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as "La Sele (The Selection)" or "La Tricolor (The Tricolor)".

Home stadium

Costa Rica plays their home matches on the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

29 June CAC games group stage Costa Rica  0–4  Venezuela Santa Tecla, El Salvador
11:00 CST (UTC−6) Report
Stadium: Estadio Las Delicias
Referee: Amairany García (Mexico)
15 July Friendly South Africa  2–0  Costa Rica Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Thembi Kgatlana 33'
  • Hildah Magaia 55'
Stadium: Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub
31 July 2023 FIFA World Cup Group stage Costa Rica  1–3  Zambia Hamilton, New Zealand
Report Stadium: Waikato Stadium
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)
21 September 2023 (2023-09-21) 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification Haiti  1–0  Costa Rica Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
20:00 Report Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)
25 September 2023 (2023-09-25) 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification Costa Rica  11–0  Saint Kitts and Nevis Alajuela
21:00 (19:00 UTC−6)
Report Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala)
22 October Pan American Games Group Costa Rica  0–0  Argentina Viña del Mar, Chile
20:00 PET (UTC−3) Report Stadium: Estadio Sausalito
Referee: Priscila Vasquez (Peru)
25 October 2023 Pan American Games United States  3–1  Costa Rica Valparaíso, Chile
12:00 ET
Report
Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander
Attendance: 300
Referee: Maria Belen Lupera Reto (ECU)
28 October 2023 Pan American Games Costa Rica  0–0  Bolivia Viña del Mar, Chile
18:00 Report Stadium: Estadio Sausalito
Referee: Stefani Escobar (Venezuela)
31 October 2023 Pan American Games Paraguay  3–1  Costa Rica Viña del Mar, Chile
Report Stadium: Estadio Sausalito
Referee: Maria Belen Lupera Reto (Ecuador)
30 November 2023 (2023-11-30) 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification Costa Rica  2–1  Haiti

2024

March 2 W Gold Cup QF Canada  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Costa Rica Los Angeles, United States
Report Stadium: BMO Stadium
Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)
6 April Friendly Costa Rica  5–1  Peru Alajuela, Costa Rica
15:00
Stadium: Stade Alejandro Morera Soto
9 April Friendly Costa Rica  2–1  Peru Alajuela, Costa Rica
10:00
Report Flores 22' Stadium: FCRF Sports Complex
16 July Friendly United States  v  Costa Rica Washington, D.C., United States
19:30 ET Stadium: Audi Field
See Also

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Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Name Nat Position
Benito Rubido [10] Spain Head coach
Edgar Rodríguez Costa Rica Assistant coach
Patricia Aguilar Costa Rica Assistant coach
Eli Avila Costa Rica Goalkeeping coach
Bryan Mora Costa Rica Physical coach

Manager history

Name Nat Year
Jorge Álvarez Costa Rica 1976
Guillermo Soto Costa Rica 1991
Didier Castro Costa Rica 1998-1999
Luis Diego Castro Costa Rica 2000
Leroy Lewis Costa Rica 2000
Didier Castro Costa Rica 2001
Ricardo Rodríguez Costa Rica 2002-2006
Allan Brown Costa Rica 2006 (interim)
Juan Diego Quesada Costa Rica 2008 - 2009
Randall Chacón Costa Rica 2010
Karla Alemán Costa Rica 2011 - 2012
José Luis Díaz Spain 2013
Garabet Avedissian [11] Uruguay 2014
Amelia Valverde Costa Rica 2015-2023
Ana Patricia Aguilar Costa Rica 2023 (interim)
Edgar Rodríguez Costa Rica 2023 (interim)
Benito Rubido Spain 2023–Present

Players

Up-to-date caps, goals, and statistics are not publicly available; therefore, caps and goals listed may be incorrect.

Current squad

  • The following players were named for two Friendly game against  Peru on 6 and 9 April 2024 .[12]
    Caps, goals, and players' numbers accurate as of 4 December 2023 after match vs.  Saint Kitts and Nevis.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Noelia Bermúdez (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 29) 30 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense
1GK Dinnia Díaz (1988-01-14) 14 January 1988 (age 36) 29 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú
1GK Daniela Solera (1997-07-21) 21 July 1997 (age 26) 25 0 Mexico Atlas
1GK Priscilla Tapia (1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 32) 16 0
Saprissa

2DF María Elizondo (1998-11-30) 30 November 1998 (age 25) 15 0
Saprissa
2DF Valeria del Campo (2000-12-15) 15 December 2000 (age 23) 14 0 Mexico Monterrey
2DF Lixy Rodríguez (1990-11-04) 4 November 1990 (age 33) 98 5 Mexico León
2DF Stephannie Blanco (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 23) 11 1 Costa Rica Alajuelense
4FW Fabiola Villalobos (1998-03-13) 13 March 1998 (age 26) 38 3 Costa Rica Alajuelense
2DF Gabriela Guillén (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 32) 83 2 Costa Rica Alajuelense
2DF María José Morales (third captain) (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 28) 6 1
Saprissa
2DF Marilenis Oporta (1998-03-24) 24 March 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense

3MF Emily Flores (2001-11-19) 19 November 2001 (age 22) 3 0 Costa Rica Sporting
3MF Yirlany Hernández 0 0 Costa Rica Saprissa FC
3MF Gloriana Villalobos (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 24) 76 10 Costa Rica Saprissa
3MF Alexandra Pinell (2002-10-18) 18 October 2002 (age 21) 7 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense
3MF Emilie Valenciano (1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 27) 14 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense
3MF
Raquel Rodríguez (captain
)
(1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 (age 30) 108 58 United States Angel City FC

4FW Anyela Mesén Costa Rica Alajuelense
4FW Julia García Costa Rica Dimas Escazu
4FW Kelsey Arroyo Costa Rica Saprissa FF
4FW María Figuero Costa Rica Dimas Escazu
4FW Laura Vargas Costa Rica puerto Viejo
4FW Cristel Sandí (1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 (age 26) 8 1 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú
4FW Melissa Herrera (1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 27) 94 20 Mexico Tijuana
4FW María Paula Salas (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 21) 37 8 Mexico Atlas

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Costa Rica squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Dayana Pérez (2003-03-20) 20 March 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Costa Rica Municipal Pococí 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
GK Génesis Pérez (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 18) 8 0 United States UCF Knights 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK Carolina Méndez (2004-07-19) 19 July 2004 (age 19) 2 0
Saprissa
2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK Maidelyn Villalobos (2006-01-16) 16 January 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK María José Zúniga (1998-03-21) 21 March 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK Nancy Fonseca (2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 19) 0 0 United States John Brown University 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE

DF Yesmi Rodríguez (1994-04-12) 12 April 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup PRE
DF María José Brenes (1994-01-18) 18 January 1994 (age 30) 0 0
Saprissa
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup PRE
DF Carolina Angulo (1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 30) 6 0 Unattached 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
DF Fiama Hidalgo (2003-09-21) 21 September 2003 (age 20) 2 0 United States Charleston Southern Buccaneers 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
DF Abigail Sancho (2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 (age 21) 2 0
Saprissa
2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
DF Keylin Gómez (2003-11-13) 13 November 2003 (age 20) 1 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
DF Brittany Vásquez (2006-08-21) 21 August 2006 (age 17) 1 0 Costa Rica COFUTPA 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
DF Carol Sánchez (1986-04-16) 16 April 1986 (age 38) 68 6 Costa Rica Sporting San José 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
DF Judith Rocha (1999-01-14) 14 January 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Costa Rica Municipal Pococí v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 25 September 2023
DF
María Paula Coto
(1998-03-02) 2 March 1998 (age 26) 25 2 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Gretchen Durán (2004-10-08) 8 October 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Josselyn Briseño (2006-09-24) 24 September 2006 (age 17) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Josselyn Briseño (2005-10-12) 12 October 2005 (age 18) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF María García (2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Valentina Rivera (2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 17) 0 0
Saprissa
2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Mariana Benavides (1994-12-26) 26 December 1994 (age 29) 72 2 Unattached 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
DF Daniela Cruz (1991-03-08) 8 March 1991 (age 33) 90 2 Mexico Atlas 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup

MF Amelie Araya (2003-10-04) 4 October 2003 (age 20) 3 0 United States UC Riverside Highlanders 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
MF Jimena Jiménez (2006-07-27) 27 July 2006 (age 17) 3 0
Saprissa
2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
MF Verónica Prieto (2000-02-24) 24 February 2000 (age 24) 3 0
Herediano
2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
MF Cristín Granados (1989-08-19) 19 August 1989 (age 34) 106 17 Costa Rica Sporting San José 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
MF
Vice-captain
)
(1991-04-11) 11 April 1991 (age 33) 133 20 Costa Rica Saprissa 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
MF Mariela Campos Alvarado (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 25) 6 0 Costa Rica Saprissa 2023 Pan American Games
MF Daniela Coto (1998-08-03) 3 August 1998 (age 25) 14 1 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Sofía Varela (1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 (age 26) 11 4 Unattached 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Viviana Chinchilla (1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 29) 9 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Yaniela Arias (1998-04-25) 25 April 1998 (age 25) 7 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Mariela Campos Alfaro (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Costa Rica Saprissa 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Priscilla Rodríguez (2005-05-26) 26 May 2005 (age 18) 3 0
Saprissa
2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Verónica Matarrita (2005-11-07) 7 November 2005 (age 18) 3 0
Saprissa
2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Marian Solano (2006-05-19) 19 May 2006 (age 17) 2 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF María Chavarría (1992-05-19) 19 May 1992 (age 31) 1 0 Costa Rica Saprissa 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Adriana Carbonero (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 28) 0 0 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Sianyf Agüero (2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Ashly González (2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 18) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Priscila Chinchilla (2001-07-11) 11 July 2001 (age 22) 48 20 Russia Zenit 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Alexa Herrera (2004-11-16) 16 November 2004 (age 19) 3 1 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Sheika Scott (2006-10-22) 22 October 2006 (age 17) 6 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Mariela Campos (1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 33) 6 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup

FW Jasmine Pérez-Acosta (2002-11-23) 23 November 2002 (age 21) 3 0
Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs
2023 Central American and Caribbean Games
FW Catalina Estrada (1998-10-11) 11 October 1998 (age 25) 2 0 Russia Zenit 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
FW Carolina Venegas (1991-09-28) 28 September 1991 (age 32) 72 18
Saprissa
2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Yerling Ovares (2002-01-17) 17 January 2002 (age 22) 6 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Yoanka Villanueva (1996-08-21) 21 August 1996 (age 27) 5 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Angela Messen (2003-05-27) 27 May 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Ashley Elizondo (2005-01-11) 11 January 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Diana Vallejos (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW María Vargas (2003-11-27) 27 November 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Unattached 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Tanisha Fonseca (2007-11-05) 5 November 2007 (age 16) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Hillary Corrales (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 24) 3 0 Costa Rica Sporting 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup

Notes:

  • PRE: Preliminary roster

Previous squads

Records

As of 21 February 2021
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
China 1991 Did not qualify
Sweden 1995 Did not enter
United States 1999 Did not qualify
United States 2003
China 2007
Germany 2011
Canada 2015 Group stage 3 0 2 1 3 4
France 2019 Did not qualify
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 8
Total Group stage 6 0 2 4 4 12
*Draws include knockout matches decided on
penalty kicks
.
FIFA Women's World Cup history
Year Round Date Opponent Result Stadium
Canada 2015 Group stage 9 June  Spain D 1–1
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
13 June  South Korea D 2–2
17 June  Brazil L 0–1
Moncton Stadium, Moncton
Australia New Zealand 2023 Group stage 21 July  Spain L 0–3 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
26 July  Japan L 0–2 Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
31 July  Zambia L 1–3 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record Qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 1996 Did not enter 1995 FIFA WWC
Australia 2000 Did not qualify 1999 FIFA WWC
Greece 2004 5 2 0 3 8 11
China 2008 6 2 1 3 11 7
United Kingdom 2012 8 6 0 2 25 12
Brazil 2016 7 5 0 2 22 10
Japan 2020 6 4 0 2 15 8
France 2024 9 6 0 3 29 6
Total 41 25 1 15 110 54
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF Women's Championship

CONCACAF Women's Championship
record
Qualification record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Haiti 1991 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 11 Invited
1993
Did not enter Did not enter
Canada 1994
Canada 1998 Third place 5 3 0 2 11 7 3 2 0 1 23 3
United States 2000 Group Stage 3 0 1 2 2 18 3 2 1 0 24 5
United StatesCanada 2002 Fourth place 5 2 0 3 8 14 4 4 0 0 16 3
United States 2006 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 4
2010
Fourth place 5 2 0 3 4 11 2 2 0 0 4 0
United States 2014 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 10 9 3 3 0 0 10 0
United States 2018 Group stage 3 1 0 2 9 4 3 3 0 0 18 2
Mexico 2022 Fourth place 5 2 0 3 7 6 4 4 0 0 22 0
Total Runners-up 34 15 1 18 53 80 24 20 1 3 118 17
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

CONCACAF W Gold Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 2024 Quarterfinals 4 1 0 3 2 5
Total 1/1 4 1 0 3 2 5
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
1999
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal 6 1 1 4 4 17
Dominican Republic 2003 Group stage 2 0 0 2 2 5
Brazil 2007 Did not enter
Mexico 2011 Group stage 3 0 1 2 5 8
Canada 2015 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 5
Peru 2019 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal 5 3 1 1 10 6
Total 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal 19 5 3 11 23 41
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American and Caribbean Games

Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Puerto Rico 2010 Did not enter
Mexico 2014 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal 5 4 0 1 14 5
Colombia 2018 2nd place, silver medalist(s)Silver medal 5 4 0 1 8 5
2022
To be determined
Total 2nd place, silver medalist(s)Silver medal 10 8 0 2 22 10
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American Games

Central American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Guatemala 2001 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal 4 4 0 0 18 3
Costa Rica 2013 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal 5 5 0 0 27 1
Nicaragua 2017 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal 5 4 1 0 19 2
El Salvador 2022 Cancelled
Total 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal 14 13 1 0 64 6
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA World Ranking