Costa Rica

Costa Rica national football team logo
Costa Rica National Football Team

National Team Information

General Info

Los Ticos, La Sele (The Selection), La Tricolor

World Cup Participation

1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022

Championships

1963 CONCACAF Championship
1969 CONCACAF Championship
1989 CONCACAF Championship

Costa Rica National Football Team History

Costa Rica’s first-ever match was a 7-0 win against  El Salvador in the 1921 Independence Centenary Games. The Costa Rica national football team later won 6-0 against Guatemala to win their first title. Los Ticos finished runners-up in the World Cup, qualifying to Mexico in 1958, 1962 and 1966 but not quite getting over the hump.

They did, however, win the first edition of the CONCACAF Championship in 1963. Juan Gonzales scored four goals in six matches, as the Costa Rican national football team won their first major trophy.

Los Ticos also won in 1969 and 1989, and the latter meant it was the first Costa Rica FIFA World Cup appearance. Many of the Costa Rican players were non-professional and had other jobs, but that didn’t stop them from doing well at Italy 1990.

In their first-ever FIFA World Cup match, Costa Rica national football team defeated Scotland 1-0 with a goal from Juan Cayasso. Los Ticos (also known as La Sele) played Brazil close in the next match but ultimately fell 1-0. Needing a win to secure knockout stage qualification, Costa Rica fell behind to Sweden in the first half of their next match. Second-half goals from Roger Flores and Hernan Medford sealed an enormously significant comeback victory.

In the knockout stage, Costa Rica lost 4-1 to Czechoslovakia but performed well in their first World Cup. Los Ticos didn’t return to soccer’s most prestigious international tournament until 2002 and finished first in CONCACAF qualifying. Costa Rica started off the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win against China and later managed a 1-1 draw against Turkey. With a 5-2 loss to Brazil in the closer, La Sele were eliminated on goal difference.

Four years later, at Germany 2006, Costa Rica lost all three matches for consecutive group stage eliminations. Los Ticos lost the intercontinental qualifying playoff for the 2010 World Cup versus Uruguay, missing out for the first time since 1998.

The Costa Rican national football team returned to the World Cup in 2014 and put on an amazing performance. With all their small-scale World Cup experience, they were placed in a group considered a “group of death” -topped by England, Italy, and Uruguay- for their second knockout stage appearances. With a win in penalties against Greece, Costa Rica made the quarterfinals for the first time, accomplishing the unexpected. However, running out of luck, La Sele (Los Ticos) fell before the Netherlands in PKs, following a scoreless draw.

Finishing at the bottom of their group at the 2018 World Cup, Costa Rica failed to reach the same heights as 2014. It looked like Los Ticos would miss out on the World Cup in 2022, taking just six points from their first seven qualifiers. However, they amassed an impressive 18 points in the final seven to advance to the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand. Joel Campbell’s early goal was enough for Costa Rica to secure a third straight World Cup berth.

Costa Rica National Flag
Costa Rican Soccer

Costa Rica Soccer Leagues & Clubs:

Costa Rica soccer betting is most commonly done on the Primera División de Costa Rica. The league is often referred to as Fútbol de Primera División or FPD for short. There are 12 teams in Liga FPD and the league follows a two-tournament format per season.

Like in Mexico’s Liga MX, there are “Apertura” and “Clausura” tournaments that run from July to December and January to May, respectively. The top four teams in league play advance to the semifinals tournament. If the winner of the Apertura or Clausura tournament is a different team than the top-ranked one from league play, a grand final is played between the tournament winner and the top-ranked team to determine the champions. The team with the worst aggregate record from the Apertura and Clausura stages goes down to the second tier.

Primera División Teams – 2022/23 Season
Team
Club Sport Cartaginés
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense
Club Sport Herediano
Deportivo Saprissa
Santos de Guápiles
Asociación Deportiva San Carlos
Asociación Deportiva Guanacasteca
Municipal Pérez Zeledón
Municipal Grecia
Puntarenas Fútbol Club
Sporting Football Club
Guadalupe Fútbol Club

The second-tier Costa Rican soccer league is called the Segunda División de Costa Rica. There are 17 teams in the Segunda División and it follows a similar format to the Liga FPD. There are Apertura and Clausura tournaments and champions are crowned at the end of each stage. The Apertura and Clausura champions compete in a two-legged playoff fixture to determine the team that earns promotion to Liga FPD. One team is relegated to the third tier at the end of each season.

2da División Teams – 2022/23 Season
Team
C.S. Uruguay de Coronado
A.D. Aserrí F.C.
A.D.M. Turrialba C.F.
A.D. Carmelita
A.D. Cariari Pococí
Municipal Liberia
Municipal Santa Ana
A.D. Quepos Cambute
Jicaral Sercoba
Puerto Golfito F.C.
Comisión de Fútbol de Palmares
Fútbol Consultants Desamparados
Municipal Garabito
A.D. Sarchi
San José F.C.
Escorpiones de Belén
Limón Black Star

Costa Rica Cups & Tournaments

Costa Rican Soccer Betting Information

Betting on the Liga Futbol Primera División

The Liga FPD is the most popular league for domestic Costa Rica soccer betting. There is an incredibly well-defined big three in Costa Rican soccer and they win the vast majority of the championships. In fact, Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano have won 96 of a possible 116 titles. In recent years, Saprissa and Herediano have been the two most dominant forces in Costa Rican soccer. There have been opportunities for other teams to thrive in recent seasons. In the last ten years, only the big three -Cartaginés, Perez Zeledón and A.D. San Carlos- have won an Apertura or Clausura tournament.

With two playoff tournaments per season, the Liga FPD can certainly be an exciting league to bet on for those that follow it. The Apertura of the 2022-23 season was quite a high-scoring season, with 2.92 goals per game. Both teams scored 61 percent of the time and three or more goals were scored 60 percent of the time. There was quite a pronounced home-field advantage. Home teams won 45 percent of the time and road teams won 32 percent of the time. Just 23 percent of matches finished in draws in the 2022-23 Apertura.

Costa Rica National Team Betting Tips & Odds

Costa Rica have been mainstays at the World Cup for over a decade. Betting tips typically recommend betting on them to qualify for World Cups. They’ve participated at every edition of the tournament since 2002, except for 2010. However, they’ve only advanced to the knockout stage once during that time. In 2014, Costa Rica qualified for the quarterfinals, which remains their best performance to date. It certainly appeared that Los Ticos would miss out on the 2022 World Cup at first but they managed to turn things around.

Luis Fernando Suarez’s tenure got off to an inauspicious start as Costa Rica won just one of their first seven qualifiers. Then, they went 6-1-0 to close things out and advanced to the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand. Joel Campbell’s third-minute goal sent Los Ticos to their third straight World Cup. There, they got demolished 7-0 by Spain in their first match. Showing a fighting spirit, Costa Rica defeated Japan 1-0 to keep their knockout stage hopes alive. Los Ticos were eliminated by losing 4-2 to Germany in their final match. Following the tournament, longtime midfielder Bryan Ruiz retired.

Retirement should be a common theme over the next few years, as goalkeeper Keylor Navas, defenders Oscar Duarte, Bryan Oviedo and Kendall Watson, plus midfielder Celso Borges are all in their mid to late thirties. Luis Fernando Suarez will need to identify and develop young talents in the meantime. Teenage midfielders Jewison Bennette and Brandon Aguilera have already left their mark on the national team. Still, there is a lot of work to be done for Costa Rica to reach a fourth straight World Cup, especially now that all of the USA, Mexico and Canada have strong teams. Costa Rica have gotten out of the group stage at every Gold Cup since 2003, though, so the 2023 edition will be a good litmus test for them.

Summary

Costa Rica’s Liga FPD isn’t a very well known league but it has great potential for betting. With two playoff tournaments per year, bettors familiar with Mexico’s Liga MX could potentially do well betting on Costa Rican matches.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica’s national team has been one of the strongest in CONCACAF for a while. However, they haven’t won any silverware since 1989 and their roster is aging at the moment.

Costa Rica National Football FAQS

Is sports betting legal in Costa Rica?

Land-based sports betting is fully illegal in Costa Rica, but there are lenient online gambling laws. In fact, many online sportsbooks base their operations in Costa Rica.

Is in-play betting allowed in Costa Rica?

Yes, online in-play betting is permitted in Costa Rica.

Who is the all-time top scorer in Liga FPD?

Víctor Núñez is the top all-time scorer in Costa Rica’s Liga FPD. He scored 244 goals in the league and is the only player to score 200 or more goals.

Which Costa Rican team has won the most championships?

With 38 league titles, Saprissa are the most successful club in Costa Rican history.

What is football called in Costa Rica?

Football is simply called fútbol in Costa Rica.
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