Costa Rica

National Team Information
General Info
CONCACAF
Los Ticos, La Sele (The Selection), La Tricolor
Costa Rica National Football Team History
Beginnings
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.
Italy '90: First FIFA World Cup Appearance
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.
Brazil 2014 World Cup: A Whirlwind Performance
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.
- Rolando Fonseca – Goals: 47
- Paulo Wanchope – Goals: 45
- Alvaro Saborio – Goals: 36
- Bryan Ruiz – Goals: 29
- Juan Ulloa, Celso Borges – Goals: 27
Keylor Navas is one of the best goalies of his generation and is quite possibly CONCACAF’s best keeper ever. Navas won 12 titles with Real Madrid, including three UEFA Champions Leagues. He was one of three nominees for the Golden Glove at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, he was named Man of the Match as Costa Rica beat Greece in the round of 16 to advance to their first-ever quarterfinals. Navas has made over 100 appearances for Los Ticos.
Along with Ronald Gomez, Paulo Wanchope is Costa Rica’s joint-top goal scorer in World Cups. With 45 goals in 73 matches for Costa Rica, Wanchope was an incredibly prolific striker. He scored 50 Premier League goals during his time in England and only trails Rolando Fonseca for most goals in Costa Rican history.
Bryan Ruiz is a tricky left-footed attacking midfielder who has played for Costa Rica for over a decade. Ruiz captained Costa Rica in both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and helped Los Ticos qualify for Qatar 2022. Ruiz ranks second on the all-time Costa Rica national football team appearances list, scoring over 25 goals.
Rolando Fonseca is Costa Rica’s all time leading scorer, with 47 goals in 113 appearances. Fonseca played for the national team for nearly 20 years and was selected for the 2002 World Cup. At club level, Fonseca totaled over 200 goals and won three CONCACAF Champions Leagues.
With over 150 appearances, Celso Borges is Costa Rica’s all-time caps leader. Borges has represented Costa Rica at six Gold Cups, two World Cups and scored over 25 goals for the national team. The midfielder made the Best XI at the 2009 and 2021 Gold Cups.
Hernan Medford scored two of the most important goals in Costa Rican soccer history. He scored the winner vs Sweden in the 1990 World Cup to send Costa Rica through to the knockout stage for the first time. He also found the back of the net vs Mexico to hand them their first-ever competitive loss at the Azteca. Medford was also part of the 1989 CONCACAF Championship winning side.
Not many people predicted Costa Rica to get out of their group at the 2014 World Cup. With England, Italy and Uruguay standing in their way, Los Ticos were in the group of death. That didn’t stop them from getting a massive 3-1 victory over Uruguay in their opener.
Los Ticos then took control of the group with a surprising 1-0 win vs. Italy. Bryan Ruiz scored the game’s only goal. Costa Rica booked their place in the knockout stage for the first time since 1990. Defying the expectations, they finished on top of their group with a scoreless draw vs. England in their third match. Keylor Navas was a standout in goal and Los Ticos conceded just one goal in the group stage.
Costa Rica faced Greece in the round of 16 and led for the majority of the second half as Ruiz scored in the 52nd minute. A dramatic 90th minute equalizer by Greece’s Sokratis Papasthathopoulous sent the match into extra time. The match went into penalties and Navas made a huge save that sent Costa Rica through to their first quarterfinals.
The match vs. the Netherlands finished in a scoreless draw and neither team found a breakthrough in extra time. This time around, Costa Rica missed two of their penalties and were eliminated without losing a match at the World Cup.
Costa Rica’s 2014 performance was a stark contrast to 2006’s. Paulo Wanchope scored a double in the opener vs. Germany but Los Ticos fell 4-2. In the next match, Ecuador shutout Costa Rica 3-0. For the first time in their World Cup history, Costa Rica lost all three matches as they fell to Poland 2-1 in the group stage finale.

Costa Rica Soccer Leagues & Clubs:
Liga FPD:
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.
Liga FPD Teams 2022-2023 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 |
Segunda División de Costa Rica:
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.
Segunda División Teams 2022-2023 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
A select few Costa Rican soccer teams participate in the Costa Rican Cup. This event is not necessarily annual, as 2022 marked the first edition since 2015. Most recently, the Costa Rican Cup included all of the Liga FPD teams plus four second-division sides. All fixtures were two-legged, with the aggregate winner advancing. As of the start of 2023, Cartaginés have won the last three editions of the tournament.
The Supercopa de Costa Rica is another solid opportunity for Costa Rican soccer betting. The match was revived in 2020 and features the Apertura winners vs. the Clausura winners. The match is typically played in July or August at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose.
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.