Panama U20 readies for CONCACAF qualifier as clubs block two players

Panama's Under‑20 national team finished its home preparation with a 7‑2 victory over Cuba at the Football Federation's high‑performance centre in Burunga. The win capped a two‑match training series before the squad departs on Sunday for a final camp in Pachuca, Mexico, where it will spend 12 days ahead of the CONCACAF U‑20 Championship, the pathway to the 2026 U‑20 World Cup.

The Panama Football Federation announced that forward Kadir Barría (Botafogo, Brazil) and midfielder Josué Vergara (KAA Gent, Belgium) will not travel because their clubs did not grant temporary releases. The federation explained that the tournament falls outside the FIFA international‑match calendar, so clubs are not obliged to loan players. Four other overseas‑based players – Joseph Pacheco, Moisés Richards, Ernesto Gómez and Mihajir Jiménez – have received permission and will join the team in Puebla for the competition. Additional domestic players Estevis López and Gerson Gordon will be added to the squad during the final weekend before departure.