Costa Rica 2022 World Cup Team Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

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CONTENTS

• Costa Rica Odds: To Win 2022 World Cup
• Costa Rica: Road to the Final
• Costa Rica Previous World Cup Finishes
• Costa Rics World Cup FAQ

Costa Rica Odds: To Win 2022 World Cup

Costa Rica has qualified for the World Cup for only the sixth time in the team's history – and soccer betting sites aren't expecting them to go far at Qatar 2022. Having shocked the sport by reaching the World Cup quarter-finals back in 2014, Costa Rica is now a new-look team that doesn't have the superstar quality it once did.

This winter the Costa Ricans arrive in Qatar as one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition. But credit must go to head coach Luis Fernando Suarez for getting them here. After all, Costa Rica had to battle through CONCACAF qualification – playing the likes of USA, Mexico and Canada – and then faced an inter-confederation playoff against New Zealand to scrape through.

Sports betting websites have Costa Rica down as the least likely team to win the World Cup, with odds around +10000. To put that into context, even Iran and Saudi Arabia are considered more likely to win in Qatar. Still, they have some credible names in their squad, including striker Joel Campbell, defender Bryan Oviedo, goalkeeper Keylor Navas, and captain Brian Ruiz.

But that won't deter Suarez. This team has gone through adversity before and will want to emulate the class of 2014. That might not be possible but Costa Rica will hope to at least claim one win from the group stage.

Team Costa Rica has been eliminated from the World Cup 2022, and Team Japan and Team Spain advanced to the next round. Check out what the odds were for Spain and Japan to advance to the next round.

Odds Provided by bet365 - Subject to Change

Costa Rica: Path to the Final

Pot Draw

Costa Rica was placed in Pot 4 for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This put them amongst the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, alongside the likes of Ecuador, Canada and Australia. This isn't surprizing when you consider Costa Rica don't score many FIFA ranking points outside of the World Cup cycle. It's hard for the team to compete with the larger nations around them, like the USA and Mexico, and so they were always destined to be in Pot 4.

Group Stage

Costa Rica has got a tough draw at the World Cup this winter. The team will face Germany, Spain and Japan in perhaps the hardest group of the tournament. First up they play Spain, and the sports betting sites expect a big win for the Spain. After that it’s Japan, which is Costa Rica’s best chance of winning a game. Saying that, Japan has a 3-1-0 record against Costa Rica from their four previous encounters. And then they play Germany, a game that might be a dead-rubber if Costa Rica is already eliminated.

Costa Rica Previous World Cup Finishes

As we mentioned above, Costa Rica has a healthy World Cup record for such a small nation. The team has competed in five previous World Cups and made its bow in 1990. Impressively, Costa Rica reached the last-16 of the tournament that year before falling to Czechoslovakia. Here's Costa Rica's World Cup record to date:

• 1990 – Last-16
• 2002 – Group stage
• 2006 – Group stage
• 2014 – Quarter-finals
• 2018 – Group stage

Costa Rica World Cup FAQ

Has Costa Rica qualified for the World Cup 2022?

Yes. Costa Rica has qualified for the 2022 World Cup. It is the sixth time Costa Rica has reached the World Cup since its debut in 1990.

Why Is World Cup 2022 In November?

The 2022 World Cup is being played in November and December this year because host nation Qatar cannot stage games during the summer, as it is too hot.

Who is Costa Rica’s best player?

Costa Rica has some very good soccer players. Among them are striker Joel Campbell, defender Bryan Oviedo, captain Brian Ruiz and goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Which group is Costa Rica in?

Costa Rica is in Group E at the 2022 World Cup. The team will face Germany, Spain and Japan in the group stage.

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