Panama 2018 World Cup Training Shirt (XL)

For most countries, qualifying for the World Cup is expected. For Panama in 2018, simply getting there was history.

Russia was their first appearance at the tournament and thousands of Panamanian supporters travelled to watch a team that had never previously played on football’s biggest stage. Even the national anthem before their opening match against Belgium became an emotional moment for the players and fans. 

Their most memorable moment came against England. Panama were already 6–0 down when 37-year-old defender Felipe Baloy slid onto a free kick and scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal.

The result no longer mattered for a few seconds. Supporters inside the stadium celebrated wildly, while people watching back home cried as the commentator shouted that Panama had finally scored at a World Cup. Baloy also became the fourth-oldest goalscorer in the competition’s history. 

This red New Balance top was part of the training collection surrounding that historic campaign. It was not the shirt worn during the matches, but it belongs to the same squad and the same summer when Panama finally saw its crest at a World Cup.

That is what makes it special: it comes from a tournament where one goal in a heavy defeat became one of the happiest moments in the country’s football history.