Nicaragua national football team

Multi tool use
Nickname(s) |
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Association | Nicaraguan Football Federation | ||
Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
Sub-confederation | UNCAF (Central America) | ||
Head coach | Henry Duarte | ||
Captain | Juan Barrera | ||
Most caps | Josué Quijano (52) | ||
Top scorer | Juan Barrera (12) | ||
Home stadium | Nicaragua National Football Stadium | ||
FIFA code | NCA | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 132 ![]() | ||
Highest | 92 (December 2015) | ||
Lowest | 193 (May 2001) | ||
Elo ranking | |||
Current | 142 ![]() | ||
Highest | 126 (3 July 2017) | ||
Lowest | 204 (May – November 2001) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (San Salvador, El Salvador; 1 May 1929) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Managua, Nicaragua; 23 March 2015) ![]() ![]() (Managua, Nicaragua; 8 December 2015) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Mexico City, Mexico; 17 October 1975)[1] | |||
CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup | |||
Appearances | 4 (first in 1963) | ||
Best result | 6th place, 1967 |
The Nicaragua national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Nicaragua) is controlled by the Nicaraguan Football Federation. Nicaragua achieved its first qualification to a major international competition in 2009, when it qualified for the 2009 Gold Cup as the last entrant from Central America, after a 2–0 win over Guatemala of the fifth place match in the 2009 Nations Cup.[2]
Due to American influence throughout the country's history, baseball has more of a following as both a pursuit and spectator event in Nicaragua than football.
Contents
1 History
2 FIFA World Cup record
3 CONCACAF Championship record
4 Other tournament records
5 Personnel
5.1 Current staff
6 Schedule and results
6.1 2017
6.2 2018
6.3 2019
7 Players
7.1 Current squad
7.2 Recent call-ups
7.3 Records
8 Manager history
8.1 Others
9 International Match Records
10 References
11 External links
History
Nicaragua travelled to El Salvador for their first ever international, losing 9–0 to the hosts on 1 May 1929. They did not play another match for over twelve years, until the qualifying group for the 1941 CCCF Championship in Costa Rica. They lost all 4 games: 7–2 to the hosts Costa Rica on 10 May, 8–0 to El Salvador on 13 May, 9–1 to the Netherlands Antilles on 15 May and 5–2 to Panama on 18 May. Therefore, Nicaragua finished bottom of the group and did not make the final group.[3]
FIFA World Cup record
The Nicaraguan national football team has never qualified for the World Cup. Their last attempt was for the 2018 World Cup, when they lost 3–4 on aggregate in the third round to Jamaica, despite winning the away leg 2-3.
FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
![]() | Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
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![]() | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
![]() ![]() | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||
![]() | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
![]() | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||
![]() | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | |||||||||
![]() | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | |||||||||||||||
Total | 0/21 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 25 | 44 |
CONCACAF Championship record
In 1963, Nicaragua participated in the first CONCACAF Championship which included all countries of the region, North America, Central America and the Caribbean. During 1963 to 1971, only five championships were played. Nicaragua achieving only a sixth-place finish in 1967. From 1973 to 1989, no championship was played. The CONCACAF proclaimed champion of the region for the country that achieved the first place in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. In 1990, the CONCACAF again created a tournament as its showpiece event to crown the regional champion of the CONCACAF. The event was named the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the United States hosting the first competition in 1991. Nicaragua has qualified twice since the Gold Cup format started with a group stage finish in 2009, and 2017.
Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
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![]() | Round 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||
![]() | Sixth place | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
![]() | Did not enter | ||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||
![]() | Did not enter | ||||||
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1985 | |||||||
1989 | |||||||
![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||
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![]() | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
![]() | Did not qualify | ||||||
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![]() | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Total | 4/24 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 42 |
Other tournament records
The tournament has been held since 1991 as the UNCAF Nations Cup and serves as a qualifying event for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The competition was re-branded as the Copa Centroamericana from the 2011 edition. Nicaragua has participated in all of the tournaments and has managed to get up to Fifth place in 2009.
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The Nicaragua national football team have competed in the CCCF Championship in six occasions. Nicaragua won third place at the 1951 CCCF Championship.
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Personnel
Current staff
Position | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach | ![]() |
Assistant Coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeping coach | ![]() |
Physical Coordinator | ![]() |
Doctor | ![]() |
Physiotherapist | ![]() |
Team Coordinator | ![]() |
Team Coordinator | ![]() |
Schedule and results
The following is Nicaragua's schedule and results for the 2017 season.
- Key
Win
Draw
Loss
2017
Nicaragua


8 November Friendly | Nicaragua ![]() | 0–3 | ![]() | Diriamba, Nicaragua | |
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18:30 (UTC-6) | Report | Rodríguez ![]() L. Espinal ![]() Rodríguez ![]() | Stadium: Estadio Cacique Diriangén Referee: Jaime Herrera (El Salvador) |
Dominican Republic


11 November Friendly | Dominican Republic ![]() | 1–0 | ![]() | San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic | |
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21:00 (UTC-4) | Rodríguez ![]() | Report | Stadium: Estadio Panamericano Referee: Juan Carlos Hidalgo (Dominican Republic) |
2018
Nicaragua


22 March Friendly | Nicaragua ![]() | 3–1 | ![]() | Managua, Nicaragua | |
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18:30 (UTC−6) | Chavarría ![]() Moreno ![]() Barrera ![]() | Report | Santa Cruz ![]() | Stadium: Nicaragua National Football Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Nitzar Sandoval (Nicaragua) |
Nicaragua


25 March Friendly | Nicaragua ![]() | 3–3 | ![]() | Managua, Nicaragua | |
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17:30 (UTC−6) | Barrera ![]() Galeano ![]() Moreno ![]() | Report | Sanamé ![]() Olivares ![]() Caballero ![]() | Stadium: Nicaragua National Football Stadium Referee: Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua) |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines


8 September 2019-20 CNLQ | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ![]() | v | ![]() | Arnos Vale, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
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15:00 (UTC-4) | Stadium: Arnos Vale Stadium |
Nicaragua


14 October 2019-20 CNLQ | Nicaragua ![]() | v | ![]() | ||
17:00 (UTC-6) |
Nicaragua


17 November 2019-20 CNLQ | Nicaragua ![]() | v | ![]() | ||
18:00 (UTC-6) |
2019
Barbados


24 March 2019-20 CNLQ | Barbados ![]() | v | ![]() | ||
20:00 (UTC-4) |
Players
Current squad
The following 25 players were selected for the Friendlies against Cuba on March 22 and 25, 2018.
Caps and goals updated as of March 25, 2018 after the match against Cuba.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1GK | Justo Lorente | (1994-02-27) February 27, 1994 | 26 | 0 | ![]() | |
2DF | Cyril Errington | (1992-03-30) March 30, 1992 | 13 | 0 | ![]() | |
2DF | Luis Fernando Copete | (1989-12-03) December 3, 1989 | 28 | 3 | ![]() | |
2DF | Josué Quijano | (1991-03-10) March 10, 1991 | 52 | 1 | ![]() | |
2DF | Manuel Rosas | (1983-10-14) October 14, 1983 | 37 | 2 | ![]() | |
2DF | Bismarck Veliz | (1993-09-10) September 10, 1993 | 14 | 0 | ![]() | |
3MF | Juan Barrera (Captain) | (1989-03-02) March 2, 1989 | 46 | 12 | ![]() | |
3MF | Marlon López | (1992-11-02) November 2, 1992 | 33 | 0 | ![]() | |
3MF | Maykel Montiel | (1993-01-27) January 27, 1993 | 11 | 0 | ![]() | |
3MF | Alexis Somarriba | (1994-05-11) May 11, 1994 | 6 | 0 | ![]() | |
4FW | Daniel Cadena | (1987-02-09) February 9, 1987 | 25 | 3 | ![]() | |
4FW | Ariagner Smith | (1999-09-11) September 11, 1999 | 4 | 0 | ![]() | |
4FW | Carlos Chavarría | (1994-05-02) May 2, 1994 | 26 | 7 | ![]() | |
4FW | Luis Galeano | (1991-10-15) October 15, 1991 | 21 | 4 | ![]() | |
4FW | Jaime Moreno | (1995-03-30) March 30, 1995 | 7 | 2 | ![]() |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the Nicaragua squad in the past 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Denver Fox | (1996-04-24) April 24, 1996 | 0 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
GK | Diedrich Téllez | (1984-10-31) October 31, 1984 | 15 | 0 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
DF | Oscar Acevedo | (1997-03-18) March 18, 1997 | 0 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
DF | Jason Casco | (1990-02-13) February 13, 1990 | 27 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
DF | Luis Copete | (1989-02-12) February 12, 1989 | 28 | 3 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
DF | Jason Ingram | (1997-08-20) August 20, 1997 | 1 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
DF | Oscar López | (1992-02-27) February 27, 1992 | 10 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
DF | Erick Téllez | (1989-01-28) January 28, 1989 | 26 | 0 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
MF | Jason Coronel | (1993-10-06) October 6, 1993 | 8 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
MF | Bryan García | (1995-05-25) May 25, 1995 | 22 | 3 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
MF | Allan Mercado | 2 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() | |
MF | Jonathan Moncada | (1998-01-03) January 3, 1998 | 0 | 0 | Unattached | v. ![]() |
MF | Luis Peralta | (1988-10-12) October 12, 1988 | 19 | 1 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
MF | Elvis Pinel | (1988-12-18) December 18, 1988 | 30 | 1 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
FW | Jorge García | (1998-08-27) August 27, 1998 | 9 | 1 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
FW | Luis Gutiérrez | (1996-11-04) November 4, 1996 | 2 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
FW | Eulises Pavón | (1993-01-06) January 6, 1993 | 21 | 2 | ![]() | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
FW | Daniel Reyes | (1990-07-21) July 21, 1990 | 14 | 1 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
FW | Ariagner Smith | (1998-07-01) July 1, 1998 | 3 | 0 | ![]() | v. ![]() |
Records
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Note: Players in bold text are still active with Nicaragua.
Last updated: March 25, 2018
Manager history
Name | Nation | From | To | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Octavio Edmundo Salas Urbina | ![]() | 1941 | 1943 | |
Eduardo Kosovic 'Edy' | ![]() | 1943 | N/A | [1] |
Santiago Bonilla | ![]() | 1952 | 1953 | |
Ferenc Mészáros | ![]() | 1961 | 1961 | |
Carlos Ruiz | ![]() | 1961 | 1962 | |
Santiago Berrini | ![]() | 1966 | 1967 | [2] |
Livio Bendaña Espinoza | ![]() | 1967 | 1969 | |
Omar Muraco | ![]() | 1969 | 1970 | |
Salvador Dubois Leiva | ![]() | 1977 | 1977 | |
Jan Fulop | ![]() | 1985 | 1986 | |
Salvador Dubois Leiva | ![]() | 1991 | 1992 | |
Mauricio Cruz Jiron | ![]() | 1993 | June 2001 | |
Florencio Levia | ![]() | June 2001 | December 2002 | |
Maurizio Battistini | ![]() | February 2003 | June 2004 | |
Marcelo Javier Zuleta | ![]() | January 2005 | September 2005 | |
Carlos De Toro | ![]() | September 2007 | October 2008 | |
Mauricio Cruz Jiron | ![]() | October 2008 | November 2008 | |
Ramón Otoniel Olivas | ![]() | November 2008 | December 2009 | |
Enrique Llena | ![]() | January 2010 | November 2014 | |
Javier Londono | ![]() | November 2014 | December 2014 | |
Henry Duarte | ![]() | December 2014 | Present |
Others
José "Chingolo" Rodríguez
Omar Zambrana
International Match Records
As of 25 March 2018[4]
Positive Record
Neutral Record
Negative Record
Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 |
![]() | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 18 | −5 |
![]() | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
![]() | 18 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 71 | −61 |
![]() | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 20 | −6 |
![]() | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 34 | −31 |
![]() | 28 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 19 | 115 | −96 |
![]() | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
![]() | 20 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 12 | 65 | −53 |
![]() | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 |
![]() | 19 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 64 | −53 |
![]() | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 |
![]() | 25 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 21 | 70 | −49 |
![]() | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 |
![]() | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
![]() | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
![]() | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 |
![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
Total | 177 | 28 | 16 | 133 | 154 | 521 | −367 |
References
^ "Brazil matches, ratings and points exchanged". Eloratings.net. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ "Nicaragua shocks Guatemala 2–0 to claim last berth in CONCACAF Gold Cup". CONCACAF. 2009-01-29. Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
^ "Nicaragua - List of International Matches". rsssf.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Nicaragua". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
External links
![]() | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicaragua national football team. |
- A Picture of the Team
- FENIFUT – Nicaraguan Football Federation
Nicaragua – List of International Matches at RSSSF.com (Last updated: 7 July 2004)

