Costa Rica women's national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Costa Rica

Nickname(s)	Las Ticas La Sele (The Selection) La Tricolor (The Tricolor)
Association	Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (FCRF)
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean)
Sub-confederation	Central American Football Union (Central America)
Head coach	Benito Rubido
Captain	Katherine Alvarado
Most caps	Katherine Alvarado (133)
Top scorer	Raquel Rodriguez (55)
Home stadium	Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica
FIFA code	CRC
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	37 3 (7 December 2018)
Highest	29 (June–December 2016)
Lowest	50 (March 2007)
First international
Canada 6–0 Costa Rica  (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 16 April 1991)
Biggest win
Saint Kitts and Nevis 0–19 Costa Rica  (Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis; 4 December 2023)
Biggest defeat
Brazil 8–0 Costa Rica  (Hershey, United States; 22 June 2000)  United States 8–0 Costa Rica  (Louisville, United States; 25 June 2000)  United States 8–0 Costa Rica  (Pittsburgh, United States; 16 August 2015)
World Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 2015)
Best result	Group stage (2015, 2023)
CONCACAF Championship
Appearances	8 (first in 1991)
Best result	Runners-up (2014)
Medal record Pan American Games Bronze 1999 Winnipeg Team Bronze 2019 Lima Team

The Costa Rica women's national football team represents Costa Rica in international soccer games. This team is also known as Las Ticas. The Costa Rican Football Federation manages the team. They are one of the best women's soccer teams in Central America. Other strong teams include Guatemala and Panama.

Since the 2010s, Costa Rica has become a strong team in women's soccer. Like their men's team, the women's side is a tough opponent. In their first World Cup in 2015, Costa Rica surprised everyone. They drew against strong teams like Spain and South Korea. They were only knocked out after a late goal from Brazil.

History of the Team

The Costa Rican women's team played its first international match in 1990. At that time, women's soccer was still growing in Central America. The success of the men's team helped the FCRF believe in the women's team. Their first big tournament was the 1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship. Costa Rica finished third in their group and did not move on.

Later, Costa Rica started to do better. They won bronze medals at the 1998 CONCACAF Women's Championship and the 1999 Pan American Games. After this, the team faced challenges. They struggled to achieve more success for a while.

At the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica had a big surprise. They won a silver medal, even though they lost 0–6 to the USA in the final. This second-place finish was very important. It meant they would play in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time ever!

In the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Costa Rica was in a group with Brazil, South Korea, and Spain. They earned two surprising draws: 1–1 against Spain and 2–2 against South Korea. However, they lost 1–0 to Brazil and were eliminated in the group stage.

At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica hoped to qualify for the World Cup again. They won their first game 8–0 against Cuba. But they lost their next match 1–0 to Jamaica. A goal they scored was not allowed, which was controversial. They then lost 3–1 to Canada. This meant they could not qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Costa Rica did much better in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. They took second place in their group. They won against Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Even though they finished fourth overall, this win helped them return to the Women's World Cup in 2023.

Team Identity

Team Nicknames

The Costa Rica women's national football team has a few nicknames. People call them "La Sele (The Selection)" or "La Tricolor (The Tricolor)".

Home Stadium

The team plays their home games at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.

Recent Matches

Here are some of the recent games the team has played.

Legend

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

• 2023 Pan American Games:

* October 31:  Paraguay 3–1  Costa Rica (Loss)

• 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup Qualification:

* November 30:  Costa Rica 2–1  Haiti (Win) * December 4:  Saint Kitts and Nevis 0–19  Costa Rica (Win)

• 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup:

* February 22:  Costa Rica 0–1  Paraguay (Loss) * February 25:  El Salvador 0–2  Costa Rica (Win) * February 28:  Canada 3–0  Costa Rica (Loss) * March 2 (Quarter-finals):  Canada 1–0  Costa Rica (Loss after extra time)

• Friendly Games 2024:

* April 6:  Costa Rica 5–1  Peru (Win) * April 9:  Costa Rica 2–1  Peru (Win) * May 31:  Argentina 2–0  Costa Rica (Loss) * June 3:  Argentina 2–0  Costa Rica (Loss) * July 16:  United States 0–0  Costa Rica (Draw) * October 27:  Costa Rica 0–1  Panama (Loss) * October 30:  Costa Rica 0–2  Panama (Loss) * November 30:  Mexico vs  Costa Rica (Future game)

See Also

• Costa Rica Results and Fixtures – Soccerway.com
• Costa Rica Results and Fixtures – FIFA.com

Coaching Staff

Current Coaches

This table shows the people who currently coach the team.

Name	Nat	Position
Benito Rubido		Head coach
Edgar Rodríguez		Assistant coach
Patricia Aguilar		Assistant coach
Eli Avila		Goalkeeping coach
Bryan Mora		Physical coach

Past Managers

Here is a list of the head coaches the team has had over the years.

Name	Nat	Year
Jorge Álvarez		1976
Guillermo Soto		1991
Didier Castro		1998-1999
Luis Diego Castro		2000
Leroy Lewis		2000
Didier Castro		2001
Ricardo Rodríguez		2002-2006
Allan Brown		2006 (interim)
Juan Diego Quesada		2008 - 2009
Randall Chacón		2010
Karla Alemán		2011 - 2012
José Luis Díaz		2013
Garabet Avedissian		2014
Amelia Valverde		2015-2023
Ana Patricia Aguilar		2023 (interim)
Edgar Rodríguez		2023 (interim)
Benito Rubido		2023–Present

Players

It's hard to find the exact number of games played (caps) and goals scored for all players. So, the numbers listed might not be perfect.

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the friendly game against  Panama in October 2024. The numbers for games played and goals are correct as of December 4, 2023. This was after the match against  Saint Kitts and Nevis.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Bermúdez, NoeliaNoelia Bermúdez	(1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 30)	30	0	Alajuelense
	1GK	Díaz, DinniaDinnia Díaz	(1988-01-14) 14 January 1988 (age 37)	29	0	Dimas Escazú [es]
	1GK	Zúñiga, María JoséMaría José Zúñiga	(1998-03-21) 21 March 1998 (age 27)	0	0	Dimas Escazú [es]
23	1GK	Pérez, MayanaMayana Pérez			0
15	2DF	Morales, MaríaMaría Morales (third captain)	(1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 29)	6	1	Saprissa [es]
	2DF	Blanco, StephannieStephannie Blanco	(2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 24)	11	1	Alajuelense
4	2DF	Benavides, MarianaMariana Benavides	(1994-12-26) 26 December 1994 (age 30)	72	2	Saprissa [es]
4	2DF	Briceno, JoselynJoselyn Briceno
2	2DF	Guillén, GabrielaGabriela Guillén	(1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 33)	83	2	Dallas Trinity FC
	2DF	Arce, María PaulaMaría Paula Arce	(2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 21)			Alajuelense
	2DF	Porras, María PaulaMaría Paula Porras
6	2DF	González, JimenaJimena González	(2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 19)			Sporting F.C.
11	3MF	Rodríguez, RaquelRaquel Rodríguez (captain)	(1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 (age 31)	108	58	Angel City FC
19	3MF	Pinell, AlexandraAlexandra Pinell	(2002-10-18) 18 October 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Alajuelense
13	3MF	Valenciano, EmilieEmilie Valenciano	(1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 28)	14	0	Alajuelense
19	3MF	Montero, AlejandraAlejandra Montero			0
	3MF	Flores, EmilyEmily Flores	(2001-11-19) 19 November 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Querétaro
19	3MF	Alvarado, KatherineKatherine Alvarado			0
MF	Varela, SofíaSofía Varela	(1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 (age 27)	11	4	Unattached	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
9	4FW	Salas, María PaulaMaría Paula Salas	(2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 22)	37	8	Atlas
	4FW	Scott, SheikaSheika Scott	(2006-10-22) 22 October 2006 (age 18)	6	0	Alajuelense
	4FW	Sandí, CristelCristel Sandí	(1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 (age 27)	8	1	Dimas Escazú [es]
22	4FW	Agüero, SianyfSianyf Agüero	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Alajuelense
17	4FW	Herrera, AlexaAlexa Herrera	(2004-11-16) 16 November 2004 (age 20)	3	1	Alajuelense
7	4FW	Herrera, MelissaMelissa Herrera	(1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 28)	94	20	Tijuana
9	4FW	Mattarrita, MonicaMonica Mattarrita
9	4FW	Vallejos, DianaDiana Vallejos

Recent Call-ups

These players have been called to join the Costa Rica squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Pérez, GénesisGénesis Pérez	(2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 20)	8	0	UCF Knights	v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
GK	Tapia, PriscillaPriscilla Tapia	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 34)	16	0	Saprissa [es]	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
GK	Méndez, CarolinaCarolina Méndez	(2004-07-19) 19 July 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Saprissa [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK	Villalobos, MaidelynMaidelyn Villalobos	(2006-01-16) 16 January 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK	Fonseca, NancyNancy Fonseca	(2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 20)	0	0	John Brown University	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK	Solera, DanielaDaniela Solera	(1997-07-21) 21 July 1997 (age 27)	25	0	Atlas	v.  United States,16 July 2024
DF	Briceño, JosselynJosselyn Briceño	(2006-09-24) 24 September 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Sporting F.C.	v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
DF	del Campo, ValeriaValeria del Campo	(2000-12-15) 15 December 2000 (age 24)	14	0	Monterrey	v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
DF	Rodríguez, LixyLixy Rodríguez	(1990-11-04) 4 November 1990 (age 34)	98	5	León	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
DF	Oporta, MarilenisMarilenis Oporta	(1998-03-24) 24 March 1998 (age 27)	3	0	Alajuelense	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
DF	Cruz, DanielaDaniela Cruz	(1991-03-08) 8 March 1991 (age 34)	90	2	Atlas	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
DF	Durán, GretchenGretchen Durán	(2004-10-08) 8 October 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Dimas Escazú [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF	García, MaríaMaría García	(2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Dimas Escazú [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF	Rivera, ValentinaValentina Rivera	(2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Saprissa [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF	Coto, María PaulaMaría Paula Coto	(1998-03-02) 2 March 1998 (age 27)	25	2	Alajuelense	v.  United States,16 July 2024
DF	Elizondo, María PaulaMaría Paula Elizondo	(1998-11-30) 30 November 1998 (age 26)	15	0	Saprissa [es]	v.  United States,16 July 2024
DF	Villalobos, FabiolaFabiola Villalobos	(1998-03-13) 13 March 1998 (age 27)	38	3	Tijuana	v.  United States,16 July 2024
MF	Hernández, YirlanyYirlany Hernández		0	0	Saprissa [es]	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
MF	González, AshlyAshly González	(2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF	Campos, MarielaMariela Campos	(1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 34)	6	0	Alajuelense	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF	Coto, DanielaDaniela Coto	(1998-08-03) 3 August 1998 (age 26)	14	1	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF	Chinchilla, VivianaViviana Chinchilla	(1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 30)	9	0	Alajuelense	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF	Campos Alfaro, MarielaMariela Campos Alfaro	(1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Saprissa [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF	Solano, MarianMarian Solano	(2006-05-19) 19 May 2006 (age 19)	2	0	Alajuelense	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF	Chavarría, MaríaMaría Chavarría	(1992-05-19) 19 May 1992 (age 33)	1	0	Saprissa [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF	Carbonero, AdrianaAdriana Carbonero	(1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Pérez Zeledón [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE}
MF	Arias, YanielaYaniela Arias	(1998-04-25) 25 April 1998 (age 27)	7	0	Dimas Escazú [es]	v.  United States,16 July 2024
MF	Rodríguez, PriscillaPriscilla Rodríguez	(2005-05-26) 26 May 2005 (age 20)	3	0	Saprissa [es]	v.  United States,16 July 2024
MF	Villalobos, GlorianaGloriana Villalobos	(1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 25)	76	10	Saprissa [es]	v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW	Matarrita, VerónicaVerónica Matarrita	(2005-11-07) 7 November 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Saprissa [es]	v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
FW	García, JuliaJulia García	(2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 21)			Dimas Escazú [es]	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW	Arroyo, KelseyKelsey Arroyo	(2000-07-13) 13 July 2000 (age 24)			Saprissa [es]	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW	Vargas, LauraLaura Vargas	(2003-11-27) 27 November 2003 (age 21)			Puerto Viejo F.C. [es]	v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW	Corrales, HillaryHillary Corrales	(1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 25)	3	0	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
FW	Venegas, CarolinaCarolina Venegas	(1991-09-28) 28 September 1991 (age 33)	72	18	Saprissa [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Ovares, YerlingYerling Ovares	(2002-01-17) 17 January 2002 (age 23)	6	0	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Villanueva, YoankaYoanka Villanueva	(1996-08-21) 21 August 1996 (age 28)	5	0	Alajuelense	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Elizondo, AshleyAshley Elizondo	(2005-01-11) 11 January 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Dimas Escazú [es]	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Vallejos, DianaDiana Vallejos	(1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 31)	0	0	Sporting F.C.	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Vargas, MaríaMaría Vargas	(2003-11-27) 27 November 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Unattached	2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW	Chinchilla, PriscilaPriscila Chinchilla	(2001-07-11) 11 July 2001 (age 23)	48	20	Zenit	v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW	Mesén, ÁnyelaÁnyela Mesén	(2003-05-27) 27 May 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Alajuelense	v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW	Figueroa, FernandaFernanda Figueroa	(1997-06-22) 22 June 1997 (age 27)			Dimas Escazú [es]	v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW	Fonseca, TanishaTanisha Fonseca	(2007-11-05) 5 November 2007 (age 17)	0	0	Sporting F.C.	v.  United States,16 July 2024

Notes:

• PRE: Preliminary roster

Previous Squads

Here are links to the teams that played in past major tournaments:

Tournament History

This section shows how Costa Rica has performed in different international tournaments.

FIFA Women's World Cup

Here is Costa Rica's record in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1991	Did not qualify
1995	Did not enter
1999	Did not qualify
2003
2007
2011
2015	Group stage	3	0	2	1	3	4
2019	Did not qualify
2023	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	8
2027	To be determined
Total	Group stage	6	0	2	4	4	12

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Here are the specific games Costa Rica played in the World Cup:

FIFA Women's World Cup history
Year	Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium
2015	Group stage	9 June	Spain	D 1–1	Olympic Stadium, Montreal
		13 June	South Korea	D 2–2
		17 June	Brazil	L 0–1	Moncton Stadium, Moncton
2023	Group stage	21 July	Spain	L 0–3	Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
		26 July	Japan	L 0–2	Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
		31 July	Zambia	L 1–3	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

Olympic Games

This table shows Costa Rica's performance in the Summer Olympics soccer tournament.

Summer Olympics record										Qualifying record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1996	Did not enter									1995 FIFA WWC
2000	Did not qualify									1999 FIFA WWC
2004										5	2	0	3	8	11
2008										6	2	1	3	11	7
2012										8	6	0	2	25	12
2016										7	5	0	2	22	10
2020										6	4	0	2	15	8
2024										9	6	0	3	29	6
Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		41	25	1	15	110	54

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF Women's Championship

This table shows Costa Rica's results in the CONCACAF Women's Championship.

CONCACAF Women's Championship record									Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1991	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	11		Invited
1993	Did not enter								Did not enter
1994
1998	Third place	5	3	0	2	11	7		3	2	0	1	23	3
2000	Group Stage	3	0	1	2	2	18		3	2	1	0	24	5
2002	Fourth place	5	2	0	3	8	14		4	4	0	0	16	3
2006	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	1	4
2010	Fourth place	5	2	0	3	4	11		2	2	0	0	4	0
2014	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	10	9		3	3	0	0	10	0
2018	Group stage	3	1	0	2	9	4		3	3	0	0	18	2
2022	Fourth place	5	2	0	3	7	6		4	4	0	0	22	0
Total	Runners-up	34	15	1	18	53	80		24	20	1	3	118	17

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

Here is Costa Rica's record in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2024	Quarterfinals	4	1	0	3	2	5
Total	1/1	4	1	0	3	2	5

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Pan American Games

This table shows Costa Rica's performance in the Pan American Games soccer tournament.

Pan American Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1999	Bronze medal	6	1	1	4	4	17
2003	Group stage	2	0	0	2	2	5
2007	Did not enter
2011	Group stage	3	0	1	2	5	8
2015	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	5
2019	Bronze medal	5	3	1	1	10	6
Total	Bronze medal	19	5	3	11	23	41

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American and Caribbean Games

Here is Costa Rica's record in the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2010	Did not enter
2014	Bronze medal	5	4	0	1	14	5
2018	Silver medal	5	4	0	1	8	5
2022	To be determined
Total	Silver medal	10	8	0	2	22	10

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American Games

This table shows Costa Rica's record in the Central American Games.

Central American Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2001	Gold medal	4	4	0	0	18	3
2013	Gold medal	5	5	0	0	27	1
2017	Gold medal	5	4	1	0	19	2
2022	Cancelled
Total	Gold medal	14	13	1	0	64	6

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA World Ranking

Last update was on June 25, 2021 Source:

     Best Ranking       Worst Ranking       Best Mover       Worst Mover  

Costa Rica's FIFA World Ranking History
Rank	Year	Best		Worst
		Rank	Move	Rank	Move
36	2021	—	—	—	—
35	2020	35	1	36	1
37	2019	36	1	38	1
37	2018	32	1	37	3
33	2017	30	1	33	1
29	2016	29	4	30
34	2015	34	3	37
37	2014	37	3	40
40	2013	40		40
40	2012	40	1	40
41	2011	41	3	44	2
41	2010	41	6	47	4
46	2009	46		46
46	2008	45	3	48	1
48	2007	48	1	50	1
49	2006	46	2	49	1
46	2005	45		46	1
45	2004	45	1	45
46	2003	45		46	1

More Information

In Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Costa Rica para niños

• Sport in Costa Rica
  • Football in Costa Rica
    • Women's football in Costa Rica
• Costa Rica women's national football team
  • Costa Rica women's national football team results
  • List of Costa Rica women's international footballers
• Costa Rica women's national under-20 football team
• Costa Rica women's national under-17 football team
• Costa Rica men's national football team