Honduras national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Honduras

Nickname(s)	Los Catrachos (The Catrachos) La Bicolor (The Bicolor) La H (The H)
Association	Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	UNCAF (Central America)
Head coach	Reinaldo Rueda
Captain	Anthony Lozano
Most caps	Maynor Figueroa (181)
Top scorer	Carlos Pavón (57)
Home stadium	Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés
FIFA code	HON
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	63 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest	20 (2001)
Lowest	101 (December 2015)
Elo ranking
Current	60 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	20 (September 2001)
Lowest	104 (November 1971)
First international
Guatemala 9–0 Honduras  (Guatemala City, Guatemala; 14 September 1921)
Biggest win
Honduras 10–0 Nicaragua  (San José, Costa Rica; 13 March 1946)
Biggest defeat
Guatemala 9–0 Honduras  (Guatemala City, Guatemala; 14 September 1921)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1982)
Best result	Group stage (1982, 2010, 2014)
CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup
Appearances	22 (first in 1963)
Best result	Champions (1981)
Nations League Finals
Appearances	1 (first in 2021)
Best result	Third place (2021)
Copa América
Appearances	1 (first in 2001)
Best result	Third place (2001)

The Honduras national football team (called Selección de fútbol de Honduras in Spanish) plays for Honduras in international football games. The team is managed by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras. People often call them Los Catrachos, La Bicolor (which means "The Two-Color"), or La H.

Honduras has played in the World Cup three times: in 1982, 2010, and 2014. They have never made it past the first round. The team has also done well in other big tournaments. They won the CONCACAF Championship in 1981. In the Copa América, they finished third in 2001. Honduras has also won the Central American Cup four times, with their last win in 2017. The national team also plays in the Nations League.

History of Honduran Football

The Honduran Football Team in 1946.

The Honduras national team played its first game in September 1921. This game was part of the Independence Centenary Games in Guatemala City. They lost 9–0 to Guatemala. This first international match was held to celebrate Central American Independence.

In their first appearance at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1930, Honduras won two games and lost three. They beat Jamaica 5–1 and El Salvador 4–1. They lost to Cuba and Costa Rica.

The football association for Honduras, called FENAFUTH, was started in 1935. It joined FIFA in 1946 and helped create CONCACAF in 1961.

The "Football War" of 1969

Before the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador had a serious disagreement. This event became known as the Football War. It got this name because a play-off football game between the two countries helped lead to a real war. The war lasted about 100 hours.

Honduras had played well in the qualifying rounds. They beat Costa Rica and Jamaica. In their final match, they played El Salvador. Honduras won the first game 1–0 in Tegucigalpa in June 1969. But they lost the second game 3–0 in San Salvador. This meant a deciding play-off game was needed. El Salvador won this game 3–2 in Mexico City, which meant Honduras was out of the World Cup qualifiers.

First World Cup Appearance in 1982

The team's crest in 1976.

Honduras won the 1981 CONCACAF Championship and made it to the World Cup for the first time in 1982. They played well, drawing 1–1 against both host country Spain and Northern Ireland. However, they lost their last game 1–0 to Yugoslavia and were eliminated in the first round.

The Honduras team at the 1982 World Cup.

1982 FIFA World Cup Group 5

Honduras almost qualified for the 1986 World Cup. They finished second in the 1985 CONCACAF Championship, losing to Canada. Later, they were runners-up in the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing to the United States.

For the 1998 World Cup, Honduras was eliminated by Jamaica and Mexico. Even though Honduras had a huge 11–3 win against Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Jamaica's win against Mexico meant they moved on instead.

Success in the 2001 Copa América

Since 1993, the CONMEBOL football group has invited teams from other regions to play in their championship, the Copa América. Honduras was invited at the last minute for the 2001 tournament because Argentina pulled out. The team arrived just hours before their first game and barely had enough players. Even with these challenges, Honduras made it to the quarter-finals. There, they surprised everyone by beating Brazil 2–0! In the semi-finals, Colombia beat Honduras 2–0.

Honduras also tried to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They reached the final round but didn't make it. They lost at home to Trinidad & Tobago and away to Mexico in their last two games. In the match against Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras hit the goal post eight times!

Back to the World Cup in 2010

On October 14, 2009, Honduras qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They won 1–0 against El Salvador, which gave them the third automatic spot from their qualifying group.

In the World Cup, Honduras was in a group with Chile, Spain, and Switzerland. They lost 1–0 to Chile and 2–0 to Spain. In their final game, they drew 0–0 with Switzerland. They finished last in their group and were eliminated. 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H

The 2014 World Cup Journey

Players lining up during the national anthem before a qualifying match against Canada in 2012.

For the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Honduras got a direct pass to the third round. They won their group, which included Panama, Canada, and Cuba. After losing their first home game to Panama, Honduras bounced back. They famously beat Canada 8–1 in their last group match to win the group.

In the final qualifying round, called the Hexagonal, six teams played each other. Honduras started strong, beating the United States 2–1. They also came back from being two goals down to draw 2–2 with Mexico. They had some tough games but then got a surprising 2–1 win against Mexico in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. They drew 2–2 with Panama at home. In their last two games, Honduras beat Costa Rica 1–0 and qualified for the World Cup with a 2–2 draw against Jamaica. 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round

In the World Cup in Brazil, Honduras again finished last in their group. They lost 3–0 to France and Switzerland, and 2–1 to Ecuador. In the game against France, a goal by Honduras's goalkeeper, Noel Valladares, was the first goal ever awarded using goal-line technology at a World Cup. Against Ecuador, Carlo Costly scored Honduras's first World Cup goal in 31 years! 2014 FIFA World Cup Group E

Recent Challenges

Honduras did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup. In the final qualifying stage, they fell to fourth place after Panama scored a late goal in their last game. Honduras then had a play-off against Australia. After a 0–0 draw at home, Honduras lost the second game 3–1 in Sydney and was eliminated.

In the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, Honduras had a very tough time. For the first time in World Cup qualifying history, they didn't win a single game, only managing four draws. This shows that the national team is currently going through a period of change with new players joining the squad.

Home Stadiums

The Honduras national team usually plays most of its home games at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa.

The team used to play at Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula. However, they stopped using it as their main stadium because the facilities were getting old. The Estadio Francisco Morazán also sometimes hosts home games.

Since 2007, the Estadio Nilmo Edwards in La Ceiba has also hosted some friendly matches.

Current Coaching Staff

The current head coach for the Honduras national football team is Reinaldo Rueda from Colombia.

Players of the Team

The Honduras national team has a squad of talented players who are called up for different matches. These players come from various clubs, both in Honduras and around the world.

Most Games Played

Maynor Figueroa has played the most games for Honduras, with 181 appearances.

The player who has played the most games for Honduras is Maynor Figueroa, with 181 appearances. Other players with many games include Amado Guevara (138 games) and Noel Valladares (135 games).

Top Goal Scorers

Carlos Pavón is Honduras's top goalscorer with 57 goals.

The player who has scored the most goals for Honduras is Carlos Pavón, with an amazing 57 goals! Other top scorers include Wilmer Velásquez and Milton Núñez.

Team Achievements

Honduras has won several important football championships.

Major Competitions

Continental Titles

• CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup
  • Champions (1): 1981
  • Runners-up (2): 1985, 1991
  • Third place (1): 1967
• CONCACAF Nations League
  • Third place (1): 2019–20
• Copa América
  • Third place (1): 2001

Regional Titles

• CCCF Championship¹
  • Runners-up (1): 1953
  • Third place (4): 1955, 1957, 1960, 1961
• Copa Centroamericana
  • Champions (4): 1993, 1995, 2011, 2017
  • Runners-up (3): 1991, 2005, 2013
  • Third place (2): 1999, 2009
• Central American and Caribbean Games
  • Bronze medal (1): 1930

Summary of Wins

Senior Competition				Total
CONCACAF Gold Cup	1	2	1	4
CONCACAF Nations League	0	0	1	1
Copa América	0	0	1	1
CCCF Championship1	0	1	4	5
Total	1	3	7	11

1. The CCCF Championship was an important football competition for national teams in Central America and the Caribbean. It was run by the CCCF, which was the main football group in the region before CONCACAF was formed.

FIFA World Ranking History

The FIFA World Ranking shows how well national football teams are doing compared to others around the world. Honduras's best ranking was 20th in 2001. Their lowest ranking was 101st in December 2015.

Last updated on March 24, 2024 Source:

     Best Ranking       Worst Ranking       Best Mover       Worst Mover  

Honduras' FIFA World Ranking History
Rank	Year	Best		Worst
		Rank	Move	Rank	Move
78	2024	—	—	—	—
76	2023	76	2	81	1
81	2022	78	2	82	4
76	2021	63	4	76	8
64	2020	62		64	1
62	2019	61	4	67	6
62	2018	59	5	67	3
68	2017	65	10	75	3
75	2016	75	10	98	4
101	2015	72	5	101	8
71	2014	30	4	72	13
42	2013	34	12	59	7
58	2012	51	10	72	8
53	2011	38	17	57	7
59	2010	34	3	59	8
37	2009	35	7	46	7
40	2008	36	10	61	13
53	2007	52	7	63	8
56	2006	38	26	81	43
41	2005	39	11	59	4
59	2004	47	12	59	6
49	2003	37	3	49	5
40	2002	25	3	43	8
27	2001	20	25	51	4
46	2000	46	14	74	6
69	1999	69	14	80	2
91	1998	64	9	95	17
73	1997	45	5	73	8
45	1996	42	5	57	6
49	1995	49	20	71	20
53	1994	40	2	56	7
40	1993	39	2	41	1

Images for kids

• 

  The team's crest in 1976.

• 

  The Honduras team at the 1982 World Cup.

• 

  Players lining up during the national anthem before a qualifying match against Canada in 2012.

• 

  Maynor Figueroa has played the most games for Honduras, with 181 appearances.

• 

  Carlos Pavón is Honduras's top goalscorer with 57 goals.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Honduras para niños

• Football in Honduras
• Honduras national under-23 football team
• Honduras national under-20 football team
• Honduras national under-17 football team
• Clásico centroamericano