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Nicaragua national football team

Men's association football team

Summary

Men's association football team

Field	Value
Name	Nicaragua
Badge	Nicaragua Football Crest.png
Badge_size	200px
Nickname	La Azul y Blanco (The Blue and White)
Los Pinoleros (The Pinoleros)
Association	Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol (FENIFUT)
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	UNCAF (Central America)
Coach	Vacant
Captain	Juan Barrera
Most caps	Josué Quijano (108)
Top scorer	Juan Barrera (26)
Home Stadium	Estadio Nacional de Fútbol
FIFA Trigramme	NCA
FIFA Rank
FIFA max	92
FIFA max date	December 2015
FIFA min	193
FIFA min date	May 2001
Elo Rank
Elo max	126
Elo max date	3 July 2017
Elo min	204
Elo min date	May–November 2001
pattern_la1	_nca24h
pattern_b1	_nca24h
pattern_ra1	_nca24h
pattern_sh1	_nca24h
pattern_so1	_nca24h
leftarm1	FFFFFF
body1	FFFFFF
rightarm1	FFFFFF
shorts1	0B0FA8
socks1	FFFFFF
pattern_la2	_nca24a
pattern_b2	_nca24a
pattern_ra2	_nca24a
pattern_sh2	_nca24a
pattern_so2	_nca24a
leftarm2	FFFFFF
body2	FFFFFF
rightarm2	FFFFFF
shorts2	FFFFFF
socks2	000080
First game	9–0
(San Salvador, El Salvador; 1 May 1929)
Largest win	0–7
(San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic; 27 March 2021)
Largest loss	10–0
(San José, Costa Rica; 13 March 1946)
11–1
(Guatemala City, Guatemala; 2 March 1950)
Regional name	CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup
Regional cup apps	5
Regional cup first	1963
Regional cup best	Sixth place (1967)
2ndRegional name	CONCACAF Nations League
2ndRegional cup apps	4
2ndRegional cup first	2019–20
2ndRegional cup best	Group stage (2024–25)
3rdRegional name	CCCF Championship
3rdRegional cup apps	6
3rdRegional cup first	1941
3rdRegional cup best	Third place (1951)
4thRegional name	Copa Centroamericana
4thRegional cup apps	14
4thRegional cup first	1991
4thRegional cup best	Fifth place (2005, 2009, 2017)
pattern_so3	_nca24t	pattern_sh3=_nca24t	pattern_b3=_nca24t	pattern_la3=_nca24t	pattern_ra3=_nca24t	socks3=000000	shorts3=000000

the men's team

Los Pinoleros (The Pinoleros) | Sub-confederation = UNCAF (Central America) (San Salvador, El Salvador; 1 May 1929) (San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic; 27 March 2021) (San José, Costa Rica; 13 March 1946) 11–1 (Guatemala City, Guatemala; 2 March 1950)

The Nicaragua national football team () represents Nicaragua in men's international football, which is governed by the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol () founded in 1931. It has been an affiliate member of FIFA since 1950 and a founding affiliate member of CONCACAF since 1961. Regionally, it is an affiliate member of UNCAF in the Central American Zone.

Nicaragua has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but has participated five times in CONCACAF's premier continental competition, finishing sixth place in the 1967 CONCACAF Championship. It has participated three times in League B and once in League A of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Regionally, the team finished in third place in the CCCF Championship in 1957, and also finished in fifth place three times in the Copa Centroamericana.

Nicaragua's first appearance in international competition was in the 1941 CCCF Championship. Their first appearance in World Cup qualifiers was in the 1994 CONCACAF qualification.

History

Nicaragua traveled 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.

Recent times

After qualifying for the 2019 Gold Cup on the back of finishing ninth in Nations League qualifying, they would go on to finish bottom of the group with losses to Costa Rica, Haiti and Bermuda.

Nicaragua qualified directly for the 2023 Gold Cup and was promoted to Nations League A as group winners in Nations League B but was disqualified on 12 June 2023 for fielding an ineligible player. As a result, they were replaced in the Gold Cup and League A by Trinidad and Tobago, who was the best second-place team overall in League B and must stay in Nations League B.

Team image

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier	Period
Germany Puma	1998-2003
Spain Joma	2004–2021
Mexico Keuka	2022–2024
United States Orion	2025-Present

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2025

David
Mirval
Ríos
Hernández
Moreno
Yanis
Díaz
Davis
Bonilla
Gamboa
Quioto
A. Vega
Nazon
Jean Jacques
Louicius
Martínez
Ugalde
Calvo
Arteaga
Hernández
Moreno
Louicius
Providence

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Technical director	Nicaragua Roger Rodriguez
Head coach	Vacant
Assistant coach	Vacant
Assistant coach	Vacant
Goalkeeping coach	Vacant
Physical coordinator	Vacant
Doctor	Vacant
Physiotherapist	Vacant
Team coordinator	Nicaragua Cesar Castro Trinidad
Team coordinator	Nicaragua Nestor Díaz

Coaching history

Nicaragua Octavio Edmundo Salas Urbina (1941–1943)
Hungary Eduardo Kosovic (1943)
Costa Rica José Antonio Pipa Cordero (1947)
Costa Rica Santiago Bonilla (1952–1953)
Hungary Ferenc Mészáros (1961)
Nicaragua Carlos Ruiz (1961–1962)
Argentina Santiago Berrini (1965–1967)
Nicaragua Livio Bendaña Espinoza (1967–1969)
Argentina Omar Muraco (1969–1970)
Nicaragua Salvador Dubois Leiva (1977, 1991–1992)
Argentina Orlando Casares (1980–1981)
Czechoslovakia Ján Fülöp (1984–1986)
Nicaragua Mauricio Cruz Jiron (1993–2001, 2008)
Nicaragua Florencio Levia (2001–2002)
Italy Maurizio Battistini (2003–2004)
Argentina Marcelo Javier Zuleta (2005)
Argentina Carlos de Toro (2007–2008)
Nicaragua Ramón Otoniel Olivas (2008–2009)
Spain Enrique Llena (2010–2014)
Colombia Javier Londoño (2014)
Costa Rica Henry Duarte (2014–2020)
Argentina Juan Vita (2020–2022)
Chile Marco Antonio Figueroa (2022–2025)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League matches against Jamaica and French Guiana on 10 and 14 October 2024.{{cite instagram|user = laazulyblanco

Caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2024, after the match against French Guiana.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months. INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.

PRE Preliminary squad.

RET Player retired from the national team.

SUS Player is serving suspension.

WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

INE Ineligible player.

Records

!W !D !L !GF !GA !Pld !W !D !L !GF !GA |-

Uruguay 1930
Italy 1934
-
France 1938
-
Brazil 1950
-
Switzerland 1954
-
Sweden 1958
-
Chile 1962
-
England 1966
-
Mexico 1970
-
West Germany 1974
-
Argentina 1978
-
Spain 1982
-
Mexico 1986
-
Italy 1990
-
United States 1994
2
0
0
2
1
10
-
France 1998
2
0
0
2
1
3
-
South Korea Japan 2002
4
0
0
4
0
10
-
Germany 2006
2
0
1
1
3
6
-
South Africa 2010
2
0
0
2
0
3
-
Brazil 2014
4
2
0
2
5
7
-
Russia 2018
6
5
0
1
15
5
-
Qatar 2022
3
2
0
1
10
1
-
Canada Mexico United States 2026
10
4
1
5
13
16
-
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
-
Saudi Arabia 2034
-
!Total
!–
!0/19
!–
!–
!–
!–
!–
!–
!35
!13
!2
!20
!48
!61
}

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Main article: Nicaragua at the CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record	Qualification record	Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L
El Salvador 1963	Group stage	8th	4	0	0	4	2	15	Squad	Qualified automatically
Guatemala 1965	Did not qualify	2	1	0	1	2	4
Honduras 1967	Sixth place	6th	5	0	1	4	3	12	Squad	2	1	0	1	4	4
Costa Rica 1969	Did not enter	Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1971	Did not qualify	2	0	0	2	2	4
Haiti 1973	Did not enter	Did not enter
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981
1985
1989
United States 1991	Did not qualify	2	0	0	2	2	5
Mexico United States 1993	2	0	0	2	0	8
United States 1996	2	0	0	2	0	7
United States 1998	2	0	0	2	2	11
United States 2000	2	0	0	2	0	2
United States 2002	3	0	0	3	2	19
Mexico United States 2003	5	1	0	4	1	11
United States 2005	3	1	0	2	2	9
United States 2007	4	1	0	3	6	14
United States 2009	Group stage	11th	3	0	0	3	0	8	Squad	4	1	2	1	5	6
United States 2011	Did not qualify	4	0	1	3	2	7
United States 2013	3	0	1	2	2	5
Canada United States 2015	3	0	0	3	0	6
United States 2017	Group stage	10th	3	0	0	3	1	7	Squad	7	2	1	4	9	9
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019	15th	3	0	0	3	0	8	Squad	4	3	0	1	9	2
United States 2021	Did not qualify	6	2	1	3	9	11
Canada United States 2023	Disqualified	6	4	2	0	15	5
Canada United States 2025	Did not qualify	6	2	1	3	5	7

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record	League	Finals	Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	GF	GA
2019–20	B	D	6	2	1	3	9	11	USA 2021	Ineligible
2022–23	B	C	6	4	2	0	15	5	USA 2023
2023–24	B	B	6	5	1	0	17	1	USA 2024
2024–25	A	B	4	2	1	1	5	5	USA 2025	Did not qualify
2026–27	A	To be determined	Flag of none.svg 2027	To be determined

Copa Centroamericana

Copa Centroamericana record	Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF
Costa Rica 1991	Preliminary round	5th	2	0	0	2	2	5
Honduras 1993	5th	2	0	0	2	0	8
El Salvador 1995	7th	2	0	0	2	0	7
Guatemala 1997	First round	6th	2	0	0	2	2	11
Costa Rica 1999	5th	2	0	0	2	0	2
Honduras 2001	7th	3	0	0	3	2	19
Panama 2003	Sixth place	6th	5	1	0	4	1	11
Guatemala 2005	Fifth place	5th	3	1	0	2	2	9
El Salvador 2007	Sixth place	6th	4	1	0	3	6	14
Honduras 2009	Fifth place	5th	4	1	2	1	5	6
Panama 2011	Sixth place	6th	4	0	1	3	2	7
Costa Rica 2013	Seventh place	7th	3	0	1	2	2	5
United States 2014	Sixth place	6th	3	0	0	3	0	6
Panama 2017	Fifth place	5th	5	1	1	3	5	6

CCCF Championship

CCCF Championship record	Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF
Costa Rica 1941	Fifth place	5th	4	0	0	4	5	29
El Salvador 1943	Fourth place	4th	6	0	0	6	7	39
Costa Rica 1946	Sixth place	6th	5	1	0	4	5	31
Guatemala 1948	Did not enter
Panama 1951	Third place	3rd	4	0	0	4	4	22
Costa Rica 1953	Sixth place	6th	6	1	0	5	4	18
Honduras 1955	Did not enter
Netherlands Antilles 1957
Cuba 1960
Costa Rica 1961	Ninth place	9th	3	0	0	3	3	18

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record	Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF
Argentina 1951	Did not enter
Mexico 1955
United States 1959
Brazil 1963
Canada 1967
Colombia 1971
Mexico 1975	Preliminary round	13th	3	0	0	3	2	23
Puerto Rico 1979	Did not enter
Venezuela 1983
United States 1987
Cuba 1991	Preliminary round	8th	3	0	0	3	1	20
Argentina 1995	Did not qualify
Since 1999	Youth teams participated

Central American and Caribbean Games

Central American and Caribbean Games record	Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF
Cuba 1930	Did not qualify
El Salvador 1935
Panama 1938
Colombia 1946
Guatemala 1950	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	4	19
Mexico 1954	Did not qualify
Venezuela 1959
Jamaica 1962
Puerto Rico 1966
Panama 1970
Dominican Republic 1974
Colombia 1978
Cuba 1982	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	6
Dominican Republic 1986	Did not qualify
Since 1990	Youth teams participated

Head-to-head record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
	3	3	0	0	14	0	+14
	1	0	0	1	1	5	−4
	2	2	0	0	6	0	+6
	4	3	0	1	10	2	+8
	14	6	4	4	24	14	+10
	5	2	0	3	5	7	−2
	3	0	1	2	4	6	−2
	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2
	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
	1	0	0	1	2	7	−5
	21	1	2	18	12	77	−65
	15	4	4	7	17	26	−9
	8	0	1	7	3	34	−31
	4	4	0	0	10	1	+9
	4	1	1	2	2	4	−2
	31	1	3	27	21	120	−99
	2	2	0	0	4	2	+2
	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
	3	0	0	3	0	4	−4
	28	2	5	21	18	74	−56
	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1
	11	1	2	8	9	21	−12
	27	2	3	22	18	82	−64
	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
	3	1	0	2	3	6	−3
	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4
	3	0	0	3	1	10	−9
	3	3	0	0	10	1	+9
	29	5	1	23	26	82	−56
	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2
	6	3	2	1	10	7	+3
	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
	7	2	3	2	12	11	+1
	5	2	0	3	6	11	−5
	7	2	2	3	7	12	−5
	1	1	0	0	7	0	+7
	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3
	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3
	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
266	56	37	173	269	647	−378

Honours

Subregional

CCCF Championship
- Third place (1): 1951

References

(2009-01-29). "Nicaragua shocks Guatemala 2–0 to claim last berth in CONCACAF Gold Cup". [[CONCACAF]].
"Nicaragua - List of International Matches". [[RSSSF]].
(24 June 2019). "Bermuda downs Nicaragua to earn first ever Gold Cup victory". Gold Cup.
(12 June 2023). "Concacaf Disciplinary Committee decision regarding Nicaragua and the Eligibility of Players". CONCACAF.
"Nicaragua – Record International Players".
"World Football Elo Ratings".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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