Panama, one of Ghana’s opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, boosted their confidence ahead of the tournament with an impressive 4-2 victory over the Dominican Republic on Tuesday night.

Playing in front of a packed home crowd, Thomas Christiansen’s side delivered an entertaining performance in their final match before departing for the United States, where they will complete their preparations for the World Cup.

Panama made a bright start and opened the scoring inside the first 15 minutes. After a well-worked attacking move involving Cesar Yanis, Jose Fajardo and Cristian Martinez, Tomas Rodriguez reacted quickest to a loose ball and calmly finished to give the hosts the lead.

The home side doubled their advantage before halftime when Victor Griffith’s long-range effort took a decisive deflection, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and finding the back of the net.

Despite making several changes after the break, Panama continued to pose a threat going forward. The Dominican Republic reduced the deficit through Mariano Diaz, who finished confidently after a clever run into the penalty area.

Panama quickly restored their two-goal cushion when experienced striker Cecilio Waterman capitalised on a defensive misunderstanding between the goalkeeper and a defender to make it 3-1.

The visitors refused to give up and struck again through Erick Japa following a defensive lapse. However, Panama had the final word as Kadir Barria completed the scoring with a close-range finish after being set up by Erick Davis.

The victory extends Panama’s strong run of form as they continue preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Black Stars will be keeping a close eye on the Central American side, who have displayed attacking quality, depth and confidence in recent matches.

Panama will now travel to the United States for a final warm-up game against Bosnia and Herzegovina before beginning their World Cup campaign, which includes a Group L clash against Ghana.