Costa Rica women's national football team

Wikipedia

Costa Rica
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Las Ticas
La Sele Femenina (The Women's Selection)
La Tricolor (The Tricolor)
AssociationFederación Costarricense de Fútbol (FCRF)
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean)
Sub-confederationCentral American Football Union (Central America)
Head coachBenito Rubido
CaptainKatherine Alvarado
Most capsKatherine Alvarado (133)
Top scorerRaquel Rodriguez (55)
Home stadiumEstadio Nacional de Costa Rica
FIFA codeCRC
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 43 Steady (7 August 2025)[1]
Highest29 (June–December 2016)
Lowest50 (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
Appearances2 (first in 2015)
Best resultGroup stage (2015, 2023)
CONCACAF Championship
Appearances8 (first in 1991)
Best resultRunners-up (2014)

The Costa Rica women's national football team (Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in women's international football. The national team is controlled by the governing body Costa Rican Football Federation. They are one of the top women's national football teams in the Central American region along with Guatemala and Panama.

Since the 2010s, Costa Rica has emerged in women's football, and akin to their men's counterparts, its women's side is also visibly recognised as a stern and competitive opponent despite relative recent entrance to the big stage. In Costa Rica's first World Cup in 2015, despite being rated the weakest team in the group, Costa Rica shocked the tournament with two points by drawing against strong Spain and South Korea sides, and was only eliminated by a late goal from Brazil.[2][3][4]

History

The Costa Rican team just started to play an international match in 1990, when Central America was on struggle about developing women's football. The success of men's team helped the FCF to believe on the women's team. Their first tournament, was the 1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship when Costa Rica finished third and was out from the group stage.

Despite this, Costa Rica started gaining success in the 1998 CONCACAF Women's Championship and 1999 Pan American Games when Costa Rica won bronze both. But later, Costa Rica did not gain much successful achievement, as the national team was still on struggle under the shadow of men's team.

At the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica surprisingly won silver, after losing 0–6 to the USA in the final. Their second-place finish secured them a spot in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. This marked the first time Costa Rica would play in a FIFA Women's World Cup.

Costa Rica was drawn into a group with Brazil, South Korea and Spain for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Costa Rica secured two shocking draws over Spain (1–1) and South Korea (2–2), but then lost 1–0 to Brazil and were eliminated in the group stage.[5]

At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, Costa Rica was hoping to once again qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup. They won their first group match 8–0 over Cuba. However they lost their second match 1–0 to Jamaica in which they controversially had a goal disallowed in the second half.[6] Costa Rica would lose their final group match to Canada 3–1, elimating their chances of qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[7]

Costa Rica has done much better in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, taking second place after wins over Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Though unable to repeat the 2014 feat, only finished fourth in process, the win allowed Costa Rica to return to the Women's World Cup in 2023.

Team image

Nicknames

The Costa Rica women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as "La Sele (The Selection)" or "La Tricolor (The Tricolor)".

Home stadium

Costa Rica plays their home matches on the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.

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.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

27 October Friendly Costa Rica  0–1  Panama Alajuela,Costa Rica
15:00 Report González 67' Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
30 October Friendly Costa Rica  0–2  Panama Alajuela,Costa Rica
11:00 Report
Stadium: Complejo Deportivo FCRF
Referee: Steven Madrigal (Costa Rica)
27 November Friendly Costa Rica  1–2  Panama Cancún, Mexico
Salas 59' (pen.) Report
Stadium: Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo
Referee: Janeishka Caban (Puerto Rico)
30 November Friendly Mexico  4–1  Costa Rica Cancún, Mexico
19:00 Report A. Herrera 25' Stadium: Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo
Referee: Vimarest Díaz (Dominican Republic)

2025

23 February Friendly Costa Rica  1–1  New Zealand Santa Ana, Costa Rica
18:00 Chinchilla 20' Report Riley 45+2' Stadium: Estadio Piedades de Santa Ana [es]
Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala)
26 February Friendly Costa Rica  0–1  New Zealand Alajuela, Costa Rica
16:00 Report Hahn 89' Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Referee: Merlin Soto (Honduras)
8 April Friendly Costa Rica  3–3  Ecuador Alajuela, Costa Rica
19:00
Report
Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Referee: Deily Gómez (Costa Rica)
June 27 Friendly Canada  4–1  Costa Rica Toronto, Ontario
7:30PM ET
Report
Stadium: BMO Field
Referee: Alyssa Nichols (United States)
See Also

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Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

NameNatPosition
Benito Rubido[8] Spain Head coach
Edgar Rodríguez Costa Rica Assistant coach
Patricia Aguilar Costa Rica Assistant coach
Eli Avila Costa Rica Goalkeeping coach
Bryan Mora Costa Rica Physical coach

Manager history

NameNatYear
Jorge Álvarez Costa Rica 1976
Guillermo Soto Costa Rica 1991
Didier Castro Costa Rica 1998 – 1999
Luis Diego Castro Costa Rica 2000
Leroy Lewis Costa Rica 2000
Didier Castro Costa Rica 2001
Ricardo Rodríguez Costa Rica 2002 – 2006
Allan Brown Costa Rica 2006 (interim)
Juan Diego Quesada Costa Rica 2008 – 2009
Randall Chacón Costa Rica 2010
Karla Alemán Costa Rica 2011 – 2012
José Luis Díaz Spain 2013
Garabet Avedissian[9] Uruguay 2014
Amelia Valverde Costa Rica 2015 – 2023
Ana Patricia Aguilar Costa Rica 2023 (interim)
Edgar Rodríguez Costa Rica 2023 (interim)
Benito Rubido Spain 2023 – Present

Players

Up-to-date caps, goals, and statistics are not publicly available; therefore, caps and goals listed may be incorrect.

Current squad

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Noelia Bermúdez (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 31) 30 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
23 1GK Daniela Solera (1997-07-21) 21 July 1997 (age 28) 25 0 Mexican Football Federation Atlas

20 2DF Fabiola Villalobos (1998-03-13) 13 March 1998 (age 27) 38 3 Mexican Football Federation Tijuana
25 2DF Marilenis Oporta (1998-03-24) 24 March 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
4 2DF Josselyn Briceño (2006-04-29) 29 April 2006 (age 19) Argentine Football Association Talleres
2DF Jimena González (2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 19) Costa Rican Football Federation Sporting F.C.
8 3MF María Paula Arce (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 21) Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
2DF Gabriela Guillén (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 33) 83 2 United States Soccer Federation Dallas Trinity FC
4 2DF Mariana Benavides (1994-12-26) 26 December 1994 (age 30) 72 2 Costa Rican Football Federation Saprissa [es]
15 2DF Stephannie Blanco (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 24) 11 1 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense

3MF Yaniela Arias (1998-04-25) 25 April 1998 (age 27) 7 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Dimas Escazú [es]
16 3MF Katherine Alvarado (captain) (1991-04-11) 11 April 1991 (age 34) 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Saprissa [es]
13 3MF Emilie Valenciano (1997-02-15) 15 February 1997 (age 28) 14 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
3MF Montserrat Diaz 14 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Sporting FC
19 3MF Alexandra Pinell (2002-10-18) 18 October 2002 (age 23) 7 0 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
11 3MF Raquel Rodríguez (1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 (age 32) 108 58 United States Soccer Federation Kansas City Current
6 3MF Emily Flores (2001-11-19) 19 November 2001 (age 23) 3 0 Mexican Football Federation Querétaro
17 4FW Alexa Herrera (2004-11-16) 16 November 2004 (age 20) 3 1 Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense

14 4FW Priscila Chinchilla (2001-07-11) 11 July 2001 (age 24) 48 20 Russian Football Union Zenit
9 4FW María Paula Salas (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 23) 37 8 Turkish Football Federation Fenerbahçe
12 4FW Sofía Varela (1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 (age 27) 11 4 Colombian Football Federation Millonarios
22 4FW Anna Gilbertson (1994-11-28) 28 November 1994 (age 30) Costa Rican Football Federation Alajuelense
7 3MF Melissa Herrera (1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 29) 94 20 French Football Federation Marseille

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Costa Rica squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Priscilla Tapia (1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 34) 16 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
GK Carolina Méndez (2004-07-19) 19 July 2004 (age 21) 2 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK Maidelyn Villalobos (2006-01-16) 16 January 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK Nancy Fonseca (2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 20) 0 0 United States John Brown University 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
GK María José Zúñiga (1998-03-21) 21 March 1998 (age 27) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] v.  Panama,30 October 2024
GK Dayana Pérez (2003-03-20) 20 March 2003 (age 22) 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  Panama,30 October 2024
GK Dinnia Díaz (1988-01-14) 14 January 1988 (age 37) 29 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] v.  Mexico, 30 November 2024
GK Génesis Pérez (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 20) 8 0 United States UCF Knights v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025

DF Josselyn Briceño (2006-09-24) 24 September 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
DF Valeria del Campo (2000-12-15) 15 December 2000 (age 24) 14 0 Mexico Monterrey v.  Argentina, 3 June 2024
DF Lixy Rodríguez (1990-11-04) 4 November 1990 (age 34) 98 5 Mexico León v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
DF Daniela Cruz (1991-03-08) 8 March 1991 (age 34) 90 2 Mexico Atlas 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
DF Gretchen Durán (2004-10-08) 8 October 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF María García (2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF Valentina Rivera (2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
DF María Paula Porras (2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 23) Costa Rica Sporting F.C. v.  Mexico, 30 November 2024
DF Catalina Estrada (1998-10-11) 11 October 1998 (age 27) Russia Zenit St v.  New Zealand,26 February 2025
DF Cristel Sandí (1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 (age 27) 8 1 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] v.  New Zealand,26 February 2025
DF María Paula Coto (1998-03-02) 2 March 1998 (age 27) 25 2 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025
DF María Morales (third captain) (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 29) 6 1 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025
DF María Paula Elizondo (1998-11-30) 30 November 1998 (age 26) 15 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025
DF Verónica Matarrita (2005-11-07) 7 November 2005 (age 19) 3 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025

MF Yirlany Hernández (2003-06-17) 17 June 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
MF Ashly González (2005-12-31) 31 December 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Mariela Campos (1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 34) 6 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF Daniela Coto (1998-08-03) 3 August 1998 (age 27) 14 1 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Viviana Chinchilla (1994-12-21) 21 December 1994 (age 30) 9 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Mariela Campos Alfaro (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Marian Solano (2006-05-19) 19 May 2006 (age 19) 2 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF María Chavarría (1992-05-19) 19 May 1992 (age 33) 1 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
MF Adriana Carbonero (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 30) 0 0 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE}
MF Priscilla Rodríguez (2005-05-26) 26 May 2005 (age 20) 3 0 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  United States,16 July 2024
MF Gloriana Villalobos (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 26) 76 10 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  United States,16 July 2024
MF Alejandra Montero (2001-10-12) 12 October 2001 (age 24) 0 Costa Rica Puerto Viejo F.C. [es] v.  Mexico, 30 November 2024

FW Julia García (2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 22) Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW Kelsey Arroyo (2000-07-13) 13 July 2000 (age 25) Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW Laura Vargas (2003-11-27) 27 November 2003 (age 21) Costa Rica Puerto Viejo F.C. [es] v.  Peru, 9 April 2024
FW Hillary Corrales (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
FW Carolina Venegas (1991-09-28) 28 September 1991 (age 34) 72 18 Costa Rica Saprissa [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Yerling Ovares (2002-01-17) 17 January 2002 (age 23) 6 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Yoanka Villanueva (1996-08-21) 21 August 1996 (age 29) 5 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Ashley Elizondo (2005-01-11) 11 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Diana Vallejos (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 31) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. 2024 CONCACAF W Gold CupPRE
FW Ányela Mesén (2003-05-27) 27 May 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW Fernanda Figueroa (1997-06-22) 22 June 1997 (age 28) Costa Rica Dimas Escazú [es] v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW Tanisha Fonseca (2007-11-05) 5 November 2007 (age 17) 0 0 Costa Rica Sporting F.C. v.  United States,16 July 2024
FW Diana Vallejos (1992-07-17) 17 July 1992 (age 33) Costa Rica Sporting F.C. v.  Panama,30 October 2024
FW Sianyf Agüero (2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  New Zealand,26 February 2025
FW Mónica Matarrita (2005-11-07) 7 November 2005 (age 19) Costa Rica Saprissa [es] v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025
FW Sheika Scott (2006-10-22) 22 October 2006 (age 19) 6 0 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  Ecuador,8 April 2025

Notes:

  • PRE: Preliminary roster

Previous squads

Records

As of 21 February 2021
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
China 1991Did not qualify
Sweden 1995Did not enter
United States 1999Did not qualify
United States 2003
China 2007
Germany 2011
Canada 2015Group stage302134
France 2019Did not qualify
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023Group stage300318
Brazil 2027To be determined
Costa RicaJamaicaMexicoUnited States 2031Qualified
United Kingdom 2035To be determined
TotalGroup stage6024412
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
FIFA Women's World Cup history
YearRoundDateOpponentResultStadium
Canada 2015 Group stage9 June SpainD 1–1Olympic Stadium, Montreal
13 June South KoreaD 2–2
17 June BrazilL 0–1Moncton Stadium, Moncton
Australia New Zealand 2023 Group stage21 July SpainL 0–3Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
26 July JapanL 0–2Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
31 July ZambiaL 1–3Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record Qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 1996Did not enter 1995 FIFA WWC
Australia 2000Did not qualify 1999 FIFA WWC
Greece 2004 5203811
China 2008 6213117
United Kingdom 2012 86022512
Brazil 2016 75022210
Japan 2020 6402158
France 2024 9603296
Total 412511511054
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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
Haiti 1991Group stage3102211 Invited
United States 1993Did not enter Did not enter
Canada 1994
Canada 1998Third place5302117 3201233
United States 2000Group Stage3012218 3210245
United StatesCanada 2002Fourth place5203814 4400163
United States 2006Did not qualify 200214
Mexico 2010Fourth place5203411 220040
United States 2014Runners-up5401109 3300100
United States 2018Group stage310294 3300182
Mexico 2022Fourth place520376 4400220
TotalRunners-up34151185380 24201311817
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

CONCACAF W Gold Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 2024 Quarterfinals410325
Total1/1410325
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Canada 1999 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal6114417
Dominican Republic 2003 Group stage200225
Brazil 2007 Did not enter
Mexico 2011 Group stage301258
Canada 2015 Group stage310225
Peru 2019 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal5311106
Total3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal1953112341
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American and Caribbean Games

Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Puerto Rico 2010Did not enter
Mexico 2014 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)Bronze medal5401145
Colombia 2018 2nd place, silver medalist(s)Silver medal540185
El Salvador 2023To be determined
Total2nd place, silver medalist(s)Silver medal108022210
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Central American Games

Central American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Guatemala 2001 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal4400183
Costa Rica 2013 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal5500271
Nicaragua 2017 1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal5410192
El Salvador 2022 Cancelled
Total1st place, gold medalist(s)Gold medal141310646
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Honours

FIFA World Ranking

A line chart depicting the history of the Costa Rica's year-end placements in the FIFA World Rankings.

Last update was on June 25, 2021 Source:[11]

  Best Ranking    Worst Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Mover  

Costa Rica's FIFA World Ranking History
Rank Year Best Worst
Rank Move Rank Move
362021
35202035Increase 136Decrease 1
37201936Increase 138Decrease 1
37201832Increase 137Decrease 3
33201730Increase 133Decrease 1
29201629Increase 430Steady
34201534Increase 337Steady
37201437Increase 340Steady
40201340Steady40Steady
40201240Increase 140Steady
41201141Increase 344Decrease 2
41201041Increase 647Decrease 4
46200946Steady46Steady
46200845Increase 348Decrease 1
48200748Increase 150Decrease 1
49200646Increase 249Decrease 1
46200545Steady46Decrease 1
45200445Increase 145Steady
46200345Steady46Decrease 1

See also

Notes

    References

    1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
    2. "Costa Rica draws with Spain 1–1 at FIFA Women's World Cup opening match in Canada". 10 June 2015.
    3. "FIFA Women's World Cup: Costa Rica ties 2–2 with South Korea, makes it to second place in its group". 14 June 2015.
    4. "Brazil eliminates Costa Rica in Women's World Cup". USA Today.
    5. "COSTA RICA". Retrieved 13 October 2018.
    6. "Jamaica stuns Costa Rica, controversially, to set up dramatic Group B finale". 8 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
    7. "Jamaica advance to face USWNT, Canada eliminates Costa Rica". 11 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
    8. "Español Beni Rubido es el nuevo Director Técnico de la Selección Mayor Femenina - Federación Costarricense de Fútbol".
    9. "Avedissian leaves Costa Rica women's post". concacaf.com. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015.
    10. "Estas son las 23 jugadoras convocadas por el técnico Beni Rubido para el juego amistoso por fecha FIFA ante Canadá". www.fcrf.cr (in Spanish).
    11. "Costa Rica in the FIFA World Ranking". Retrieved 26 July 2021.