Facts about Guatemala National Football Team
Facts about Guatemala National Football Team. Guatemala might not be a popular football country name in the world but we can make sure that the popularity of football in this country is undeniable. With four league divisions in the country, bola 88 people can imagine how many football clubs that take part in the local competition. Of course, the Guatemalan national football team also plays a role in the international football competition. Here are some interesting facts that can be found from the national football team of Guatemala.
The 60s Success
Guatemala has a long story in the international football championship history. However, the most success that can be found by the national football team of Guatemala could be found in the 60s. Before this era, Guatemala has given an attempt to get through World Cup qualification although the result was not that satisfying. The improvement of the Guatemalan national football team could be seen in the early 60s. The team could finish a tie game against Costa Rica and Honduras in 1962. Unfortunately, Guatemala did not participate in the 1966 World Cup qualifying round due to administrative problems before the elimination round. Guatemala participated in CONCACAF in 1961.
Good progress can be seen since the team ended in the first place in the 1967 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This was the first time in the history of the Guatemalan national football team. In 1965 and 1969, the team got the runner up position.
FIFA World Cup Story
Being a country that loves football so much. Guatemala surely tried the best to participate in the most respectable championship in the football world, FIFA World Cup. There are some attempts by the Guatemalan national football team to go to the final round but it seems that the dream must be suspended. This country took part in the elimination round of the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010, and 2014. The team performance is quite surprising especially with the achievement made by Carlos Ruiz in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification round. However, Guatemala has not qualified to play for the FIFA World Cup final in history.
Suspension from FIFA in 2016
In 2016, the football federation of Guatemala was suspended by FIFA due to the corruption problem. The Guatemalan football federation did not follow the mandate from the FIFA committee to modernize the statutes, organize a fair election, and run the business of the football federation. It means that the national team could not participate in the international football competition including the qualification round for the 2017 and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. After the national football federation of Guatemala had a fully operational normalization committee in 2018, the suspension was lifted.
Home Stadium
The Guatemalan national football team training is centered in the Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores located in Guatemala City. It is also called Coloso de la Zona 5 that is also used for various sports activities. Nevertheless, the stadium is used mostly for the football match. This stadium is considered the largest in the country. The interesting thing is that this stadium was named after Mateo Flores, a long-distance runner that won the Boston Marathon in 1952.