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El Salvador national football team

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{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox national football team with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 2ndRegional cup apps | 2ndRegional cup best | 2ndRegional cup first | 2ndRegional name | 3rdRegional cup apps | 3rdRegional cup best | 3rdRegional cup first | 3rdRegional name | 4thRegional cup apps | 4thRegional cup best | 4thRegional cup first | 4thRegional name | American | Association | Badge | Badge_size | body1 | body2 | body3 | BSWW Rank | Captain | Coach | Confederation | Confederations cup apps | Confederations cup best | Confederations cup first | Current | date | Elo max | Elo max date | Elo max year | Elo min | Elo min date | Elo min year | Elo Rank | FIFA max | FIFA max date | FIFA max year | FIFA min | FIFA min date | FIFA min year | FIFA Rank | FIFA Trigramme | filetype | filetype1 | filetype2 | filetype3 | First game | Home Stadium | Largest loss | Largest win | Last game | leftarm1 | leftarm2 | leftarm3 | medaltemplates | medaltemplates-expand | Most caps | Name | Nickname | Only game | Other-affiliation | pattern_b1 | pattern_b2 | pattern_b3 | pattern_la1 | pattern_la2 | pattern_la3 | pattern_name1 | pattern_name2 | pattern_name3 | pattern_ra1 | pattern_ra2 | pattern_ra3 | pattern_sh1 | pattern_sh2 | pattern_sh3 | pattern_so1 | pattern_so2 | pattern_so3 | Regional cup apps | Regional cup best | Regional cup first | Regional name | rightarm1 | rightarm2 | rightarm3 | shorts1 | shorts2 | shorts3 | socks1 | socks2 | socks3 | Sub-confederation | Top scorer | Type | type | U17WC apps | U17WC best | U17WC first | U20WC apps | U20WC best | U20WC first | UEFAu21Champ apps | UEFAu21Champ best | UEFAu21Champ first | Upright |website | World cup apps | World cup best | World cup first }}

The El Salvador national football team (Template:Langx), known as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("the National Team"), represents El Salvador in international football, and is governed by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol (Template:Langx).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The national team's first match was played in September 1921, when they were invited to participate in a tournament to celebrate 100 years of Central American Independence.

El Salvador has made two FIFA World Cup appearances: first in 1970 and again in 1982, but have never progressed beyond the first stage of a finals tournament. They were the 1943 CCCF champions, and finished in second place in the 1941 and 1961 championships. They have competed in the CONCACAF regional tournaments fourteen times, finishing as runners-up in 1963 and 1981. La Selecta also competes in the biennial UNCAF Nations Cup, the Pan American Games, the Olympics, and have won two gold medals in the Central American and Caribbean Games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Estadio Cuscatlán, also known as "El Coloso de Montserrat" and "La Catedral del Espectáculo", is the official home stadium of the El Salvador national football team. Since 2017, the national team has had a kit sponsorship contract with England-based supplier Umbro. Raúl Díaz Arce is the all-time top-scorer for the national team, with 39 goals, while Darwin Cerén has the most caps, with 97 appearances.

HistoryEdit

BeginningsEdit

File:Independence Centenary Games, Costa Rica vs El Salvador.jpg
The first match of the El Salvador national team, 14 September 1921.

Although El Salvador played a few games in the early part of the twentieth century,Template:Citation needed they did not form an official national team until 1921, when players such as José Pablo Huezo, Carlos Escobar Leiva or Santiago Barrachina revolutionised football in the country.<ref name="Name">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 1921, El Salvador were invited to Guatemala to take part in the Independence Centenary Games, to celebrate 100 years of Central American Independence.<ref name="Start">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="History of the team">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The tournament was contested by Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. The Guatemalans and Costa Ricans had more experience than the Salvadorans and Hondurans.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was a knockout tournament with Guatemala playing Honduras and El Salvador playing Costa Rica. El Salvador, wearing white shorts and black shirts, used a classic 2–3–5 scheme with their team consisting of Carlos Escobar Leyva; Spanish resident Santiago Barrachina, José Pablo Huezo; Benjamín Sandoval, Emilio Dawson, and Frenchman Emilio Detruit; Víctor Recinos, brothers Guillermo and José E. Alcaine, Guillermo Sandoval and Enrique Lindo. By half-time Costa Rica led 3–0, and at the final whistle, after two 40-minute halves, won 7–0.<ref name="Matches">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

El Salvador's other matches in the 1920s were friendlies against Costa Rica and Honduras. They lost their first friendly 3–0 against Costa Rica, while the second and third ended in a 1–0 loss and 0–0 draw against Honduras.<ref name="Matches"/> On 7 December 1928, El Salvador recorded their first ever win, 5–0 over Honduras, the team that would become their traditional rivals, with Gustavo "Taviche" Marroquín scoring every goal. The game was played at Campo Marte, San Salvador, and was also the first time the team had scored in an international match.<ref name="Matches"/>

1930sEdit

In the early 1930s, El Salvador appointed their first official national coach, the American Mark Scott Thompson, in preparation for the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana.<ref name="Directores">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> El Salvador finished in fourth place at the games.<ref name="jdcac">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Salvadoran Football Federation was founded in 1935. By this time, El Salvador were coached by the Spaniard, Pablo Ferre Elías.<ref name="Directores"/> The 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games took place in El Salvador's new government-funded Estadio Flor Blanca, at that time the biggest stadium in the country. The Salvadoran squad consisted of Edmundo Majano as goalkeeper; Tobias Rivera and Raúl Castro in defence; Américo Gonzalez and Napoleon Cañas as midfielders; and Álex Morales, Rogelio Aviles, Fidel Quintanilla, Miguel "Americano" Cruz, and Andrés Hernández as strikers. Previously the national team had worn black and white striped jerseys and this was the first time they turned out in a blue strip. The team finished in third place as bronze medal winners.<ref name="jdcac"/><ref name="CAG 1935">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1938, the Salvadoran Football Federation became affiliates of FIFA.<ref name="FIFA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> El Salvador participated in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games, hosted in Panama, which were won by Mexico, with Costa Rica in second place. El Salvador won two and lost three of their five matches. A match for third place against Colombia was cancelled because of the bad state of the players, and El Salvador finished in fourth place.<ref name="jdcac"/><ref name="CAC 1938">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1940sEdit

On 26 April 1940, the first national football federation was approved, with Dr. Luis Rivas Palacios as president.Template:Citation needed In 1941, the first Central American and Caribbean Championship (CCCF) took place in Costa Rica, organised by CONCACAF, the international governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. El Salvador competed alongside Costa Rica, Curaçao, Nicaragua and Panama. El Salvador were runners-up, recording two wins, one draw and one loss.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The 1943 CCCF Championship took place in San Salvador with the participation of Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua. El Salvador were coached by the former national player Américo González. El Salvador and Guatemala finished with the same number of points, Guatemala failed to attend a deciding play-off, resulting in El Salvador winning their first international title. El Salvador's 10–1 win over Nicaragua set the team's record for the most goals scored in a single game. It was also the second time a Salvadoran player (Miguel "Americano" Cruz) had scored five goals in a match.<ref name="CCCF 1943"/> El Salvador defended their title in the 1946 CCCF Championship in Costa Rica alongside six other participants and finished in third place, winning three matches and losing two. In the 1948 CCCF Championship, hosted in Guatemala, Costa Rica won the championship for the third time, with El Salvador finishing in fifth place.

1950sEdit

El Salvador did not participate in qualification for the World Cups in 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966. During these years El Salvador had a good squad, including goalkeeper Manuel "Tamalón" Garay, Rafael "Chapuda" Reyes, Conrado Miranda, Miguel "Americano" Cruz, Rafael Corado and Mando Rivas.

In the group stage of the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico, El Salvador recorded two wins, one draw and one loss. They began the final round by beating Curaçao 3–1, but lost their other two matches, leaving them in fifth place.<ref name="jdcac"/> In 1953, El Salvador took part in their fifth CCCF Championship. The hosts, Costa Rica, became champions for the fourth time, and El Salvador finished in fifth place again.

At the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games, El Salvador won their second international title under the Carbilio Tomasino, with a team consisting of Yohalmo Aurora, Manuel "Tamalón" Garay, Hugo Moreno, Armando Larín, Luis Regalado, Conrado Miranda, Fernando Barrios, Ramón "Pezote" Chávez, José Hernández, Mario Montoya, Juan Francisco "Cariota" Barraza, Ricardo "Chilenito" Valencia, Alfredo "Baiza" Ruano, and Obdulio Hernández.Template:Citation needed They began with a 2–2 draw against Colombia, and then beat Cuba 3–1, Mexico 3–2 and Panama 1–0 with a goal by Barraza. The win against Mexico, with two goals from Montoya and one from Valencia, was the first by a Central American team against Mexico.<ref name="jdcac"/>

In the 1955 CCCF Championship, hosted in Honduras, Costa Rica became champions for the fifth time, with El Salvador finishing fourth. El Salvador did not participate in the 1957 and 1960 CCCF Championships.

1960sEdit

El Salvador returned to participate in the 1961 CCCF Championship, hosted in Costa Rica, alongside nine other national teams. El Salvador were placed in a four-team first group with Honduras, the Netherlands Antilles, and Nicaragua, which they topped with two wins and a draw. In the final round they finished in second place behind Costa Rica, who won their seventh CCCF Championship. Afterwards the tournament was dissolved and replaced with the CONCACAF Championship.

In the first CONCACAF Championship, in 1963, El Salvador hosted both the qualification round and the final tournament. Costa Rica became the first champions, and El Salvador finished as runners-up.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1964, the Chilean Hernán Carrasco Vivanco, who would later revolutionize Salvadoran football, became the coach of the national team. He led the national team for the first time at the 1965 CONCACAF Championship, hosted in Guatemala, where they won two games, drew one and lost two, finishing in fourth place. In 1966, El Salvador took part in the Central American and Caribbean Games for the sixth time, in Puerto Rico. They finished in fourth place.<ref name="jdcac"/>

In 1968, El Salvador qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time.<ref name="olimpicos">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They lost 4–0 to Hungary,<ref name="Hungary 1968">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 3–1 to Israel,<ref name="Israel 1968">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and drew 1–1 with Ghana.<ref name="Ghana 1968">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The coach at this time was Rigoberto Guzmán.

Gregorio Bundio and his assistant José Santacolomba coached the team in the qualifying stages for the 1970 World Cup. This was the first time that El Salvador participated in World Cup qualifying. As hosts, Mexico qualified automatically, leaving one further qualification spot available for the CONCACAF region. El Salvador won Group 3, winning three and losing one. They qualified for a play-off against their traditional rivals, the Group 2 winners Honduras. The first game, on 8 June 1969 in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, was won 1–0 by the home team and was followed by crowd violence. El Salvador won the second game 3–0 a week later in San Salvador, which was followed by even greater violence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A play-off match took place in Mexico City on 26 June, which El Salvador won 3–2 after extra time. On 14 July, as a result of existing tensions being exacerbated by these matches, the two countries began the hundred-hour-long conflict known as the Football War. As a result, El Salvador and Honduras were both disqualified from entering 1969 CONCACAF Championship qualification.

In the deciding World Cup qualifier, El Salvador faced Haiti. El Salvador won the away leg 2–1, with goals from Elmer Acevedo and Mauricio "Pipo" Rodríguez, but lost the second leg 3–0 at home. El Salvador finally won the play-off on 8 October with a goal by Juan Ramón "Mon" Martínez in extra time, allowing them to qualify for the World Cup finals at the first attempt.

"El Pajaro Picón Picón" was a Colombian song written by Eliseo Herrera which was very popular in El Salvador during the World Cup qualifying stages. During a radio show, Mauricio Bojórquez parodied the song, which he named "Arriba con la Selección". That parody became so famous that it became the official anthem of the El Salvador national football team.<ref name="Official anthem">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1970sEdit

In the World Cup finals El Salvador were drawn into a group with Belgium, Mexico and the Soviet Union. El Salvador lost their first game 3–0 to Belgium in Mexico City on 3 June.<ref name="Belgium1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The second match, against Mexico on 7 June, was marred by a controversial call near the end of the first half, with the score still at 0–0. The Egyptian referee Ali Kandil appeared to signal for a free kick to El Salvador in their own half. However, a Mexican player took the kick, passing to Javier Valdivia, who scored. The Salvadoran players protested vigorously, to the extent of physically jostling the Bermudan linesman, Keith Dunstan,Template:Citation needed but the goal was allowed to stand. El Salvador restarted the game by kicking the ball into the crowd in protest. They eventually lost 4–0.<ref name="Mexico">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The team's third game took place on 10 June, with El Salvador losing 2–0 to the Soviet Union to finish at the bottom of Group A.<ref name="USSR1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

El Salvador advanced from the first round of 1971 CONCACAF Championship qualification by beating Nicaragua 4–2 on aggregate. In the second round, they withdrew from their play-off against Honduras, allowing their opponents to qualify by default. The national team also took part in the 1973 CONCACAF Championship qualification, which doubled as qualification for the 1974 World Cup, but they did not advance to the final stage after they were eliminated by Guatemala 2–0 on aggregate (1–0, 1–0).<ref name="Aggregate score" group="note"/><ref name="cm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The team was managed by Hector D'Angelo.<ref name="Directores"/>

El Salvador participated at the Pan American Games for the first time in 1975 in Mexico. They began with a 4–1 win against Nicaragua on 14 October, with a hat-trick from "Pajarito" Huezo, on the début of Francisco "Paco" Jovel. They then lost 2–0 to Brazil and drew 0–0 against Costa Rica, with "Pelé" Zapata missing a penalty. They finished in third place in Group D and failed to advance to the next round.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification, El Salvador finished second in their group, behind Guatemala and ahead of Costa Rica and Panama, to qualify for the final tournament, hosted in Mexico. They finished in third place, behind Haiti and Mexico, with the hosts winning the tournament.<ref name="cm"/> El Salvador participated in the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games, hosted in Colombia. Cuba were crowned champions for the fourth time and El Salvador finished ninth.<ref name="jdcac"/>

1980sEdit

El Salvador played Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama in 1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification, in a home-and-away round-robin group with the top two teams advancing to the final tournament. El Salvador and Honduras finished with equal points at the top of the group, with Honduras winning the group on goal difference. Once again the finals doubled up as World Cup qualification, this time for the 1982 World Cup, with the top two of the six teams qualifying. Going into the final matches, El Salvador had four points and were in third place on goal difference, with Mexico and Canada both also having four points, behind Honduras with seven. On 19 November 1981, El Salvador beat Haiti 1–0, with a penalty by Norberto Huezo. On 21 November, Canada drew 2–2 with Cuba and were eliminated. In the decisive match the following day, Honduras and Mexico drew 0–0, meaning El Salvador qualified for the World Cup for the second time.

El Salvador took a 20-man squad to Spain, two players short of the maximum number allowed, as a controversial cost–saving measure. They were coached by "Pipo" Rodríguez.<ref name="cm82">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In their first match on 15 June in Elche, they were defeated 10–1 by Hungary, a World Cup Finals record margin of victory.<ref name="Hungary1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A silver lining was that Luis Ramírez Zapata scored the country's first World Cup goal during the game, albeit when the Salvadorans were already 5–0 down.<ref name="Hungary2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When Zapata scored, some Salvadorans cried out not to celebrate the goal because it might make the Hungarians angry and encourage them to score more.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Displaying much-improved levels of organisation and commitment, El Salvador lost 1–0 to Belgium on 19 June in Elche and 2–0 to the world champions, Argentina, on 23 June in Alicante.<ref name="Belgium2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Argentina2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There were several reasons the tournament went so badly for El Salvador. First of all, their reduced squad meant that they omitted Gilberto Quinteros and Miguel González. According to Luis Guevara Mora, the 20-year-old goalkeeper, the Salvadoran Football Federation decided to take members of the Federation, as well as their friends and family, and spent so much money they could not afford to bring a full squad.Template:Citation needed The team took many stops throughout Europe under the direction of the Federation, taking three days to arrive in Spain and were the last team to do so. Once they arrived, there was more trouble. Adidas sent four white and three blue uniforms for each player, but only three white and one blue arrived. The remaining uniforms were said to have been taken away by the association.Template:Citation needed They decided to play with the white uniform and keep the blue as a keepsake. Next, someone stole the balls that the team needed to train with. The day before the match against Hungary, the Hungarians had the 25 balls the organization had given them while El Salvador had none and were unable to train.Template:Citation needed To make things even worse, El Salvador had never seen Hungary play, and the only knowledge that they had about the team was an outdated video that they had bought.Template:Citation needed On the field there were more problems. Hungary's fourth goal was caused by Francisco Jovel's sudden deafness after he had received a heavy blow on the cheek. When Guevara Mora called to him to stop a ball, the defender did not hear him, and the ball went past Jovel in front of the net.Template:Citation needed After the match, the Salvadoran squad had a tense meeting with the coaching staff and Federation. The coach was dismissed immediately and the matches against Belgium and Argentina were managed by players Jovel, Huezo and Fagoaga.<ref name="cm82-mundial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the tournament overall was a big disappointment, Jorge "Mágico" González was considered by the national and international press as the best player,Template:Citation needed and he stayed in Spain to play for Cádiz CF and Real Valladolid.

In 1985 CONCACAF Championship qualification, El Salvador beat Puerto Rico 8–0 on aggregate (5–0, 3–0) to qualify for the final tournament. They were placed in a group with Honduras and Suriname, with the top team advancing. They finished second in the group with five points,<ref name="cm"/> one point behind Honduras. In 1989 CONCACAF Championship qualification they eliminated the Netherlands Antilles 6–0 on aggregate (1–0, 5–0). El Salvador finished last, with just two points, in the round-robin final tournament.<ref name="cm"/>

1990sEdit

At a CONCACAF congress, held in Guatemala on 26 January 1991, a new tournament, called the UNCAF Nations Cup, was conceived for Central American teams. The inaugural tournament was hosted in 1991, hosted by Costa Rica. The tournament also doubled as qualification for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a new tournament which replaced the CONCACAF Championship.<ref name="uncaf">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gold Cup 1991">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In qualification, La Selecta defeated Nicaragua 5–2 on aggregate (3–2, 2–0) and advanced to the final tournament. In the finals, they played three games, drawing one and losing two, finishing in last place and failing to advance to the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup.<ref name="uncaf" /> The 1993 UNCAF Nations Cup once again served as qualification to the Gold Cup, this time for the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup.<ref name="uncaf"/> Coached by Jorge Vieira, La Selecta advanced to the final tournament automatically. There they played three games, once again drawing one and losing two to finish last and fail to advance to the Gold Cup.<ref name="uncaf"/>

In 1994 World Cup qualification, El Salvador eliminated Nicaragua 10–1 on aggregate (5–0, 5–1) in the first round, then finished first in a group composed of Bermuda (0–1, 4–1), Canada (1–1, 3–2), and Jamaica (2–0, 2–1) in the second round. In the third round, El Salvador began with a win against Mexico at home, but lost their next four games, including two defeats against Canada. They beat Honduras 2–1 at home in their final game, but finished third in the group and were eliminated.

El Salvador hosted the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup. In their first round, they topped a group containing Costa Rica and Belize, and lost 1–0 to Guatemala in the knockout round. They won the third place match 2–1 against Costa Rica and advanced to the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Guatemala and the tournament winners, Honduras.<ref name="1996qr1afa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was their first appearance at the Gold Cup.<ref name="uncaf"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the finals of the 1996 Gold Cup, El Salvador defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3–2, with goals from Raúl Díaz Arce (2) and Ronald Cerritos in their first game, but then lost 2–0 to the United States and did not advance from the first round.<ref name="concacaf">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gold Cup 1996">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Guatemala, El Salvador lost 3–0 to Honduras in their first match but defeated Panama 2–0 in their second. In the second group stage they finished in third place, losing 1–0 to both Guatemala and Costa Rica, and drawing 0–0 against Honduras. They advanced to the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, hosted in the United States.<ref name="uncaf"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> El Salvador were coached by Kiril Dojcinovski. In the group stage, they drew 0–0 with Guatemala, and lost to Brazil (4–0) and Jamaica (2–0).<ref name="concacaf"/><ref name="Gold Cup 1998">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1998 World Cup qualification, El Salvador received a bye to the third round, where they were drawn into a group with Canada, Cuba, and Panama. They finished second behind Canada and advanced to the six-team final round. El Salvador finished in fifth place with two wins, four draws, and four defeats.<ref name="cm"/> This was the closest they had come to qualifying for a World Cup since 1982.

At the 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Costa Rica, El Salvador drew 1–1 with Guatemala and defeated Nicaragua 1–0 in the first round, with Magdonio Corrales scoring in both games. In the second group stage, they lost 3–1 to Honduras, 1–0 Guatemala and 4–0 to Costa Rica to finish bottom of the group, and failed to advance to the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Mario Peres Ulibarri.<ref name="UNCAF Nations Cup 1999">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2000sEdit

In 2002 World Cup qualification, El Salvador topped a first round group ahead of Belize and Guatemala, but finished third behind and Jamaica in the second round, and were eliminated.<ref name="2002 World Cup qualify">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup in Honduras, El Salvador topped their first-round group, defeating Nicaragua 3–0, Panama 2–1, and drawing 1–1 with the hosts. In the final round they drew all their games to finish third and advance to the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Carlos Recinos.<ref name="uncaf"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Gold Cup, El Salvador lost their first match in Group A to Mexico (1–0), but defeated Guatemala by the same score, with a goal from Santos Cabrera. This allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup for the first time, but they lost 4–0 at that stage to the eventual champions, the United States.<ref name="concacaf"/><ref name="Gold Cup 2002">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the 2003 UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama, El Salvador finished third again, with Juan Ramón Paredes as head coach. In the tournament, they won 2–1 against Panama, lost 1–0 to Costa Rica, beat Nicaragua 3–0 and Honduras 1–0, and lost 2–0 against Guatemala. They qualified for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where they were drawn into Group C with Martinique and the United States. El Salvador 2–0 lost to the United States but beat Martinique 1–0 with a goal from Marvin González. In the quarter-finals, they were beaten 5–2 by Costa Rica, with three of the seven goals coming from penalty kicks.<ref name="concacaf"/><ref name="Gold Cup 2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The 2006 World Cup qualifiers and 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Guatemala, were both huge disasters for El Salvador. In the former they received a bye to the second round, where they inched past Bermuda 4–3 on aggregate (2–1, 2–2). In the third round they finished last in a group that contained Jamaica, Panama and the United States, with just four points from six games.<ref name="2006 World Cup qualify">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup they went out in the first round after losing against Panama (1–0) and Costa Rica (2–1), which meant they also failed to qualify for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Carlos Cavagnaro.<ref name="UNCAF Nations Cup 2005">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coached by Carlos de los Cobos, El Salvador hosted the 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup, and won their first-round group after 2–1 wins over Belize and Nicaragua, and a 0–0 draw with Guatemala. In the semi-finals, they lost 1–0 to the eventual champions, Costa Rica, and finished the tournament in fourth after Guatemala beat them by the same scored in the third place play-off.<ref name="UNCAF Nations Cup 2007">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This allowed them to qualify for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they began with a 2–1 win against Trinidad and Tobago 2–1, with goals from Ramón Sánchez and Dennis Alas. They lost their next two matches against Guatemala (1–0) and the United States (4–0) and exited the tournament.<ref name="Gold Cup 2007">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 16 June 2007, El Salvador met Hungary at the Estadio Cuscatlán in a repeat of their match at the 1982 World Cup. Many of the same players that had played the original World Cup match played again. The match was drawn 2–2, with goals from Lázár Szentes and Ferenc Csongrádi for Hungary and two goals from Luis Ramírez Zapata for El Salvador.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup in Honduras, El Salvador finished second in their group after Belize 4–1, drawing 1–1 with Nicaragua and losing 2–0 to Honduras, and Nicaragua. Their semi-final against Costa Rica was called off after 60 minutes, with Costa Rica leading 1–0, when El Salvador were reduced to six players. Alexander Escobar and Eliseo Quintanilla were sent off in the first half, while Deris Umanzor, Rodolfo Zelaya and their goalkeeper Juan José Gómez were injured and had to leave the field after El Salvador had already used their three substitutions. The game was awarded as a 3–0 win to Costa Rica. In the third place play-off, they lost 1–0 to Honduras after a goal by Roger Espinoza.<ref name="UNCAF Nations Cup 2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador began by beating Costa Rica 2–1, with two goals by Osael Romero. However, they lost 1–0 against Canada and Jamaica and were eliminated.<ref name="Gold Cup 2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2010sEdit

In 2010 World Cup qualification El Salvador beat Anguilla 16–0 on aggregate and Panama 3–2 on aggregate in the first two rounds. In their third round group, they finished second in the group behind Costa Rica, ahead of Haiti and Suriname, to advance to the Hexagonal round. Despite drawing against the United States and beating Mexico, El Salvador finished in fifth place and were eliminated. Rudis Corrales was their top scorer in qualification with 8 goals.<ref name="2010 World Cup qualify">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 11 May 2010, the FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Salvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT) on account of government interference, as the statutes ratified by the FESFUT general assembly in August 2009 had not been entered in the country's official register, and that the government had failed to acknowledge the authority of the Normalisation Committee set up to represent FESFUT.<ref name="Suspension1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The suspension was lifted by 28 May, allowing La Selecta to participate in international tournaments. El Salvador's under-21 team qualified for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. However, CONCACAF decided to suspend football at the 2010 CAC shortly after. El Salvador were also able to participate in the qualifying tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics.<ref name="Suspension2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, the new version of the reorganized UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador qualified from their first-round group in second place after defeating Nicaragua 2–0 and Belize 5–2, and losing 2–0 against Panama. In the semi-finals they lost 2–0 to Honduras, and lost 5–4 in a penalty shootout to Panama, after a 0–0 draw. This performance qualified El Salvador for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The team was coached by José Luis Rugamas. Forward Rafael Burgos jointly received the Golden Boot with Costa Rica's Marco Ureña, with three goals.<ref name="2011 Copa Centroamericana">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In April 2011, two months before the start of the Gold Cup, José Luis Rugamas was replaced as coach by Rubén Israel.<ref name="New coach">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the Gold Cup, El Salvador began with a 5–0 defeat to Mexico.<ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Mexico">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They drew 1–1 with Costa Rica, with Rodolfo Zelaya's 25-yard free-kick opener being equalised by a Costa Rican goal in injury time,<ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Costa Rica">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and beat Cuba 6–1 to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 2003.<ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Cuba">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the quarter-finals they drew 1–1 with Panama, with Panama scoring a controversial equaliser through Luis Tejada one minute from the end. Their coach Israel called the decision an "error of haste."<ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Error">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Panama won the penalty shoot-out 5–3.<ref name="2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Panama">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2014 World Cup qualification, El Salvador received a bye to the second round, where they began with a 3–2 win against the Dominican Republic, with goals scored by Rodolfo Zelaya (2) and Cristián Bautista.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They then beat the Cayman Islands 4–1 with goals from Bautista, Luis Anaya (2) and Xavier García<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> before winning the return against the Dominican Republic 2–1.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They beat the Cayman Islands 4–0 at home, with goals by Víctor Turcios, Steve Purdy, Jaime Alas and Herbert Sosa. The last of these was the thousandth goal scored by the national team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two comfortable wins over Suriname gave them a perfect record of six wins in six matches.

In the next round, El Salvador snatched a draw against Costa Rica in San José after being 2–0 down, but a home defeat against Mexico four days later precipitated the departure of Israel, whose poor relations with Jaime Rodríguez, the president of the National Institute of Sport Salvador (INDES) were widely known. The Salvadoran Football Association (FESFUT) named the Mexican Juan de Dios Castillo as his replacement.

Despite a good start, a 1–0 win in a friendly match against Guatemala, a 2–2 draw at the Estadio Cuscatlán in a qualifier against modest Guyana earned him the wrath of the public.Template:Citation needed A 3–2 victory in Georgetown, with a penalty saved by El Salvador's goalkeeper Dagoberto Portillo in additional time, kept their qualifying hopes alive, but these were ended by a 1–0 home defeat against Costa Rica. Juan de Dios Castillo was sacked in November 2012 and replaced on 17 December by the Peruvian Agustín Castillo, a five-time national champion with C.D. FAS.

El Salvador finished third in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana, allowing them to qualify for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States. In that tournament, a 1–0 win over Haiti allowed them to qualify from the group stages in third place, but they lost 5–1 to the host nation in the quarter-finals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2018 World Cup qualification, El Salvador won knockout ties against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Curaçao to reach the fourth round group stage, but they finished bottom of a group containing Mexico, Honduras and Canada with two draws and four defeats from their six matches.

2020sEdit

After Covid-19 restrictions had loosened up a bit, El Salvador organized a friendly match against the US in December 2020 to start things off again. However, they lost 6–0 to the CONCACAF giants. 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification were soon on the horizon and El Salvador had to play against Grenada and Montserrat in the March 2021 calendar. El Salvador won at home against Grenada in a 2–0 victory and tied with Montserrat in a grueling 1–1 match. This was when El Salvador needed a change fast and they soon sacked Carlos de los Cobos. They hired a Hugo Pérez as their new coach, who was also coaching the El Salvador Sub-23s in the Olympic Qualifiers in the same year. Hugo Perez made radical changes to the team and called up more newer players to help represent El Salvador. When June rolled by, El Salvador's next opponents were the US Virgin Islands and Antigua & Barbudas. El Salvador crushed the Virgin Islands with a 7–0 victory away and won again at home against Antigua in a 3–0 win; El Salvador were on their way to the second round of qualifications. El Salvador then faced off against Saint Kitts & Nevis in a round robin format. El Salvador managed to pull off a 0–4 victory away and a 2–0 victory at home, which got them to the final round of qualifications for the first time in over 10 years. In preparation for the upcoming 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador organized three friendlies. On June 26, El Salvador played against Guatemala to a 0–0 standstill. However, Hugo Perez was trying to experiment with more younger and less or known players at the time to form an underwhelming B Team. El Salvador then flew to Croatia to face their next opponents. On July 2, La Selecta faced off against NK Istra 1961 to a 2–1 defeat. On July 4, El Salvador faced the Asian Cup winners, Qatar, to a 1–0 defeat.

On July 11, El Salvador played their first game in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup against their Central American rivals, Guatemala, to a 2–0 victory. On July 14, El Salvador faced Trinidad & Tobago to another 2–0 victory to land El Salvador in the Quarter-Finals and gain 6 points for the first time in the Gold Cup. On July 18, El Salvador played their last game against Mexico to prove how much they've grown or not. El Salvador lost to Mexico in a tense 1–0 defeat. In the quarter-finals, El Salvador faced off against Qatar and lost once again in a 3–2 defeat, ending their Gold Cup run.

On September 19, 2023, FESFUT hired Spanish manager Rubén de la Barrera to coach to the El Salvador national team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Barrera would leave after 3 months and David Dóniga would take over on January 2, 2024.

It was announced to the public that a friendly bout was arranged by Inter Miami CF (where Lionel Messi was playing at the time) to face off against El Salvador on the 19th of January 2024 in Estadio Cuscatlán, where the match ended in a 0-0 stalemate. From the period of friendlies in February to March, El Salvador faced Costa Rica to a 2-0 defeat in San Jose, then faced Bonaire to a highly scrutinized 1-1 result in Washington DC, then took on world champions Argentina to a 3-0 defeat, and eventually ended with a match against Honduras in a vigorous 1-1 draw. On June 6th, 2026 World cup qualifiers commenced in the CONCACAF region as El Salvador faced Puerto Rico to an excruciating draw of 0-0. However, on June 9th, El Salvador took on Saint Vincent and The Grenadines away and ended up claiming the victory in a 1-3 result. It was a significant breakthrough as El Salvador has never won a match since 2022 against Grenada.<ref>https://www.elgrafico.com/selecciones/El-Salvador-vence-a-San-Vicente-y-las-Granadinas-y-rompe-sequia-sin-triunfos-20240609-0014.html</ref> After 2 friendly matches against Peru (0-1 loss June 14) and Guatemala (0-1 win July 27), El Salvador prepared themselves for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League in a duration of 3 months. In the month of September, El Salvador defeated Montserrat (1-4) and Bonaire (2-1). In October, El Salvador faced off against Saint Vincent and The Grenadines twice, each sharing wins (2-3 win and 1-2 loss). In November, El Salvador concluded their campaign by defeating Bonaire and Montserrat; all in a 1-0 verdict and topping their group to ascend to Nations League A after relegation. The team and David Dóniga were heavily criticized during this period for mediocre performances. On February 24 2025, David Doniga would end up relinquishing his position as head coach for the national team.

On February 25 2025, INDES and FESFUT would officially proclaim Hernán Darío Gómez to be the new incumbent head coach of the national team.

Match fixingEdit

The national team has had accusations of several players losing matches on purpose in exchange for monetary rewards. Some of these allegations involved games against Venezuela, Mexico, USA, and Costa Rica. Fourteen players were handed lifetime bans from football on 20 September 2013: Luis Anaya, Osael Romero, Ramón Sánchez, Christian Castillo, Miguel Granadino, Miguel Montes, Dagoberto Portillo, Dennis Alas, Darwin Bonilla, Ramón Flores, Alfredo Pacheco, José Mardoqueo Henríquez, Marvin González, and Reynaldo Hernández. Carlos Monteagudo received a ban of 18 months. Eliseo Quintanilla and Víctor Turcios received six-month bans. Alexander Escobar, Christian Sánchez, and under-20 goalkeeper Yimmy Cuellar received bans of 30 days. After a further 20-day investigation, Rodrigo Martínez was sentenced to a ban of five years, Rodolfo Zelaya to a ban of one year, and Benji Villalobos to a ban of six months.

On 6 September 2016, the team revealed that they had turned down an offer to ensure that their result against Canada saw Honduras progress to the next round of World Cup qualification.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their coach Ramon Maradiaga was later fined 20,000 Swiss francs and banned from football for two years for not disclosing the approach.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

StadiumEdit

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File:Canchas y Estadio ES.jpg
Aerial view of the Estadio Cuscatlán, El Salvador's national stadium

El Salvador's national stadium is the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, which saw its first game in 1976.

During the national team's early history, the national stadium was the Campo Marte, 16 acres of land that housed a small stadium, now known as Parque Infantil, between 1928 and 1934.<ref name="Campo Marte">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Succeeding, El Salvador played at the Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca, now known as Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González, also in San Salvador. It was opened on 19 April 1932 during the presidency of Maximiliano Hernández Martínez in preparation for the 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games. On 24 March 1935 El Salvador played its first game at the Flor Blanca against Cuba and won 4–1.<ref name="Estadio Magico">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> El Salvador played at this stadium during qualification for the 1970 World Cup.<ref name="Estadio Magico"/> On 15 November 2000, a one-off game was played at the stadium, to commemorate a major refurbishment, against Jamaica in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.<ref name="Estadio Magico"/>

In 1969, EDESSA (Estadios Deportivos de El Salvador Sociedad Anónima) proposed the idea of a new national stadium.<ref name="EDESSA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This resulted in construction of the Estadio Cuscatlán, with the president of El Salvador, General Fidel Sánchez Hernández, breaking ground on 24 March 1971. The stadium held its first game on 24 July 1976, a friendly between El Salvador and the German Bundesliga champions, Borussia Mönchengladbach. It ended in a 2–0 victory to the German side. The Borussia squad featured players from their 1974 World Cup winning squad, including Berti Vogts, Rainer Bonhof, Wolfgang Kleff and Jupp Heynckes, alongside Allan Simonsen, who later won the 1977 Ballon d'Or and joined Barcelona. El Salvador's team was Tomás Pineda (Mauricio "Tarzán" Alvarenga), Guillermo "Billy" Rodríguez Bou, Ramón Fagoaga, Humberto "Imacasa" Recinos, Eduardo "Conejo" Valdés, Víctor "Pato" Valencia, Warner Solís, Félix "Garrobita" Pineda (César "Piscucha" Acevedo), Luis "Pelé" Ramírez Zapata (Abraham Coreas) & Ismael "Cisco" Díaz (David Cabrera). Borussia also fielded Wolfgang Kneib, Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp, Horst Wohlers, Dietmar Danner, Hans Klinkhammer, Carsten Nielsen and Uli Stielike.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since that match, El Salvador has used the stadium for almost every major home game, and it is also the home ground of Alianza.<ref name="Stadium">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 25 May 1978, EDESSA agreed to sign a 99-year lease of the stadium to CLIMA (Asociación de Clubes de Liga Mayor A) to operate and control which events are held there.<ref name="History">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Team imageEdit

El Salvador's traditional first kit colour is blue with white trim, their second kit being white with blue trim. The current home and away kit features the traditional colours with the exception of bold curved trims that run from the center of the neck and open to the sides, forming two panels on the chest that contain the Umbro logo and emblem of the Salvadoran Football Federation. At the center of the kit El Salvador national emblem, once again, is shown. The right sleeve shows the national flag.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

El Salvador and Mitre announced a new partnership in 2008 that saw them supply the Central American national football team with home and away kits, training, and bench wear until August 2010. Mitre, and their Panamanian partner, The Harari Group, designed the kit that El Salvador used. The kit was showcased by the team on February 11, 2009, as they started their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF (Central-American Football Union) Hexagonal Cup.<ref name="Mitre">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 22 October 2010, the FESFUT extended the contract with Mitre by four years.<ref name="Mitre 2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first home and away kit made by Mitre feature a watermark of the country's national shield on the center of the shirt and some horizontal stripes along the kit. The current kit featured white remains along the neck, at the bottom of the kit, and over the shoulders. When this kit was introduced in 2009 it also introduced a new logo that replaced the typical logo of an "E" and an "S" surrounded by a circle.<ref name="Kit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Umbro has become the new kit supplier of the El Salvador national football team. Replacing Mitre, the first Umbro El Salvador football kits were released 15 June 2017, and were debuted in the 2017 Gold Cup.

Kit sponsorshipEdit

Kit supplier Period
Template:Flagicon Pony 1980–1982
Template:Flagicon Adidas 1982–1987
Template:Flagicon Pony 1988–1988
Template:Flagicon Mikasa 1989–1991
Template:Flagicon Pony 1991–1992
Template:Flagicon Galaxia 1992–1992
Template:Flagicon Score 1992–1995
Template:Flagicon Reebok 1996
Template:Flagicon Lanzera 1996–1998
Template:Flagicon Kappa 1999–2000
Template:Flagicon Joma 2001–2002
Template:Flagicon Galaxia 2003
Template:Flagicon Atletica 2004–2007
Template:Flagicon Milán 2007
Template:Flagicon Atletica 2007–2009
Template:Flagicon Mitre 2009–2017
Template:Flagicon Umbro 2017–present

Results and fixturesEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2

2024Edit

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2025Edit

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Coaching staffEdit

As of February 2025 [1]

Position Name
Head coach Template:Flagicon Hernán Darío Gómez
Assistant coach Template:Flagicon Édgar Carvajal
Assistant coach Template:Flagicon Juan Carlos Serrano
Fitness coach Template:Flagicon Mauricio Roldán
Goalkeeping coach Template:Flagicon Alvaro Misael Alfaro
Director of football Template:Flagicon TBD
Coordinator of football Template:Flagicon Juan Carlos Serrano

Coaching historyEdit

Since the creation of the national team in 1921, several coaches have been in charge of managing El Salvador. From 1930 to 1935, Mark Scott Thompson was appointed as El Salvador's first ever manager. Template:As of, the El Salvador national football team has presented itself with 60 managers in the national team. It is reported that all 3 titles (1943,<ref name="CCCF 1943">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 1954<ref name="CAG 1954">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 2002<ref name="CAG 2002">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) have been won by Salvadoran born managers. Conrado Miranda has managed in 4 different occasions and Armando Contreras Palma in 3. Chilean Hernán Vivanco was manager when El Salvador competed at their first World Cup.<ref name="Managers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mauricio Rodríguez managed to qualify El Salvador to another World Cup. Rodríguez participated at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

The following players were called up for the friendly against Template:Fb on 1 June 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Caps and goals as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Template:Fb.

Template:Nat fs g start Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs g player Template:Nat fs end

Recent call-upsEdit

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months. Template:Nat fs r start Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break INJ Player withdrew from the current squad due to injury.
COV Player withdrew due to testing positively for COVID-19 or having to self-isolate because of it.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player had announced retirement from international football.
SUS Player is serving a suspension.
WD Withdrawn. Template:Nat fs end

Player recordsEdit

Template:Updated<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Players in bold are still active with El Salvador.

Most appearancesEdit

File:Ceren at Avaya.jpg
Darwin Cerén is El Salvador's most capped player with 99 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Darwin Cerén 99 5 2012–present
2 Alfredo Pacheco 85 7 2002–2013
Alexander Larín 85 7 2012–present
4 Dennis Alas 83 3 2001–2012
5 Leonel Cárcamo 82 0 1988–2000
6 Marvin González 81 1 2002–2011
7 Bryan Tamacas 80 3 2016–present
8 Rudis Corrales 78 17 1999–2011
Ramón Sánchez 78 2 2003–2012
10 Osael Romero 77 16 2007–2013

Top goalscorersEdit

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Raúl Díaz Arce 39 72 {{#expr:39/72 round 2}} 1991–2000
2 Rodolfo Zelaya 23 52 {{#expr:23/52 round 2}} 2008–2019
3 Jorge "Mágico" González 21 62 {{#expr:21/62 round 2}} 1976–1998
4 Nelson Bonilla 20 66 {{#expr:20/66 round 2}} 2012–present
5 Juan Francisco Barraza 19 40 {{#expr:19/40 round 2}} 1953–1969
José María Rivas 19 47 {{#expr:19/47 round 2}} 1979–1989
7 Rudis Corrales 17 78 {{#expr:17/78 round 2}} 2001–2011
8 Luis Ramírez Zapata 16 58 {{#expr:16/58 round 2}} 1971–1989
Osael Romero 16 77 {{#expr:16/77 round 2}} 2007–2013
10 Miguel Cruz 15 14 {{#expr:15/14 round 2}} 1935–1950
Eliseo Quintanilla 15 68 {{#expr:15/68 round 2}} 2006–2012
Guillermo Rivera 15 76 {{#expr:15/76 round 2}} 1988–2000

Competitive recordEdit

FIFA World CupEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} El Salvador has never advanced beyond the first round of the finals competition. El Salvador declined to participate at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.<ref name="Withdrew" group="note" />

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Squad Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
Template:Flagicon 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Template:Flagicon 1934
Template:Flagicon 1938 Did not enter Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1950 Withdrew<ref name="Withdrew" group="note" /> Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1954 Did not enter Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1958
Template:Flagicon 1962
Template:Flagicon 1966
Template:Flagicon 1970 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 0 9 Squad 10 7 0 3 19 12
Template:Flagicon 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 2
Template:Flagicon 1978 11 4 4 3 18 16
Template:Flagicon 1982 Group stage 24th 3 0 0 3 1 13 Squad 13 7 4 2 14 6
Template:Flagicon 1986 Did not qualify 6 4 1 1 15 2
Template:Flagicon 1990 8 2 2 4 8 8
Template:Flagicon 1994 14 8 1 5 28 18
Template:Flagicon 1998 16 5 5 6 23 22
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2002 10 6 1 3 23 15
Template:Flagicon 2006 8 2 2 4 6 14
Template:Flagicon 2010 20 8 3 9 39 21
Template:Flagicon 2014 12 7 2 3 28 16
Template:Flagicon 2018 10 3 3 4 12 16
Template:Flagicon 2022 20 7 5 8 27 19
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2026 Qualification in progress 2 1 1 0 3 1
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2030 To be determined To be determined
Template:Flagicon 2034
Total Group stage Template:Tooltip 6 0 0 6 1 22 — 162 71 34 57 263 188

CONCACAF Gold CupEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Squad Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
Template:Flagicon 1963 Runners-up 2nd 7 3 3 1 17 11 Squad Qualified as hosts
Template:Flagicon 1965 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 7 9 Squad 2 2 0 0 7 1
Template:Flagicon 1967 Did not enter Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1969 Banned Banned
Template:Flagicon 1971 Withdrew Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1973 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 2
Template:Flagicon 1977 Third place 3rd 5 2 1 2 8 9 Squad 6 2 3 1 10 7
Template:Flagicon 1981 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 2 1 Squad 8 5 2 1 12 5
1985 Fourth place 4th 4 2 1 1 7 2 Squad 2 2 0 0 8 0
1989 Fifth place 5th 6 0 2 4 2 8 Squad 2 2 0 0 6 0
Template:Flagicon 1991 Did not qualify 5 2 1 2 7 11
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 1993 3 0 1 2 1 5
Template:Flagicon 1996 Group stage 6th 2 1 0 1 3 4 Squad 4 3 0 1 7 3
Template:Flagicon 1998 8th 3 0 1 2 0 6 Squad 5 1 1 3 2 5
Template:Flagicon 2000 Did not qualify 8 1 2 5 6 15
Template:Flagicon 2002 Quarter-finals 8th 3 1 0 2 1 5 Squad 6 2 4 0 8 4
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2003 6th 3 1 0 2 3 7 Squad 5 3 0 2 6 4
Template:Flagicon 2005 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 3
Template:Flagicon 2007 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 2 6 Squad 5 2 1 2 4 5
Template:Flagicon 2009 9th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad 5 1 1 3 5 8
Template:Flagicon 2011 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 8 8 Squad 5 2 1 2 7 6
Template:Flagicon 2013 7th 4 1 1 2 4 8 Squad 4 1 2 1 2 2
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2015 Group stage 9th 3 0 2 1 1 2 Squad 4 2 0 2 4 3
Template:Flagicon 2017 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 4 6 Squad 5 2 1 2 5 4
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2019 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 1 4 Squad 4 3 0 1 7 2
Template:Flagicon 2021 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 0 2 6 4 Squad 6 5 0 1 10 1
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2023 Group stage 14th 3 0 2 1 3 4 Squad 4 1 2 1 6 5
Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2025 Qualified   6 5 0 1 12 6
Total Runners-up 20/28 74 22 20 32 81 107 — 108 49 22 37 143 107

CONCACAF Nations LeagueEdit

CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Year Result Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
2019–20 B B 6 5 0 1 10 1 Template:Rise Template:Flagicon 2021 Ineligible
2022–23 A D 4 1 2 1 6 5 Template:Same position Template:Flagicon 2023 Did not qualify
2023–24 A A 4 0 1 3 2 6 Template:Fall Template:Flagicon 2024
2024–25 B A In progress Template:Flagicon image 2025 Ineligible
Total — — 14 6 3 5 18 12 — Total 0 Titles — — — — — — —

Copa CentroamericanaEdit

Copa Centroamericana record
Year Round Position Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
Template:Flagicon 1991 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 2 9
Template:Flagicon 1993 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 5
Template:Flagicon 1995 Third place 3rd 4 2 0 2 5 5
Template:Flagicon 1997 Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 5 5
Template:Flagicon 1999 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 3 9
Template:Flagicon 2001 Third place 3rd 6 2 4 0 8 4
Template:Flagicon 2003 Third place 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 4
Template:Flagicon 2005 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 3
Template:Flagicon 2007 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 4 5
Template:Flagicon 2009 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 5 6
Template:Flagicon 2011 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 7 6
Template:Flagicon 2013 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 2 2
Template:Flagicon 2014 Fourth place 4th 4 2 0 2 4 3
Template:Flagicon 2017 Third place 3rd 5 2 1 2 5 4
Total Third place 14/14 57 19 14 24 54 67

CCCF ChampionshipEdit

CCCF Championship record
Year Round Position Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
Template:Flagicon 1941 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 1 1 15 8
Template:Flagicon 1943 Champions 1st 6 4 1 1 28 11
Template:Flagicon 1946 Third place 3rd 5 3 0 2 15 11
Template:Flagicon 1948 Fifth place 5th 8 2 1 5 6 17
Template:Flagicon 1951 Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1953 Fifth place 5th 6 2 1 3 10 14
Template:Flagicon 1955 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 8 13
Template:Flagicon 1957 Did not enter
Template:Flagicon 1960 Withdrew
Template:Flagicon 1961 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 18 7
Total 1 Title 7/10 41 20 5 16 100 81

Olympic GamesEdit

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Squad
Template:Flagicon 1900 Only club teams participated
Template:Flagicon 1904
Template:Flagicon 1908 No national representative
Template:Flagicon 1912
Template:Flagicon 1920
Template:Flagicon 1924
Template:Flagicon 1928
Template:Flagicon 1936 Not an IOC member
Template:Flagicon 1948 Did not participate
Template:Flagicon 1952
Template:Flagicon 1956
Template:Flagicon 1960
Template:Flagicon 1964
Template:Flagicon 1968 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 2 8 Squad
Template:Flagicon 1972 Did not participate
Template:Flagicon 1976
Template:Flagicon 1980
Template:Flagicon 1984
Template:Flagicon 1988 Did not qualify
Since 1992 See El Salvador national under-23 football team
Total Group stage 1/11 3 0 1 2 2 8 —

Pan American GamesEdit

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Template:Flagicon 1951 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1955
Template:Flagicon 1959
Template:Flagicon 1963
Template:Flagicon 1967
Template:Flagicon 1971
Template:Flagicon 1975 Preliminary round 10th 3 1 1 1 4 3
Template:Flagicon 1979 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1983
Template:Flagicon 1987 Preliminary round 7th 3 1 1 1 1 1
Template:Flagicon 1991 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1995
Since 1999 See El Salvador national under-23 football team
Total Preliminary round 2/12 6 2 2 2 5 4

Central American and Caribbean GamesEdit

Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year Round Position Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Template:Flagicon 1930 Fourth place 4th 5 1 0 4 13 25
Template:Flagicon 1935 Third place 3rd 5 2 0 3 15 20
Template:Flagicon 1938 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 7 19
Template:Flagicon 1946 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1950 Fourth place 4th 3 1 0 2 4 5
Template:Flagicon 1954 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 9 5
Template:Flagicon 1959 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1962
Template:Flagicon 1966 Fourth place 4th 5 1 2 2 5 9
Template:Flagicon 1970 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1974
Template:Flagicon 1978 Group stage 9th 5 1 0 4 2 21
Template:Flagicon 1982 Did not qualify
Template:Flagicon 1986
Template:Flagicon 1990
Template:Flagicon 1993
Template:Flagicon 1998
Template:Flagicon 2002 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 10 1
Template:Flagicon 2006 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 0 2 9 7
Template:Flagicon 2010 Quarter-finals 5th 2 1 1 0 1 0
Template:Flagicon 2014 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 3 5
Template:Flagicon 2018 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 1 4
Template:Flagicon 2023 Fourth place 4th 4 0 2 2 4 6
Total 2 Titles 13/23 52 20 6 26 83 127

Central American GamesEdit

Central American Games record
Year Round Position Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Template:Flagicon 1973 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 2 4
Template:Flagicon 1977 Champions 1st 6 4 1 1 17 2
Template:Flagicon 1986 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 0 4
Template:Flagicon 1990 Did not participate
Template:Flagicon 1994 Runners-up 2nd 3 3 0 0 12 2
Template:Flagicon 1997 Fourth place 4th 4 2 0 2 5 2
Template:Flagicon 2001 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 0 5
Template:Flagicon 2006 Not held
Template:Flagicon 2010
Template:Flagicon 2013 Third place 3rd 6 2 0 4 6 23
Template:Flagicon 2017 Fourth place 4th 4 1 2 1 2 1
Total 1 Title 9/11 32 13 6 13 44 43

Head-to-head recordEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} As of 17 November 2024 after the match against Template:Fb.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2

Template:Notelist

FIFA ranking historyEdit

The following is a chart of the yearly averages of El Salvador's FIFA ranking. Template:Graph:Chart

HonoursEdit

ContinentalEdit

RegionalEdit

SummaryEdit

Only official honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Senior Competition Template:Gold1 Template:Silver2 Template:Bronze3 Total
CONCACAF Championship 0 2 1 3
CCCF Championship1 1 2 1 4
Total 1 4 2 7
Notes
  1. Official senior competition organized by CCCF. It was a predecessor confederation of CONCACAF and affiliated with FIFA as the governing body of football in Central America and Caribbean, from 1938 to 1961.

FactsEdit

  • El Salvador were the first Central American team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup, in 1970, and the first Central American team to qualify twice which they achieved with entry into the 1982 World Cup. They were the first Central American team to ever score a goal in a FIFA World Cup on June 15, 1982.
  • They were the first Central American country to qualify their football team to the Olympic Games (Mexico 1968).
  • They were the first Central American team to sign up for a World Cup qualifier (France 1938).
  • They were the first Central American team to be champions of the Central American and Caribbean Games (Mexico 1954).
  • They were also the first Central American team to organize the Central American and Caribbean Games (1935) and the first ever CONCACAF Championship (1963). * El Salvador were also the first Central American team to beat Mexico in Mexico City; by a score of 3–2 at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games. Scorers of that game are as follows: Mario Montoya 16' (0–1), Antonio Jasso 27' (1–1), Mario Montoya 36' (1–2), Ricardo Valencia 37' (1–3), Rafael Gutierrez 64' (2–3).<ref name="CAG 1954"/> The 1st goal in a World Cup qualifier was scored by Joel Estada on 12 December 1968 against Dutch Guiana.
  • The 50th goal in a World Cup qualifier was scored by Ever Hernández in a 1–0 victory—on 2 December 1981—against Mexico. The 100th goal in a World Cup qualifier was scored by Jorge "Mágico" González on 2 May 1993 against Canada.
  • The 150th goal in a World Cup qualifier was scored by Víctor Velásquez in a 2–1 victory—on 13 June 2004—against Bermuda. The 200th goal in a World Cup qualifier was scored by defender Xavier García in a 4–1 victory—on 6 September 2011—against the Cayman Islands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See alsoEdit

Template:Portal

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project

Template:Navboxes Template:Navboxes Template:El Salvador national football team Template:Football in El Salvador {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox | name = CONCACAF teams | title = National and regional football teams of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) | bodyclass = hlist | belowstyle = font-size:smaller;

| group1 = North America | list1 =

| group2 = Central America | list2 =

| group3 = Caribbean | list3 =

| group4 = Defunct | list4 =

| below =

  • 1: Inside the North American zone, but CFU member.
  • 2: South American region, but affiliated to CONCACAF and CFU.
  • 3: Full or associate CONCACAF member, but non-FIFA member.

}} Template:National sports teams of El Salvador

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