In qualification, Iceland did a stellar job. They managed to top a group containing Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey, winning seven games and scoring the most goals in the process. Meanwhile, Panama – in truth – scraped through the qualification process. They finished third, on a negative goal difference (but above the USA who finished in fifth with a +4 goal difference), after Roman Torres’ 88th minute winner against Costa Rica.
Iceland have one stand-out player, which is Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson has endured a tough first year on Merseyside and didn’t benefit from Allardyce’s play-style, however his individual quality on the international stage is undoubted, as he was instrumental in Iceland’s Euro 2016 run, which saw them beat England and Austria – whilst also drawing to the eventual winners Portugal.
Panama will rely on someone at the other end of the pitch, with stalwart Roman Torres looking to assuredly plug the defensive leaks. The centre-back is the fourth most capped player in Panama’s history, and joint 10th top-goal scorer despite playing in defence. He’s had a great season with Seattle Sounders, who finished 2nd in the Western conference (despite having equal points and a better goal difference) and lost in the MLS Cup final to Toronto.
Looking at their groups, Iceland have a tall-order in Group D, facing Messi’s Argentina, Modric’s Croatia and Moses’ Nigeria. Should they progress, it’s likely they’ll face France or Denmark, following that it’s Portugal, Spain, Uruguay or Russia and then it’s the semi-final, where they could face the worlds best.
Panama are pooled with England, Belgium and Tunisia – and it looks highly unlikely they’ll progress, however should they, they’ll face one of Colombia, Japan, Senegal and Poland, after that it’s likely to be Germany or Brazil.
What both teams have however, which not many other teams can say they have, is a sense of team unity. Iceland demonstrated a great sense of togetherness in their remarkable Euro 2016 campaign, meanwhile Panama have selected 12 players with over 50 caps (joint 2nd with Belgium, Mexico top with 14) for their country which suggests they’ve generated some form of team chemistry. The team spirit and unity amongst both camps could carry them further than most people would anticipate.
Finally, their managers. At the helm of Iceland is Heimir Hallgrímsson, who worked part-time as a dentist until his sides Euro 2016 success. Since that infamous run, he’s been linked with jobs across the world, most recently the head coach of Scotland. As it’s the same man steering the ship, the waters may be calmer for The Vikings.
Hernán Darío Gómez, who has had an extremely turbulent time as an international manager, leads Panama. Gomez is one of only four managers to lead three separate teams to the World Cup with Colombia (1998), Ecuador (2002) and Panama (201) but he has never got past the group stages, winning two games and losing four.
Using this information, I can’t see either side progressing through the group stages. Iceland have the greater chance, as they topped their qualifying group containing Croatia, and they could beat Nigeria (but they should lose to Argentina). They probably won’t progress further than the round of 16 however. Panama are in a group containing Belgium and England who are widely assumed to take the 1st and 2nd spots, but even if they progress, I can’t see them taking down anyone from Group H.
That being said, it is the World Cup, and should teams get the right balance of quality, team spirit and organisation then the remarkable CAN happen, and if they progress further as underdogs, it won’t just be their (very small) populations behind them, but the whole world.
