Honduras’ Surprising Run in the Gold Cup
Honduras has unexpectedly reached the semifinals of the Gold Cup, the most important tournament for national teams in CONCACAF. However, their true ambition lies ahead in late 2025.
From September to November, Honduras and 11 other CONCACAF teams will compete for three direct spots in the 2026 World Cup or two spots in intercontinental playoffs against teams from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America.
Honduras ranks fourth in the number of World Cup appearances for CONCACAF, with three, equal to Canada. They trail behind Costa Rica (6), the United States (11), and Mexico (17).
The Opportunity for Honduras
Since Mexico, the United States, and Canada are hosting the 2026 World Cup, they won’t participate in qualifiers. This is seen as an opportunity for Honduras and the other 11 teams competing in the final phase of CONCACAF qualifiers in the second half of 2025.
Reinaldo Rueda’s Challenge
The Honduras coach, Reinaldo Rueda, faces a significant challenge: qualifying for the World Cup. He previously achieved this feat in 2010.
“This is Honduras’ best chance in decades to return to the World Cup,” says Jorge Cardona, a Honduran sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, in an interview with El Economista.
“Respecting the other teams in their group, I believe the main challenge is to accumulate more points than Costa Rica. At home, they need to be strong. Avoiding tough opponents like Mexico, the United States, and Panama leaves them with an 80% chance of qualifying.”
Honduras’ Gold Cup Performance
Honduras unexpectedly reached the semifinals of the Gold Cup after losing 0-6 to Canada and then recovering with wins against El Salvador (2-0) and Curacao (2-1).
“We anticipated a loss against Canada, but not in such a poor manner,” explains Nahum Aguilar, sports chief at Diario Diez in Honduras.
“Against El Salvador, they dominated, and Honduras merely capitalized on opportunities without showcasing better play. Against Curacao, it was also difficult to secure a win. Honduras displayed better attitude but not superior football or spirit.”
The biggest surprise came in the quarterfinals, where Honduras eliminated Panama on penalties after trailing until minute 81. Panama is currently the fourth-ranked team in CONCACAF and was the 2023 Gold Cup runner-up.
This allowed the Catrachos to reach their sixth semifinal in 18 Gold Cup editions. In the previous five, they only reached the final once in 1991, losing to the United States.
Rueda’s Strategy
Reinaldo Rueda is coaching Honduras for the second time. His first tenure was from 2007 to 2010, when he led the team to the Sudáfrica World Cup alongside a ‘golden generation’ featuring players like David Suazo, Wilson Palacios, and Maynor Figueroa, who were based in Italy and England.
“In every generation, there are one or two standout players who contribute to the team’s success. However, Honduras currently lacks that star player like in the past. We’re short on quality and diverse talent, making it harder for Rueda,” says Nahum Aguilar.
“Honduras is in a transition phase regarding its players. We don’t have the same level of players as in 2010, who were better positioned in foreign clubs. Now, we have players in Europe and MLS (United States), but some aren’t performing well or aren’t starting. Back then, the team had more experienced, seasoned players with leadership qualities. This team struggles on the field, and it’s a massive difference.”
Despite this, Honduras topped the second round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers with a perfect record of four wins in four games, scoring 12 goals and conceding only two. However, their opponents were not strong football-wise: Bermuda, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda.
In the final round, they will share a group with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Haiti. These will be round-robin matches with mutual visits, and the team that finishes first secures a direct World Cup spot.
There are three groups, so the two runners-up with the best FIFA ranking in November (after the third round) will have a final chance in intercontinental playoffs in March.
Honduras hasn’t attended a World Cup since Brazil 2014. Their previous appearances were in Sudáfrica 2010 and Spain 1982. In the Gold Cup, however, they’ve participated in 17 of 18 editions, missing only in 2002. The greater emphasis, therefore, is on qualifiers for Rueda.
“Rueda often speaks about the growth of CONCACAF teams, but we haven’t progressed. We’ve stagnated and even regressed. In the Gold Cup, we’ve surpassed expectations, reaching further than anticipated, but it’s still early to tell if this success will translate into better morale for the upcoming qualifiers,” concludes Nahum Aguilar.
Another task for Rueda is to establish a generational turnover in Honduras, as 16 of the team’s players in this Gold Cup have the second-highest average age (28.2) behind Guadalupe’s 28.7.
“He’s working on building a core team for future participations. This is a young team that he encourages to look beyond Honduras and excel abroad. It’s slow progress, but we know this effort will bear fruit for future processes,” confirms Jorge Cardona.
