Statistically, Panama is the worst national team at the World Cup in Russia. The Central American debutants failed to claim a single point, losing to Belgium (0:3), England (1:6) and Tunisia (1:2) in their group. No other team have performed so poorly at the World Cup since 2010, when North Korea suffered three defeates with an overall “-11” goal difference (Panama now has “-9”).

However, Panama’s coach Hernan Dario Gomez got angry when his team was called the worst at the competition. In his opinion, this is simply not true. “We are not the worst team. We are a team that is learning and growing. I think you need to respect our team much more,” the Colombian said.

Panama produced a sensation in the CONCACAF qualifying, finishing ahead of the USA, but in Russia, they came up short. The team obviously lacked experience as well as quality, as football in the country has many problems, including poor infrastructure and a low level of the national league.

Looking at the scores, Panama can really be called the worst of 32 World Cup participants.  Only Egypt also failed to take any points, but they have a better goal difference. Gomez's men looked helpless against the likes of England and Belgium, and failed to snatch any points from Tunisia. But unlike Germany or, say, Poland, the Latin American side should not be heavily criticized. Playing at the World Cup is a priceless experience for the nation, and it may ultimately give a boost to the development of football in Panama. So the small country should be proud of what their football players have achieved.