Costa Rica Beats Haiti, Avoids Nations League Drop Under Bryan Ruiz
COSTA RICA · FOOTBALL
Key Facts
- —The country Costa Rica, a Central American country whose team reached the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
- —The background Its team opened the Concacaf Nations League, the region’s main tournament for national teams, with two defeats, and the coach was fired.
- —Why now Former captain Bryan Ruiz took over as interim coach for two games, with relegation to the second division a real risk.
- —What happened On Sunday 4 October Costa Rica beat Haiti 2-0 near San José, its second win in four days, and kept its top-tier place.
- —The numbers Costa Rica finished fourth of six in its group with 6 points; Curaçao, on 10, and Haiti, on 9, reached the quarter-finals.
- —What it means for you Fans get no competitive game until a two-leg Gold Cup qualifier in March 2027; the Gold Cup is the regional championship.
- —Still open Whether Bryan Ruiz stays is up to the federation’s executive committee, which next meets on Wednesday 14 October.
Costa Rica beat Haiti 2-0 on Sunday 4 October and kept its place in the top tier of the Concacaf Nations League. It was the second and, for now, last match for interim coach Bryan Ruiz.
Ruiz, a former national team captain, took charge on 28 September, after two defeats cost Argentine coach Fernando Batista his job. Whether he stays is now up to the Costa Rican Football Federation.
Two Early Goals at a Full Saprissa Stadium
Costa Rica played at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, a club ground on the edge of San José nicknamed La Cueva, or The Cave. More than 12,000 fans came, the daily La Nación reported, after weeks of whistles and criticism at earlier games.
Carlos Mora headed the opener in the sixth minute from a corner by left-back Ronald Matarrita. Andrey Soto doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a left-footed shot from inside the box, Concacaf’s match report said.
Matarrita set up both goals, the news agency EFE noted. Haiti, led in attack by forward Wilson Isidor, pushed forward after the break but rarely troubled veteran goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Haiti still reached the quarter-finals despite the defeat. Its week was overshadowed by a row over its 4-1 win in Santo Domingo, covered on 4 October.
How the Nations League Works
Concacaf is the governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Its Nations League includes the men’s national teams of all 41 members, split into three divisions, Leagues A, B and C.
Teams move up and down between divisions after each edition, much like clubs in European leagues.
League A, the top tier, has 16 teams. The four highest-ranked, Mexico, the United States, Canada and Panama, go straight to the quarter-finals.
The other 12 play in two groups of six, but each team plays only four games, two at home and two away. That is why Costa Rica met Haiti twice and never faced the Dominican Republic or Trinidad and Tobago.
The top two in each group reach the quarter-finals, played home and away in November. The last four meet at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles from 25 to 28 March 2027.
The fifth- and sixth-placed teams in each group drop to League B for the next edition. The tournament is also the only way into the 2027 Gold Cup, a 16-team regional championship held in June and July.
The Final Group Table
Curaçao won Group A with 10 points after a 1-1 draw in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. Haiti took second place on goal difference with 9 points, level with the Dominican Republic.
Costa Rica finished fourth with 6 points, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago on 1 and Nicaragua on 0. Those two are relegated to League B.
Costa Rica’s top-tier place was in fact safe before kick-off, once Trinidad and Tobago drew with Curaçao earlier on Sunday. La Nación had noted that a draw or a Curaçao win would be enough.
Fourth place keeps Costa Rica out of the quarter-finals. It does guarantee a slot in the Gold Cup preliminary round, two-leg ties in March 2027 that fill seven places.
A Week From Crisis to Relief
The campaign began with a home game against Curaçao, previewed on 15 September. Costa Rica lost it 4-3 after leading by three goals, Reuters reported.
On Sunday 27 September the team then lost 2-0 to Haiti at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. The federation fired Batista the next day, Monday 28 September, about seven months after he started.
Under Batista the team lost five of six games and drew one, including a 5-0 defeat by Iran. Bryan Ruiz then won 3-0 against Nicaragua in Managua on Thursday 1 October.
That was Costa Rica’s first win of 2026, ending a run of 353 days without one, La Nación noted. The slump followed a bigger blow, as Costa Rica missed the 2026 World Cup.
Haiti and Curaçao both qualified for that tournament in November 2025. Curaçao, home to about 156,000 people, became the smallest nation by population ever to reach the finals.
Who Bryan Ruiz Is
Bryan Ruiz is one of the best-known figures in Costa Rican football, a former captain who played at three World Cups. Those were 2014, 2018 and 2022, and in 2014 his side reached the quarter-finals in Brazil.
He now coaches the under-20 team of the club Alajuelense and recently had a short spell as its interim first-team coach. For his two national team games he recalled Navas and midfielder Celso Borges, two of the most experienced players available.
“I did not go looking to be national team coach,” Ruiz said on Saturday, AM Prensa reported. He pointed to years of preparation, including work with youth teams and as an assistant coach.
Who Decides Whether He Stays
The choice belongs to the executive committee of the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF). When he named Ruiz, federation president Osael Maroto said the job was for “these two games”.
After that, Maroto said, the committee would assess whether Ruiz continues. He added that Ruiz was open to talks about staying but had made no promise.
“It’s not that he told us ‘yes, I’ll take it’,” Maroto said, according to Claro Sports.
Committee member Jafet Soto, who also chairs the club Herediano, said before Sunday’s game that the next coach will be Costa Rican. He declined to give a view on Ruiz, saying he is one of ten voters and wants to study reports first.
After the final whistle Ruiz declared “job done” on his part and said he imagined the federation would talk to him. He dreams of the job, he said, but does not want to force anything, Teletica reported.
He also conceded he may not be the best choice, given his lack of national team experience as a coach. His recommendation is a Costa Rican coach with credibility, experience and a winning record.
Senior players want him to stay, La Teja reported. Navas said Ruiz “has the charisma and the knowledge” and has prepared well.
Borges called him fully capable but said the decision rests with Ruiz. Besides Bryan Ruiz, La Teja named Alexandre Guimarães and Jeaustin Campos, two veteran coaches, as frequently mentioned candidates.
What Comes Next
Group B, which includes Honduras and Jamaica, finishes by Tuesday 6 October, and the quarter-final pairings follow. Curaçao and Haiti will each face Mexico, the United States, Canada or Panama over two legs in November.
Costa Rica’s next competitive games come in the Gold Cup preliminary round in March 2027. Opponents there are paired by Concacaf ranking, with the higher-ranked side hosting the second leg.
The win does not put Costa Rica back in the Nations League title race, and it does not settle the coaching question. The bigger target for whoever leads the team is the 2030 World Cup.
For now, Bryan Ruiz plans to return on Tuesday 6 October to the Alajuelense under-20 team, La Teja reported. The committee next meets on Wednesday 14 October, federation general secretary Gustavo Araya told La Nación, and will review the job then.
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What is the Concacaf Nations League?
It is the competition for men’s national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, with three divisions. It also decides who plays at the 2027 Gold Cup, the regional championship.
Did Costa Rica reach the Nations League quarter-finals?
No. Costa Rica finished fourth in Group A with 6 points, behind Curaçao, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Fourth place keeps it in the top tier and sends it to the Gold Cup preliminary round in March 2027.
Will Bryan Ruiz stay as Costa Rica coach?
That is undecided. Bryan Ruiz was hired for two games, and the federation’s executive committee will assess whether he continues. Ruiz has said he will think it over, and senior players have backed him.
Which teams were relegated from Group A?
Trinidad and Tobago, with 1 point, and Nicaragua, with none, finished fifth and sixth. They drop to League B for the next edition and enter a play-in round for Gold Cup qualification in November.
Sources: Concacaf (match report), 4 October 2026; Concacaf (format), 4 June 2026; Concacaf (groups), 24 July 2026; Concacaf (Gold Cup pathway), 24 August 2026; La Nación, 4 October 2026; EFE via Diario El Mundo, 5 October 2026; CR Hoy, 5 October 2026; Inside World Football, 5 October 2026; Reuters via Yahoo Noticias, 27 September 2026; EFE via HCH, 28 September 2026; El Litoral, 29 September 2026; Claro Sports, 29 September 2026; AM Prensa, 3 October 2026; La Teja (Ruiz on next coach), 3 October 2026; La Teja (Jafet Soto), 4 October 2026; La Teja (players), 5 October 2026; Teletica, 5 October 2026; La Teja (Ruiz after the game), 5 October 2026; El Observador, 28 September 2026; WLRN, 19 November 2025; La Nación (committee date), 4 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief