San José is preparing for a familiar figure to return between the posts. Keylor Navas has been recalled by Costa Rica’s interim coach Bryan Ruiz, ending an absence from the national squad that began after the country’s final 2026 World Cup qualifying match in November 2025.
Navas returns after Costa Rica’s qualifying exit
- On 18 November 2025, Navas started against Honduras at Costa Rica’s National Stadium in the last World Cup qualifying fixture for both sides.
- The match finished 0-0, with neither Costa Rica nor Honduras able to remain in contention for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
- Navas preserved the clean sheet with two saves, making that draw his most recent appearance for Los Ticos.
- The Pumas goalkeeper was then left out during Fernando “Bocha” Batista’s early spell in charge, including the recent Concacaf Nations League matches.
- Batista departed after Costa Rica suffered Nations League defeats to Curaçao and Haiti.
- The Costa Rican Football Federation appointed former international midfielder Bryan Ruiz as interim manager, and Ruiz immediately restored Navas to the squad.
Two final group games await
Ruiz has selected Navas for Costa Rica’s upcoming Nations League group-stage fixtures against Nicaragua and Haiti. The call-up gives the veteran goalkeeper the prospect of representing his country again after more than ten months away.
For Costa Rica, the return brings back a goalkeeper whose last international evening was one of resistance rather than celebration: a scoreless draw in San José, two decisive stops, and the end of a World Cup route. The next chapter begins under new temporary leadership, with the Nations League still offering Ruiz an immediate test of his reshaped squad.
