Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica Lineups, Preview

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Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica Lineups, Preview

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Oct 1, 2026 8:30 PM ET

After a poor start to their CONCACAF Nations League campaign, Costa Rica will play under a new head coach in an away game against Nicaragua.

Costa Rica and Nicaragua lost their first two games in Group 1 of League A, and both teams are in the bottom positions of the group with 0 points.

Costa Rica fired Fernando “Bocha” Batista after losing to Curaçao and Haiti this past week. His replacement is Costa Rica legend Bryan Ruiz, who is assigned as the interim head coach.

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With Bryan Ruiz now in charge, the new interim coach decided to call up a different squad in the middle of the international break and has decided to call up his former teammate and legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Ruiz recalled the moment of speaking with Navas about joining the national team again and said, “I spoke with Keylor [Navas] and asked, ‘You haven’t retired from the national team, right?’ He said no. I said, ‘Are you ready to be in the national team?’ He said, ‘If you want me there, I’ll be there.'”

Expected Lineups for Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Goalkeeper: Jason Vega
Defenders: Emmanuel Gomez, Oscar Acevedo, Juan Perez, Justin Cano, Melvin Hernandez
Midfielders: Efraín Mejía, Jacob Montes, Kadeem Cole, Marvin Barahona
Forwards: Byron Bonilla

Costa Rica

Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas
Defenders: Darril Araya, Francisco Calvo, Jeyland Mitchell, Carlos Barahona
Midfielders: Celso Borges, Orlando Galo, Andrey Soto
Forwards: Carlos Mora, Josimar Alcocer, Josimar Mendez

*Refresh Page for Official Lineups

Where to Watch Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica – MD3 – CONCACAF Nations League – League A – Group 1

Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica kicks off at 10 P.M. ET/ 7 P.M. PT in the United States. The match kicks off at 8 P.M. local time at the Estadio Nacional in Managua, Nicaragua.

The match will be available to watch in the United States and in other countries through select TV channels and streaming services.