Costa Rica Final Team to Qualify for 2022 FIFA World Cup

Nick Bondi

Last Updated: June 14, 2022 2:32 PM EDT • 1 min 17 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Costa Rica's players celebrate their win in the FIFA World Cup 2022 inter-confederation play-offs match between Costa Rica and New Zealand on June 14, 2022, at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in the Qatari city of Ar-Rayyan. - Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 to claim the last spot at this year's World Cup finals. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP)

The 32-team field for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has finally been settled.

Costa Rica defeated New Zealand 1-0 in an intercontinental playoff to book their place in the World Cup. It will be the country's sixth appearance at the World Cup, and third straight.

https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1536798958214959107

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Forward Joel Campbell scored in the third minute and that proved to be the winning goal. New Zealand's Kostas Barbarouses was sent off in the 69th minute after VAR intervened, but the All Whites played well despite that, controlling the play and possession up down a man until the final whistle.

Costa Rica have names that soccer fans will recognize heading into the tournament. Campbell played for Arsenal in the Premier League sporadically over the course of two seasons, and goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the starter for PSG, and won three Champions League titles for Real Madrid.

Los Ticos best ever finish at the World Cup was back in 2014, when they finished eighth and lost in the quarterfinal on penalties to the Netherlands. They qualified out of the "Group of Death" finishing first in a group that featured Italy, England, and Uruguay. They're in a similar situation in 2022, as they are in Group E with former World Cup winners Spain and Germany, and always tough Japan.

DraftKings Sportsbook currently has Costa Rica to win the World Cup at +80000, the longest odds in the field. That's due to the group they are in, but also who they'll face in the Round of 16 if they make it out.

Despite the long odds, Costa Rica have shown recently that they can punch above their weight at this competition. We'll probably find out right away if that is possible in 2022, as they play Spain on Nov. 23.

Make sure to keep an eye on our live odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum.

Written By:
Nick Bondi

Publishing Editor for Sportsbook Review. Long-suffering Canucks fan. Formerly of SB Nation and the Locked On Network. In my spare time, you can find me betting on any sport with a ball or a puck.