There is a hunger building in Honduras and they have two big targets in sight. On Sunday 26 July they kick off their campaign in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship knowing that if they lift the trophy, they will qualify for not only the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027™ in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, but also the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028.
Los Catrachos have a rich history in both. They have reached the U-20 global showpiece nine times, including four consecutive from 2015-23, while they have appeared in the Olympics an impressive five times, including a quarter-final finish at London 2012.
At the helm of this Honduras team looking to return to the two tournaments is Orlando Lopez, whose side begin their Concacaf journey against Canada, Jamaica and Panama. In an interview with FIFA, Lopez discussed how the Central Americans have been preparing for the qualifying tournament in Mexico and what it would mean to capture World Cup and Olympic berths.
Orlando Lopez: It’s going very well. We’re preparing ourselves and I’m very excited because we’ve put together a very good group and hopefully things go well for us.
First, I would say that we have a very united group. The teamwork that we’ve done to build that cohesion has been very good. We understand that in football it is all about results, and that comes from a team, not from individuals. I think that has made us stronger and the boys are very aware of that. They are applying all their knowledge and their talents and putting them all into practice for the good of the team.
This group of players is going to be known as a very tenacious team. It is a group that tries to play good football, and then in high-pressure situations that you cannot plan for, they will be able to read the game well. That’s what this Honduran team is about, and so hopefully things go as we have practiced them.
That tour was very beneficial. It’s important to remember that you can grow in other contexts, especially when you are playing in places like that, which you normally don’t do. I think it strengthened our mental game when we realized that we could compete in other parts of the world. We’re confident because we know that the group has taken on many new things. We know we want to be strong in this tournament and that tour made us stronger. Facing top-tier opponents really boosted us. The experience we gained in terms of knowledge, practice, and the results we achieved was invaluable.
We’re more focused on ourselves and what we can do rather than our opponents, but we are going to play against three different playing styles. Canada have a very organized, passing-based style. Jamaica, in my view, play a slightly more aggressive brand of football but also like to play an organized game. We’ve already faced Panama. They’re a team with quite a few strengths, like on the counterattack, as well as in organized play, and they have very powerful players.
I think that is our mentality. That’s what we are trying to instill in the minds of these young players. As we look toward the future, the most important thing is for them to be ready for the senior national team. So that is part of what we are doing, to make the players feel like they are important. We are going to focus on the U-17s and U-20s and all their competitions so that when they reach the senior team level they are important players and we can return to the World Cup.
That is one of the goals that we have: To be in the final of this tournament, win it and be able to punch our ticket to the Olympic Games, which will be in Los Angeles. I think it would be incredible for us. We want to put on a great performance, qualify for the World Cup, qualify for the Pan American Games, and qualify for the Olympics as well. But the most important thing is the growth this group of players is experiencing and will continue to experience in this tournament, so that they’ll be ready for the senior national team.
It was an incredible experience for me. I think it greatly enriched my experience as a coach. I was fortunate enough to work with Jorge Jiménez, and that experience was invaluable. I feel that right now I’m putting into practice many of the things I learned during that process. They’re helping me a lot.
And let me tell you, I wasn’t just part of that process at the World Cup in New Zealand; I’ve also been supporting other coaches at the World Cup qualifiers who have gone through the same thing. I know the scene here in Honduras well. But every day there are new stories to be written, and now it’s our turn. To achieve it, we have to fight for it. God willing, things will work out for us.
Photos courtesy of Honduran Football Federation
Sources: FIFA Official
