COSTA RICA continue their 2022 World Cup campaign against Japan TODAY – and they’ll be desperate for three points.
Los Ticos were humiliated by Spain in their opening match which leaves them on the brink of being exiled from the competition.
But communication is the key to success and Costa Rica need a lot of that on the pitch if they are to stand any chance of surviving.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish and it the primary spoken language in the country.
However it has slightly different characteristics to Spanish people are used to hearing in Europe and is a known as a form of Central American Spanish.
It is a diverse country when it comes to languages and there at least six local indigenous languages spoken – Maleku, Cabécar, Bribri, Guaymí, Ngabere, and Buglere.
There are several thousand people who speak Bribri, Maleku, Cabecar and Ngabere where as only a few hundred speak the others.
Around 10% of the population also speak English as a second language.
When were they last in the World Cup?
Costa Rica first qualified for the World Cup in 1990 where they reached the round of 16 before getting knocked out by Czechoslovakia.
Since then they have been in and out of the event failing to quaalify in 1994, 1998 and 2010 but they made it through to the quarter-finals at the Brazil World Cup in 2014.
This was their best ever finish in the tournament and they were knocked out by Netherlands – who went on to finish third -on penalties.
But in 2018, Los Ticos went out in the group stages.
What is the population of the country?
Costa Rica is part of Central America and sits between Nicaragua and Panama.
The capital city of the country and largest city is San Jose.
The population of Costa Rica is estimated at almost 5 million.
What are their group games of the 2022 World Cup?
Wednesday, November 23 – Spain 7-0 Costa Rica
Sunday, November 27 – Japan vs Costa Rica
Thursday, December 1 – Costa Rica vs Germany
