Soccer (fútbol) is Costa Rica’s most popular sport by a wide margin. The national team, La Sele, has played in six World Cups and reached the quarterfinals in 2014, and the domestic league is dominated by three clubs from the Central Valley: Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano. For visitors, a league match is cheap, easy to fit into a San José stay and one of the best ways to see everyday Costa Rican life up close.
This guide is for travelers who want to understand Costa Rica soccer and catch a game: the national team, the big clubs and their rivalries, when the season runs and how to buy tickets.
| Costa Rica soccer | At a glance |
|---|---|
| National team | La Sele (also Los Ticos); World Cups in 1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022 |
| Best World Cup | Quarterfinals in 2014 |
| Top league | Primera División (Liga FPD), founded 1921 |
| Biggest clubs | Saprissa, Alajuelense, Herediano |
| Biggest rivalry | El Clásico: Saprissa vs. Alajuelense |
| Season | Apertura (July–December) and Clausura (January–May) |
| Ticket prices | About ₡5,000–₡20,000 ($11–$44) for most league games |
The national team
La Sele: Costa Rica’s National Soccer Team
Costa Rica’s national team played its first international match in 1921, a 7–0 win over El Salvador in Guatemala City. Fans call the team La Sele (short for la selección) or Los Ticos.
Costa Rica has played in six World Cups, known in Spanish as the Mundial. Its first, in Italy in 1990, ended in the round of 16, a surprise run for a small country. The high point came in Brazil in 2014, when Costa Rica topped a group with Uruguay, Italy and England, beat Greece on penalties and lost to the Netherlands on penalties in the quarterfinals. That run still comes up in conversation across the country.
Costa Rica didn’t qualify for the 2026 World Cup, finishing third in its final qualifying group behind Haiti and Honduras. In the region, the team has won the Central American title eight times and the CONCACAF championship three times (1963, 1969 and 1989), before the Gold Cup era.
Players to know
- Keylor Navas: the goalkeeper and longtime captain, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid and the hero of the 2014 World Cup.
- Celso Borges: the midfielder with the most caps for Costa Rica (164).
- Rolando Fonseca: the national team’s all-time top scorer, with 47 goals.
- Paulo Wanchope: the striker who made his name in England with Derby County, West Ham and Manchester City.
- Bryan Ruiz: the captain of the 2014 World Cup team, who played for Fulham and Sporting Lisbon.
La Sele plays home matches at the Estadio Nacional in La Sabana Park, San José. The stadium opened in 2011 and seats about 35,000.
The league
Costa Rica’s Soccer League and Top Clubs
The Primera División, often called the Liga FPD or by its sponsor’s name, has run since 1921. Each season has two tournaments: the Apertura from July to December and the Clausura from January to May, each ending in playoffs and a final. The league currently has 10 clubs.
| Club | Home | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Deportivo Saprissa | Tibás, San José | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa (about 23,000) |
| Liga Deportiva Alajuelense | Alajuela | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto (about 18,000) |
| Club Sport Herediano | Heredia | Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero (about 8,000) |
| Club Sport Cartaginés | Cartago | Estadio José Rafael “Fello” Meza (about 13,500) |
Saprissa
Saprissa, in purple, has won the most league titles, about 40, and finished third at the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. Its stadium in Tibás, just north of downtown San José, is nicknamed La Cueva (the cave) and is the loudest place to watch a game in the country.
Alajuelense
Alajuelense, known as La Liga and dressed in red and black, is from Alajuela, the hometown of national hero Juan Santamaría and a few minutes from the international airport named after him. It has more than 30 league titles, and its rivalry with Saprissa is the biggest in Costa Rican sports.
Herediano
Herediano, in red and yellow, is the third member of the big three, with more than 30 titles. It won the 2025 Clausura and the 2026 Clausura.
Rivalries
El Clásico: Saprissa vs. Alajuelense
The Clásico between Saprissa and Alajuelense is the biggest game of every tournament. Tickets sell out fast, the stadium atmosphere is intense and the country stops to watch. If you’re in San José on a clásico weekend, expect bars and sodas (small local restaurants) to have the game on and the streets around the stadium to be packed.
Go to a game
How to See a Soccer Game in Costa Rica
Check the schedule
League games are usually on weekends, with some midweek dates, and start times are often set only a week or two ahead. Check the club websites or social media pages, or Costa Rican sports sites, close to your travel dates. There’s no league play in June, the break between tournaments.
Buy tickets
Clubs sell tickets through their own websites or official ticketing platforms, and sometimes at the stadium box office. Regular-season prices in 2024–26 ran from about ₡5,000 for children’s or general seats to ₡20,000 for the main stand, with playoff and clásico tickets costing more. As a guide, sol (sun) sections are the cheapest, sombra (shade) is in the middle and platea is the best view.
Getting there
From downtown San José, a taxi or Uber is the easiest way to reach the Saprissa stadium in Tibás or the Estadio Nacional in La Sabana. The Alajuelense stadium is close to the airport, which makes a game an easy plan for a first or last night near SJO. Public buses from downtown also serve Tibás and Alajuela; see our public bus guide, plus our San José guide and our picks for hotels around San José.
Tips for the stadium
- Arrive early for big games; lines at security can be long.
- Bring small bills or colones for food and drinks, plus a rain jacket for evening games in the green season.
- Bring only what you need; bags are searched at the gate.
- Say “¡Pura vida!” and wear the home team’s colors if you want to fit in.
Culture
Soccer in Everyday Costa Rican Life
Almost every town in Costa Rica has a plaza de deportes, a public soccer field, often right next to the church. On weekend afternoons you’ll see a mejenga, a pickup game, on many of them. If you want to watch a match without going to a stadium, any bar or soda with a TV will have it on, and big national team games fill restaurants across the country.
Soccer also shows up in the country’s celebrations. For more on Costa Rican culture and events, see our guides to Costa Rica holidays and celebrations, Independence Day and the Fiestas de Zapote. On a match day in San José, pair the game with the Central Market or one of the city’s museums. Read our Costa Rica safety tips before a night out in the city.
FAQ
Costa Rica Soccer FAQ
Is soccer popular in Costa Rica?
Yes. Soccer is by far Costa Rica’s most popular sport. Almost every town has a public field, and big games fill bars and restaurants across the country.
How many World Cups has Costa Rica played in?
Six: 1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Its best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 2014. Costa Rica did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
What is the most popular soccer team in Costa Rica?
Saprissa and Alajuelense have the biggest fan bases, and their clásico is the country’s biggest rivalry. Saprissa has won the most league titles.
When is the Costa Rica soccer season?
The league plays two tournaments a year: the Apertura from July to December and the Clausura from January to May. There’s no league play in June.
How much are tickets to a soccer game in Costa Rica?
Most league games cost about ₡5,000 to ₡20,000 ($11 to $44), depending on the section. Clásicos and playoff games cost more and sell out quickly.
What does La Sele mean?
It’s short for la selección, the national team. Fans also call the team Los Ticos.
The short version
Costa Rica soccer means La Sele, six World Cups and a 2014 quarterfinal run.
Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano rule the league; the Saprissa–Alajuelense clásico is the biggest game.
Catch a league match in the San José area for about ₡5,000 to ₡20,000.