TheEl Salvador national football team (Spanish:Selección de fútbol de El Salvador) representsEl Salvador in men's internationalfootball and is governed by theFederación Salvadoreña de Fútbol (English:Salvadoran Football Federation).[5] It has been a member ofFIFA since 1938 and a founding member ofCONCACAF since 1961. Regionally, it is also a member ofUNCAF. From 1938 to 1961, it was affiliated withCCCF, which was the former governing body of football in Central America and Caribbean and a predecessor confederation of CONCACAF and also a member ofPFC, which was a unified confederation of the Americas, from 1946 to 1961.
The national team's first match was played in September 1921, when they were invited to participate ina tournament to celebrate 100 years ofCentral American Independence.
El Salvador has made twoFIFA World Cup appearances: first in1970 and again in1982, but have never progressed beyond the group stage.The team's best performance in CONCACAF's premier continental competition was finishing as runners-up twice in theCONCACAF Championship (1963 and1981). Regionally,La Selecta won theCCCF Championship in1943 (organized by CCCF, the former confederation for the Central American and Caribbean zones), it also won one gold medal at theCentral American and Caribbean Games.[6]
TheEstadio Cuscatlán, also known as "El Coloso de Montserrat" and "La Catedral del Espectáculo", is the official home stadium of the El Salvador national football team. Since 2017, the national team has had akit sponsorship contract with England-based supplierUmbro.Raúl Díaz Arce is the all-time top-scorer for the national team, with 39 goals, whileDarwin Cerén has the most caps, with 103 appearances.
Although El Salvador played a few games in the early part of the twentieth century,[citation needed] they did not form an official national team until 1921, when players such as José Pablo Huezo, Carlos Escobar Leyva or Santiago Barrachina revolutionised football in the country.[7] In September 1921, El Salvador were invited toGuatemala to take part in theIndependence Centenary Games, to celebrate 100 years ofCentral American Independence.[8][9] The tournament was contested byGuatemala,Honduras,Costa Rica, and El Salvador. The Guatemalans and Costa Ricans had more experience than the Salvadorans and Hondurans.[10] It was aknockout tournament with Guatemala playing Honduras and El Salvador playing Costa Rica. El Salvador, wearing white shorts and black shirts, used a classic2–3–5 scheme with their team consisting of Carlos Escobar Leyva; Spanish resident Santiago Barrachina, José Pablo Huezo; Benjamín Sandoval, Emilio Dawson, and Frenchman Emilio Detruit; Víctor Recinos, brothers Guillermo and José E. Alcaine, Guillermo Sandoval and Enrique Lindo. By half-time Costa Rica led 3–0, and at the final whistle, after two 40-minute halves, won 7–0.[11]
El Salvador's other matches in the 1920s were friendlies against Costa Rica and Honduras. They lost their first friendly 3–0 against Costa Rica, while the second and third ended in a 1–0 loss and 0–0 draw against Honduras.[11] On 7 December 1928, El Salvador recorded their first ever win, 5–0 over Honduras, the team that would become their traditional rivals, withGustavo "Taviche" Marroquín scoring every goal. The game was played at Campo Marte, San Salvador, and was also the first time the team had scored in an international match.[11]
In the early 1930s, El Salvador appointed their first official national coach, the AmericanMark Scott Thompson, in preparation for the1930 Central American and Caribbean Games inHavana.[12] El Salvador finished in fourth place at the games.[13] TheSalvadoran Football Federation was founded in 1935. By this time, El Salvador were coached by the Spaniard,Pablo Ferre Elías.[12] The1935 Central American and Caribbean Games took place in El Salvador's new government-fundedEstadio Flor Blanca, at that time the biggest stadium in the country. The Salvadoran squad consisted of Edmundo Majano as goalkeeper; Tobias Rivera and Raúl Castro in defence; Américo Gonzalez and Napoleon Cañas as midfielders; and Álex Morales, Rogelio Aviles, Fidel Quintanilla, Miguel "Americano" Cruz, and Andrés Hernández as strikers. Previously the national team had worn black and white striped jerseys and this was the first time they turned out in a blue strip. The team finished in third place as bronze medal winners.[13][14]
In 1938, the Salvadoran Football Federation became affiliates ofFIFA.[15] El Salvador participated in the1938 Central American and Caribbean Games, hosted inPanama, which were won byMexico, with Costa Rica in second place. El Salvador won two and lost three of their five matches. A match for third place againstColombia was cancelled because of the bad state of the players, and El Salvador finished in fourth place.[13][16]
On 26 April 1940, the first national football federation was approved, with Dr. Luis Rivas Palacios as president.[citation needed] In 1941, the firstCentral American and Caribbean Championship (CCCF) took place inCosta Rica, organised byCONCACAF, the international governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. El Salvador competed alongsideCosta Rica,Curaçao,Nicaragua andPanama. El Salvador were runners-up, recording two wins, one draw and one loss.[17]
The1943 CCCF Championship took place in San Salvador with the participation of Costa Rica,Guatemala and Nicaragua. El Salvador were coached by the former national playerAmérico González. El Salvador and Guatemala finished with the same number of points, Guatemala failed to attend a deciding play-off, resulting in El Salvador winning their first international title. El Salvador's 10–1 win over Nicaragua set the team's record for the most goals scored in a single game. It was also the second time a Salvadoran player (Miguel "Americano" Cruz) had scored five goals in a match.[18] El Salvador defended their title in the1946 CCCF Championship in Costa Rica alongside six other participants and finished in third place, winning three matches and losing two. In the1948 CCCF Championship, hosted inGuatemala, Costa Rica won the championship for the third time, with El Salvador finishing in fifth place.
El Salvador did not participate in qualification for the World Cups in1954,1958,1962 and1966. During these years El Salvador had a good squad, including goalkeeper Manuel "Tamalón" Garay, Rafael "Chapuda" Reyes, Conrado Miranda, Miguel "Americano" Cruz, Rafael Corado and Mando Rivas.
In the group stage of the1950 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico, El Salvador recorded two wins, one draw and one loss. They began the final round by beating Curaçao 3–1, but lost their other two matches, leaving them in fifth place.[13] In 1953, El Salvador took part in their fifthCCCF Championship. The hosts, Costa Rica, became champions for the fourth time, and El Salvador finished in fifth place again.
At the1954 Central American and Caribbean Games, El Salvador won their second international title under theCarbilio Tomasino, with a team consisting of Yohalmo Aurora, Manuel "Tamalón" Garay, Hugo Moreno, Armando Larín, Luis Regalado, Conrado Miranda, Fernando Barrios, Ramón "Pezote" Chávez, José Hernández, Mario Montoya, Juan Francisco "Cariota" Barraza, Ricardo "Chilenito" Valencia, Alfredo "Baiza" Ruano, and Obdulio Hernández.[citation needed] They began with a 2–2 draw against Colombia, and then beatCuba 3–1, Mexico 3–2 and Panama 1–0 with a goal by Barraza. The win against Mexico, with two goals from Montoya and one from Valencia, was the first by a Central American team against Mexico.[13]
In the1955 CCCF Championship, hosted in Honduras, Costa Rica became champions for the fifth time, with El Salvador finishing fourth. El Salvador did not participate in the1957 and1960 CCCF Championships.
El Salvador returned to participate in the1961 CCCF Championship, hosted in Costa Rica, alongside nine other national teams. El Salvador were placed in a four-team first group with Honduras, theNetherlands Antilles, and Nicaragua, which they topped with two wins and a draw. In the final round they finished in second place behind Costa Rica, who won their seventh CCCF Championship. Afterwards the tournament was dissolved and replaced with theCONCACAF Championship.
In the firstCONCACAF Championship, in 1963, El Salvador hosted both the qualification round and the final tournament. Costa Rica became the first champions, and El Salvador finished as runners-up.[19] In 1964, the ChileanHernán Carrasco Vivanco, who would later revolutionize Salvadoran football, became the coach of the national team. He led the national team for the first time at the1965 CONCACAF Championship, hosted in Guatemala, where they won two games, drew one and lost two, finishing in fourth place. In 1966, El Salvador took part in theCentral American and Caribbean Games for the sixth time, inPuerto Rico. They finished in fourth place.[13]
In 1968, El Salvador qualified for theOlympic Games for the first time.[20] They lost 4–0 toHungary,[21] 3–1 toIsrael,[22] and drew 1–1 withGhana.[23] The coach at this time wasRigoberto Guzmán.
Gregorio Bundio and his assistant José Santacolomba coached the team in thequalifying stages for the1970 World Cup. This was the first time that El Salvador participated in World Cup qualifying. As hosts, Mexico qualified automatically, leaving one further qualification spot available for the CONCACAF region. El Salvador wonGroup 3, winning three and losing one. They qualified for a play-off against their traditional rivals, the Group 2 winners Honduras. The first game, on 8 June 1969 in the Honduran capital ofTegucigalpa, was won 1–0 by the home team and was followed by crowd violence. El Salvador won the second game 3–0 a week later in San Salvador, which was followed by even greater violence.[24] A play-off match took place inMexico City on 26 June, which El Salvador won 3–2 after extra time. On 14 July, as a result of existing tensions being exacerbated by these matches, the two countries began the hundred-hour-long conflict known as theFootball War. As a result, El Salvador and Honduras were both disqualified from entering1969 CONCACAF Championship qualification.
In the deciding World Cup qualifier, El Salvador facedHaiti. El Salvador won the away leg 2–1, with goals fromElmer Acevedo andMauricio "Pipo" Rodríguez, but lost the second leg 3–0 at home. El Salvador finally won the play-off on 8 October with a goal byJuan Ramón "Mon" Martínez in extra time, allowing them to qualify for the World Cup finals at the first attempt.
"El Pajaro Picón Picón" was a Colombian song written byEliseo Herrera which was very popular in El Salvador during the World Cup qualifying stages. During a radio show, Mauricio Bojórquez parodied the song, which he named "Arriba con la Selección". That parody became so famous that it became the official anthem of the El Salvador national football team.[25]
In the World Cup finals El Salvador were drawn into a group withBelgium, Mexico and theSoviet Union. El Salvador lost their first game 3–0 to Belgium in Mexico City on 3 June.[26] The second match, against Mexico on 7 June, was marred by a controversial call near the end of the first half, with the score still at 0–0. The Egyptian refereeAli Kandil appeared to signal for a free kick to El Salvador in their own half. However, a Mexican player took the kick, passing toJavier Valdivia, who scored. The Salvadoran players protested vigorously, to the extent of physically jostling the Bermudan linesman, Keith Dunstan,[citation needed] but the goal was allowed to stand. El Salvador restarted the game by kicking the ball into the crowd in protest. They eventually lost 4–0.[27] The team's third game took place on 10 June, with El Salvador losing 2–0 to the Soviet Union to finish at the bottom of Group A.[28]
El Salvador advanced from the first round of1971 CONCACAF Championship qualification by beatingNicaragua 4–2 on aggregate. In the second round, they withdrew from their play-off against Honduras, allowing their opponents to qualify by default. The national team also took part in the1973 CONCACAF Championship qualification, which doubled as qualification for the1974 World Cup, but they did not advance to thefinal stage after they were eliminated by Guatemala 2–0 on aggregate (1–0, 1–0).[note 1][29] The team was managed byHector D'Angelo.[12]
El Salvador participated at thePan American Games for the first time in1975 in Mexico. They began with a 4–1 win against Nicaragua on 14 October, with a hat-trick from"Pajarito" Huezo, on the début ofFrancisco "Paco" Jovel. They then lost 2–0 toBrazil and drew 0–0 against Costa Rica, with"Pelé" Zapata missing a penalty. They finished in third place in Group D and failed to advance to the next round.[30]
In1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification, El Salvador finished second in their group, behind Guatemala and ahead of Costa Rica and Panama, to qualify for thefinal tournament, hosted in Mexico. They finished in third place, behind Haiti and Mexico, with the hosts winning the tournament.[29] El Salvador participated in the1978 Central American and Caribbean Games, hosted inColombia. Cuba were crowned champions for the fourth time and El Salvador finished ninth.[13]
El Salvador played Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama in1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification, in a home-and-away round-robin group with the top two teams advancing to thefinal tournament. El Salvador and Honduras finished with equal points at the top of the group, with Honduras winning the group on goal difference. Once again the finals doubled up as World Cup qualification, this time for the1982 World Cup, with the top two of the six teams qualifying. Going into the final matches, El Salvador had four points and were in third place on goal difference, with Mexico andCanada both also having four points, behind Honduras with seven. On 19 November 1981, El Salvador beat Haiti 1–0, with a penalty byNorberto Huezo. On 21 November, Canada drew 2–2 with Cuba and were eliminated. In the decisive match the following day, Honduras and Mexico drew 0–0, meaning El Salvador qualified for the World Cup for the second time.
El Salvador took a 20-man squad to Spain, two players short of the maximum number allowed, as a controversial cost–saving measure. They were coached by "Pipo" Rodríguez.[31][32] In their first match on 15 June inElche, they weredefeated 10–1 by Hungary, a World Cup Finals record margin of victory.[33] A silver lining was thatLuis Ramírez Zapata scored the country's first World Cup goal during the game, albeit when the Salvadorans were already 5–0 down.[34][35] When Zapata scored, some Salvadorans cried out not to celebrate the goal because it might make the Hungarians angry and encourage them to score more.[36] Displaying much-improved levels of organisation and commitment, El Salvador lost 1–0 toBelgium on 19 June in Elche and 2–0 to the world champions,Argentina, on 23 June inAlicante.[37][38]
There were several reasons the tournament went so badly for El Salvador. First of all, their reduced squad meant that they omitted Gilberto Quinteros and Miguel González. According toLuis Guevara Mora, the 20-year-old goalkeeper, theSalvadoran Football Federation decided to take members of the Federation, as well as their friends and family, and spent so much money they could not afford to bring a full squad.[citation needed] The team took many stops throughout Europe under the direction of the Federation, taking three days to arrive in Spain and were the last team to do so. Once they arrived, there was more trouble.Adidas sent four white and three blue uniforms for each player, but only three white and one blue arrived. The remaining uniforms were said to have been taken away by the association.[citation needed] They decided to play with the white uniform and keep the blue as a keepsake. Next, someone stole the balls that the team needed to train with. The day before the match against Hungary, the Hungarians had the 25 balls the organization had given them while El Salvador had none and were unable to train.[citation needed] To make things even worse, El Salvador had never seen Hungary play, and the only knowledge that they had about the team was an outdated video that they had bought.[citation needed] On the field there were more problems. Hungary's fourth goal was caused byFrancisco Jovel's sudden deafness after he had received a heavy blow on the cheek. When Guevara Mora called to him to stop a ball, the defender did not hear him, and the ball went past Jovel in front of the net.[citation needed] After the match, the Salvadoran squad had a tense meeting with the coaching staff and Federation. The coach was dismissed immediately and the matches against Belgium and Argentina were managed by players Jovel, Huezo and Fagoaga.[39] Although the tournament overall was a big disappointment, Jorge "Mágico" González was considered by the national and international press as the best player,[citation needed] and he stayed in Spain to play forCádiz CF andReal Valladolid.
In1985 CONCACAF Championship qualification, El Salvador beatPuerto Rico 8–0 on aggregate (5–0, 3–0) to qualify for thefinal tournament. They were placed in a group with Honduras andSuriname, with the top team advancing. They finished second in the group with five points,[29] one point behind Honduras. In1989 CONCACAF Championship qualification they eliminated theNetherlands Antilles 6–0 on aggregate (1–0, 5–0). El Salvador finished last, with just two points, in the round-robinfinal tournament.[29]
At a CONCACAF congress, held in Guatemala on 26 January 1991, a new tournament, called theUNCAF Nations Cup, was conceived for Central American teams. The inaugural tournament was hosted in1991, hosted by Costa Rica. The tournament also doubled as qualification for theCONCACAF Gold Cup, a new tournament which replaced theCONCACAF Championship.[40][41] In qualification,La Selecta defeated Nicaragua 5–2 on aggregate (3–2, 2–0) and advanced to the final tournament. In the finals, they played three games, drawing one and losing two, finishing in last place and failing to advance to the1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[40] The1993 UNCAF Nations Cup once again served as qualification to the Gold Cup, this time for the1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[40] Coached byJorge Vieira,La Selecta advanced to the final tournament automatically. There they played three games, once again drawing one and losing two to finish last and fail to advance to the Gold Cup.[40]
In1994 World Cup qualification, El Salvador eliminated Nicaragua 10–1 on aggregate (5–0, 5–1) in the first round, then finished first in a group composed ofBermuda (0–1, 4–1), Canada (1–1, 3–2), andJamaica (2–0, 2–1) in the second round. In the third round, El Salvador began with a win against Mexico at home, but lost their next four games, including two defeats against Canada. They beat Honduras 2–1 at home in their final game, but finished third in the group and were eliminated.
El Salvador hosted the1995 UNCAF Nations Cup. In their first round, they topped a group containing Costa Rica andBelize, and lost 1–0 to Guatemala in the knockout round. They won the third place match 2–1 against Costa Rica and advanced to the1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Guatemala and the tournament winners, Honduras.[42] This was their first appearance at the Gold Cup.[40][43] At the finals of the 1996 Gold Cup, El Salvador defeatedTrinidad and Tobago 3–2, with goals fromRaúl Díaz Arce (2) andRonald Cerritos in their first game, but then lost 2–0 to theUnited States and did not advance from the first round.[44][45]
At the1997 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Guatemala, El Salvador lost 3–0 to Honduras in their first match but defeated Panama 2–0 in their second. In the second group stage they finished in third place, losing 1–0 to both Guatemala and Costa Rica, and drawing 0–0 against Honduras. They advanced to the1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, hosted in theUnited States.[40][46] El Salvador were coached byKiril Dojcinovski. In the group stage, they drew 0–0 with Guatemala, and lost to Brazil (4–0) and Jamaica (2–0).[44][47]
In1998 World Cup qualification, El Salvador received a bye to the third round, where they were drawn into a group with Canada, Cuba, and Panama. They finished second behind Canada and advanced to the six-team final round. El Salvador finished in fifth place with two wins, four draws, and four defeats.[29] This was the closest they had come to qualifying for a World Cup since 1982.
At the1999 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Costa Rica, El Salvador drew 1–1 with Guatemala and defeated Nicaragua 1–0 in the first round, with Magdonio Corrales scoring in both games. In the second group stage, they lost 3–1 to Honduras, 1–0 Guatemala and 4–0 to Costa Rica to finish bottom of the group, and failed to advance to the2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached byMario Peres Ulibarri.[48]
In2002 World Cup qualification, El Salvador topped a first round group ahead of Belize and Guatemala, but finished third behind and Jamaica in the second round, and were eliminated.[49]
In the2001 UNCAF Nations Cup in Honduras, El Salvador topped their first-round group, defeating Nicaragua 3–0, Panama 2–1, and drawing 1–1 with the hosts. In the final round they drew all their games to finish third and advance to the2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached byCarlos Recinos.[40][50] In the Gold Cup, El Salvador lost their first match in Group A to Mexico (1–0), but defeated Guatemala by the same score, with a goal fromSantos Cabrera. This allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup for the first time, but they lost 4–0 at that stage to the eventual champions, the United States.[44][51]
At the2003 UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama, El Salvador finished third again, withJuan Ramón Paredes as head coach. In the tournament, they won 2–1 against Panama, lost 1–0 to Costa Rica, beat Nicaragua 3–0 and Honduras 1–0, and lost 2–0 against Guatemala. They qualified for the2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[52] where they were drawn into Group C withMartinique and the United States. El Salvador 2–0 lost to the United States but beat Martinique 1–0 with a goal fromMarvin González. In the quarter-finals, they were beaten 5–2 by Costa Rica, with three of the seven goals coming from penalty kicks.[44][53]
The2006 World Cup qualifiers and2005 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted in Guatemala, were both huge disasters for El Salvador. In the former they received a bye to the second round, where they inched past Bermuda 4–3 on aggregate (2–1, 2–2). In the third round they finished last in a group that contained Jamaica, Panama and the United States, with just four points from six games.[54] In the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup they went out in the first round after losing against Panama (1–0) and Costa Rica (2–1), which meant they also failed to qualify for the2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached byCarlos Cavagnaro.[55]
Coached byCarlos de los Cobos, El Salvador hosted the2007 UNCAF Nations Cup, and won their first-round group after 2–1 wins over Belize and Nicaragua, and a 0–0 draw with Guatemala. In the semi-finals, they lost 1–0 to the eventual champions, Costa Rica, and finished the tournament in fourth after Guatemala beat them by the same scored in the third place play-off.[56] This allowed them to qualify for the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they began with a 2–1 win against Trinidad and Tobago 2–1, with goals fromRamón Sánchez andDennis Alas. They lost their next two matches against Guatemala (1–0) and the United States (4–0) and exited the tournament.[57]
On 16 June 2007, El Salvador met Hungary at theEstadio Cuscatlán in a repeat of their match at the 1982 World Cup. Many of the same players that had played the original World Cup match played again. The match was drawn 2–2, with goals fromLázár Szentes andFerenc Csongrádi for Hungary and two goals from Luis Ramírez Zapata for El Salvador.[58]
At the2009 UNCAF Nations Cup inHonduras, El Salvador finished second in their group after Belize 4–1, drawing 1–1 with Nicaragua and losing 2–0 to Honduras, and Nicaragua. Their semi-final against Costa Rica was called off after 60 minutes, with Costa Rica leading 1–0, when El Salvador were reduced to six players.Alexander Escobar andEliseo Quintanilla were sent off in the first half, whileDeris Umanzor,Rodolfo Zelaya and their goalkeeperJuan José Gómez were injured and had to leave the field after El Salvador had already used their three substitutions. The game was awarded as a 3–0 win to Costa Rica. In the third place play-off, they lost 1–0 to Honduras after a goal byRoger Espinoza.[59] At the2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador began by beating Costa Rica 2–1, with two goals byOsael Romero. However, they lost 1–0 against Canada and Jamaica and were eliminated.[60]
In2010 World Cup qualification El Salvador beatAnguilla 16–0 on aggregate and Panama 3–2 on aggregate in the first two rounds. In their third round group, they finished second in the group behind Costa Rica, ahead of Haiti and Suriname, to advance to theHexagonal round. Despite drawing against the United States and beating Mexico, El Salvador finished in fifth place and were eliminated.Rudis Corrales was their top scorer in qualification with 8 goals.[61]
On 11 May 2010, theFIFA Emergency Committee suspended theSalvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT) on account of government interference, as the statutes ratified by the FESFUT general assembly in August 2009 had not been entered in the country's official register, and that the government had failed to acknowledge the authority of the Normalisation Committee set up to represent FESFUT.[62] The suspension was lifted by 28 May, allowingLa Selecta to participate in international tournaments. El Salvador'sunder-21 team qualified for the2010 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. However, CONCACAF decided to suspend football at the 2010 CAC shortly after. El Salvador were also able to participate in thequalifying tournament for the2012 Summer Olympics.[63]
In the2011 Copa Centroamericana, the new version of the reorganized UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador qualified from their first-round group in second place after defeating Nicaragua 2–0 and Belize 5–2, and losing 2–0 against Panama. In the semi-finals they lost 2–0 to Honduras, and lost 5–4 in a penalty shootout to Panama, after a 0–0 draw. This performance qualified El Salvador for the2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The team was coached byJosé Luis Rugamas. ForwardRafael Burgos jointly received the Golden Boot with Costa Rica'sMarco Ureña, with three goals.[64]
In April 2011, two months before the start of the Gold Cup, José Luis Rugamas was replaced as coach byRubén Israel.[65] At the Gold Cup, El Salvador began with a 5–0 defeat to Mexico.[66] They drew 1–1 with Costa Rica, withRodolfo Zelaya's 25-yard free-kick opener being equalised by a Costa Rican goal in injury time,[67] and beat Cuba 6–1 to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 2003.[68][69] In the quarter-finals they drew 1–1 with Panama, with Panama scoring a controversial equaliser throughLuis Tejada one minute from the end. Their coach Israel called the decision an "error of haste."[70] Panama won the penalty shoot-out 5–3.[71]
In2014 World Cup qualification, El Salvador received a bye to the second round, where they began with a 3–2 win against theDominican Republic, with goals scored byRodolfo Zelaya (2) andCristián Bautista.[72] They then beat theCayman Islands 4–1 with goals from Bautista,Luis Anaya (2) andXavier García[73] before winning the return against the Dominican Republic 2–1.[74] They beat the Cayman Islands 4–0 at home, with goals byVíctor Turcios,Steve Purdy,Jaime Alas andHerbert Sosa. The last of these was the thousandth goal scored by the national team.[75] Two comfortable wins over Suriname gave them a perfect record of six wins in six matches.
In the next round, El Salvador snatched a draw against Costa Rica inSan José after being 2–0 down, but a home defeat against Mexico four days later precipitated the departure of Israel, whose poor relations withJaime Rodríguez, the president of the National Institute of Sport Salvador (INDES) were widely known. TheSalvadoran Football Association (FESFUT) named the MexicanJuan de Dios Castillo as his replacement.
Despite a good start, a 1–0 win in a friendly match againstGuatemala, a 2–2 draw at the Estadio Cuscatlán in a qualifier against modestGuyana earned him the wrath of the public.[citation needed] A 3–2 victory inGeorgetown, with a penalty saved by El Salvador's goalkeeperDagoberto Portillo in additional time, kept their qualifying hopes alive, but these were ended by a 1–0 home defeat against Costa Rica. Juan de Dios Castillo was sacked in November 2012 and replaced on 17 December by the PeruvianAgustín Castillo, a five-time national champion withC.D. FAS.
El Salvador finished third in the2013 Copa Centroamericana, allowing them to qualify for the2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States. In that tournament, a 1–0 win over Haiti allowed them to qualify from the group stages in third place, but they lost 5–1 to the host nation in the quarter-finals.[76]
In2018 World Cup qualification, El Salvador won knockout ties againstSaint Kitts and Nevis and Curaçao to reach the fourth round group stage, but they finished bottom of a group containing Mexico, Honduras and Canada with two draws and four defeats from their six matches.
AfterCOVID-19 restrictions had loosened up a bit, El Salvador organized a friendly match against the US in December 2020 to start things off again. However, they lost 6–0 to the CONCACAF giants.2022 FIFA World Cup qualification were soon on the horizon and El Salvador had to play against Grenada and Montserrat in the March 2021 calendar. El Salvador won at home against Grenada in a 2–0 victory and tied with Montserrat in a grueling 1–1 match. This was when El Salvador needed a change fast and they soon sackedCarlos de los Cobos. They hired aHugo Pérez as their new coach, who was also coaching the El Salvador Sub-23s in the Olympic Qualifiers in the same year. Hugo Perez made radical changes to the team and called up more newer players to help represent El Salvador. When June rolled by, El Salvador's next opponents were the US Virgin Islands and Antigua & Barbudas. El Salvador crushed the Virgin Islands with a 7–0 victory away and won again at home against Antigua in a 3–0 win; El Salvador were on their way to the second round of qualifications. El Salvador then faced off against Saint Kitts & Nevis in a round robin format. El Salvador managed to pull off a 0–4 victory away and a 2–0 victory at home, which got them to the final round of qualifications for the first time in over 10 years. In preparation for the upcoming2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador organized three friendlies. On June 26, El Salvador played against Guatemala to a 0–0 standstill. However, Hugo Perez was trying to experiment with more younger and less or known players at the time to form an underwhelming B Team. El Salvador then flew to Croatia to face their next opponents. On July 2, La Selecta faced off againstNK Istra 1961 to a 2–1 defeat. On July 4, El Salvador faced the Asian Cup winners,Qatar, to a 1–0 defeat.
On July 11, El Salvador played their first game in the2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup against their Central American rivals,Guatemala, to a 2–0 victory. On July 14, El Salvador facedTrinidad & Tobago to another 2–0 victory to land El Salvador in the Quarter-Finals and gain 6 points for the first time in the Gold Cup. On July 18, El Salvador played their last game againstMexico to prove how much they've grown or not. El Salvador lost to Mexico in a tense 1–0 defeat. In the quarter-finals, El Salvador faced off againstQatar and lost once again in a 3–2 defeat, ending their Gold Cup run.
On September 19, 2023, FESFUT hired Spanish managerRubén de la Barrera to coach to the El Salvador national team.[77]
Barrera would leave after 3 months andDavid Dóniga would take over on January 2, 2024.
It was announced to the public that a friendly bout was arranged byInter Miami CF (whereLionel Messi was playing at the time) to face off against El Salvador on 19 January 2024 in Estadio Cuscatlán, where the match ended in a 0–0 stalemate. From the period of friendlies in February to March, El Salvador facedCosta Rica to a 2–0 defeat in San Jose, then facedBonaire to a highly scrutinized 1–1 result in Washington DC, then took on world championsArgentina to a 3–0 defeat, and eventually ended with a match againstHonduras in a vigorous 1–1 draw. On June 6,2026 World cup qualifiers commenced in the CONCACAF region as El Salvador facedPuerto Rico to an excruciating draw of 0–0. However, on June 9, El Salvador took onSaint Vincent and The Grenadines away and ended up claiming the victory in a 1–3 result. It was a significant breakthrough as El Salvador has never won a match since 2022 againstGrenada.[78] After 2 friendly matches againstPeru (0–1 loss June 14) andGuatemala (0–1 win July 27), El Salvador prepared themselves for the upcomingCONCACAF Nations League in a duration of 3 months. In the month of September, El Salvador defeated Montserrat (1–4) and Bonaire (2–1). In October, El Salvador faced off against Saint Vincent and The Grenadines twice, each sharing wins (2–3 win and 1–2 loss). In November, El Salvador concluded their campaign by defeating Bonaire and Montserrat; all in a 1–0 verdict and topping their group to ascend to Nations League A after relegation. The team andDavid Dóniga were heavily criticized during this period for mediocre performances. On February 24, 2025, David Doniga would end up relinquishing his position as head coach for the national team.
On February 25, 2025,INDES andFESFUT would officially proclaimHernán Darío Gómez to be the new incumbent head coach of the national team.
From March to May, El Salvador played 3 exhibition fixtures where they facedHouston Dynamo(2–1 loss),Pachuca(1–1 draw), and Guatemala(1–1 draw). On June 7 and 10, El Salvador concluded their2nd round of qualifiers against Anguilla and Suriname. El Salvador defeated Anguilla 0–3 and measured up to a highly contested 1–1 draw against Suriname at home and advance to thefinal round of qualifying.
In the same month, El Salvador would go on to have one of their worstGold Cup performances since1998. Only able to claim one point from Curaçao in a 0–0 draw, failing to score a single goal, and finishing their tenure with 2 losses against Honduras and Canada, which would drop them into last place in their group.
El Salvador would participate in thefinal round of world cup qualifiers from September to November of 2025. From the period time that was given to them, El Salvador managed to defeat Guatemala away in their first fixture. However, El Salvador failed to secure any meaningful results afterwards; losing the rest of their 5 games (home and away) to Suriname, Panama, and Guatemala. El Salvador concluded their campaign with only three points and finishing last in their group.
The national team has had accusations of several players losing matches on purpose in exchange for monetary rewards. Some of these allegations involved games againstVenezuela, Mexico, USA, and Costa Rica. Fourteen players were handed lifetime bans from football on 20 September 2013:Luis Anaya,Osael Romero,Ramón Sánchez,Christian Castillo,Miguel Granadino,Miguel Montes,Dagoberto Portillo,Dennis Alas,Darwin Bonilla,Ramón Flores,Alfredo Pacheco,José Mardoqueo Henríquez,Marvin González, andReynaldo Hernández.Carlos Monteagudo received a ban of 18 months.Eliseo Quintanilla andVíctor Turcios received six-month bans.Alexander Escobar, Christian Sánchez, and under-20 goalkeeper Yimmy Cuellar received bans of 30 days. After a further 20-day investigation, Rodrigo Martínez was sentenced to a ban of five years,Rodolfo Zelaya to a ban of one year, andBenji Villalobos to a ban of six months.
On 6 September 2016, the team revealed that they had turned down an offer to ensure that their result against Canada saw Honduras progress to thenext round of World Cup qualification.[79] Their coachRamon Maradiaga was later fined 20,000 Swiss francs and banned from football for two years for not disclosing the approach.[80]
El Salvador'snational stadium is theEstadio Cuscatlán inSan Salvador, which saw its first game in 1976.
During the national team's early history, the national stadium was the Campo Marte, 16 acres of land that housed a small stadium, now known asParque Infantil, between 1928 and 1934.[81] Succeeding, El Salvador played at theEstadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca, now known as Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González, also in San Salvador. It was opened on 19 April 1932 during the presidency of Maximiliano Hernández Martínez in preparation for the1935 Central American and Caribbean Games. On 24 March 1935 El Salvador played its first game at the Flor Blanca againstCuba and won 4–1.[82] El Salvador played at this stadium duringqualification for the 1970 World Cup.[82] On 15 November 2000, a one-off game was played at the stadium, to commemorate a major refurbishment, againstJamaica in the2002 World Cup qualifiers.[82]
In 1969, EDESSA (Estadios Deportivos de El Salvador Sociedad Anónima) proposed the idea of a new national stadium.[83] This resulted in construction of the Estadio Cuscatlán, with the president of El Salvador,General Fidel Sánchez Hernández, breaking ground on 24 March 1971. The stadium held its first game on 24 July 1976, a friendly between El Salvador and theGerman Bundesliga champions,Borussia Mönchengladbach. It ended in a 2–0 victory to the German side. The Borussia squad featured players from their1974 World Cup winning squad, includingBerti Vogts,Rainer Bonhof,Wolfgang Kleff andJupp Heynckes, alongsideAllan Simonsen, who later won the 1977Ballon d'Or and joinedBarcelona. El Salvador's team wasTomás Pineda (Mauricio "Tarzán" Alvarenga), Guillermo "Billy" Rodríguez Bou,Ramón Fagoaga,Humberto "Imacasa" Recinos, Eduardo "Conejo" Valdés, Víctor "Pato" Valencia, Warner Solís,Félix "Garrobita" Pineda (César "Piscucha" Acevedo),Luis "Pelé" Ramírez Zapata (Abraham Coreas) &Ismael "Cisco" Díaz (David Cabrera). Borussia also fieldedWolfgang Kneib,Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp,Horst Wohlers,Dietmar Danner,Hans Klinkhammer,Carsten Nielsen andUli Stielike.[84] Since that match, El Salvador has used the stadium for almost every major home game, and it is also the home ground ofAlianza.[85] On 25 May 1978, EDESSA agreed to sign a 99-year lease of the stadium to CLIMA (Asociación de Clubes de Liga Mayor A) to operate and control which events are held there.[86]
El Salvador's traditional first kit colour is blue with white trim, their second kit being white with blue trim. The current home and away kit features the traditional colours with the exception of bold curved trims that run from the center of the neck and open to the sides, forming two panels on the chest that contain the Umbro logo and emblem of the Salvadoran Football Federation. At the center of the kit El Salvador national emblem, once again, is shown. The right sleeve shows the national flag.[87]
El Salvador andMitre announced a new partnership in 2008 that saw them supply theCentral American national football team with home and away kits, training, and bench wear until August 2010. Mitre, and their Panamanian partner, The Harari Group, designed the kit that El Salvador used. The kit was showcased by the team on February 11, 2009, as they started theirFIFA World Cup qualifying campaign againstTrinidad & Tobago in theCONCACAF (Central-American Football Union) Hexagonal Cup.[88]
On 22 October 2010, theFESFUT extended the contract with Mitre by four years.[89] The first home and away kit made by Mitre feature awatermark of the country's national shield on the center of the shirt and some horizontal stripes along the kit. The current kit featured white remains along the neck, at the bottom of the kit, and over the shoulders. When this kit was introduced in 2009 it also introduced a newlogo that replaced the typical logo of an "E" and an "S" surrounded by a circle.[90] Umbro has become the new kit supplier of the El Salvador national football team. Replacing Mitre, the first Umbro El Salvador football kits were released 15 June 2017, and were debuted in the 2017 Gold Cup.
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Pony | 1980–1982 |
 Adidas | 1982–1987 |
| Pony | 1988–1988 |
 Mikasa | 1989–1991 |
| Pony | 1991–1992 |
 Galaxia | 1992–1992 |
| Score | 1992–1995 |
| Reebok | 1996 |
 Lanzera | 1996–1998 |
| Kappa | 1999–2000 |
 Joma | 2001–2002 |
| Galaxia | 2003 |
 Atletica | 2004–2007 |
| Milán | 2007 |
| Atletica | 2007–2009 |
 Mitre | 2009–2017 |
| Umbro | 2017–present |
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
v El Salvador| 19 MarchHybrid friendly | Houston Dynamo | 2–1 | El Salvador | Houston, United States |
| 19:00 UTC−5 | Report |
| Stadium:Shell Energy Stadium Referee: Muhammad Kaleia (United States)[91] |
vPachuca| 22 MarchHybrid friendly | El Salvador | 1–1 | Pachuca | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 18:30 UTC−6 |
| Report | Stadium:Estadio Jorge "El Mágico" González Referee: Sergio Reina (Guatemala)[92] |
v
Guatemala| 31 MayFriendly | El Salvador | 1–1 | Guatemala | Chattanooga, United States |
| 20:00 UTC−5 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Finley Stadium Referee: Norberto Da Silva Costa (Curaçao)[93] |
v El Salvador| 7 June2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Anguilla | 0–3 | El Salvador | The Valley, Anguilla |
| 15:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium:Raymond E. Guishard Technical Centre Attendance: 543 Referee:Filip Dujic (Canada) |
v
Suriname| 10 June2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | El Salvador | 1–1 | Suriname | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 19:00 UTC−6 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Estadio Cuscatlán Attendance: 20,675 Referee: Jon Freemon (United States) |
v El Salvador| 17 June2025 Gold Cup GS | Curaçao | 0–0 | El Salvador | San Jose, United States |
| 17:15 UTC−7 | Report | Stadium:PayPal Park Attendance: 13,042 Referee:Katia García (Mexico) |
v El Salvador| 21 June2025 Gold Cup GS | Honduras | 2–0 | El Salvador | Houston, United States |
| 21:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium:Shell Energy Stadium Attendance: 20,536 Referee:Walter López (Guatemala) |
v El Salvador| 24 June2025 Gold Cup GS | Canada | 2–0 | El Salvador | Houston, United States |
| 21:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium:Shell Energy Stadium Attendance: 19,417 Referee: Joe Dickerson (United States) |
v El Salvador| 4 September2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Guatemala | 0–1 | El Salvador | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| 20:00 UTC−6 | Report |
| Stadium:Estadio Cementos Progreso Referee: Juan Calderón (Costa Rica) |
v Suriname| 8 September2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | El Salvador | 1–2 | Suriname | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 18:30 UTC−6 | Report | Stadium:Estadio Cuscatlán Attendance: 28,186 Referee: Adonai González (Mexico) |
v
Panama| 10 October2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | El Salvador | 0–1 | Panama | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 19:00 UTC−6 | Report |
| Stadium:Estadio Cuscatlán Attendance: 22,805 Referee:Drew Fischer (Canada) |
v Guatemala| 14 October2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | El Salvador | 0–1 | Guatemala | San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 20:00 UTC−6 | Report |
| Stadium:Estadio Cuscatlán Attendance: 26,931 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière (Canada) |
v El Salvador| 13 November2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Suriname | 4–0 | El Salvador | Paramaribo, Suriname |
| 19:00 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium:Franklin Essed Stadion Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica) |
v El Salvador| 18 November2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Panama | 3–0 | El Salvador | Panama City, Panama |
| 20:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium:Estadio Rommel Fernández Referee:Saíd Martínez (Honduras) |
As of February 2025[1]
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Hernán Darío Gómez |
| Assistant coach | Édgar Carvajal |
| Assistant coach | Juan Carlos Serrano |
| Fitness coach | Mauricio Roldán |
| Goalkeeping coach | Álvaro Misael Alfaro |
| Director of football | Vacant |
| Coordinator of football | Juan Carlos Serrano |
Since the creation of the national team in 1921, several coaches have been in charge of managing El Salvador. From 1930 to 1935,Mark Scott Thompson was appointed as El Salvador's first ever manager. As of January 2012[update], the El Salvador national football team has presented itself with 60 managers in the national team. It is reported that all 3 titles (1943,[18]1954[94] and2002[95]) have been won by Salvadoran born managers.Conrado Miranda has managed in 4 different occasions andArmando Contreras Palma in 3.ChileanHernán Vivanco was manager when El Salvador competed at their firstWorld Cup.[96]Mauricio Rodríguez managed to qualify El Salvador to anotherWorld Cup. Rodríguez participated at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Mark Scott Thompson (1930–1935)
Pablo Ferré Elías (1935–1938)
Máximo Garay (1940–1941)
Charlie Slade (1941–1943)Américo González (1943–1948)
Rodolfo Orlandini (1949–1951)Marcelo Estrada (1953)Carbilio Tomasino (1954–1959)Emilio Guardado (1959–1960)Conrado Miranda (1961)
Luis Comitante (1963)Hernán Carrasco Vivanco (1965–1967)Rigoberto Guzmán (1968)Gregorio Bundio (1968–1970)Hernán Carrasco Vivanco (1970)Conrado Miranda (1971)Héctor D'Angelo (1972)
Jorge Tupinambá (1973)Mauricio Rodríguez (1973–1974)Conrado Miranda (1975)Marcelo Estrada (1975–1976)Raúl Magaña (1976)Pinto Beltrao (1976)Juan Ricardo Faccio (1977)Julio Contreras (1977)Ricardo Tomasino (1978)Raúl Magaña (1979)Salvador Mariona (1979)Mauricio Rodríguez (1979–1982)Armando Palma (1983)Raúl Magaña (1984)Juan Quarterone (1984–1985)Paulo Roberto Cabrera (1986)Raúl Magaña (1987)
Milovan Đorić (1988)Miroslav Vukašinović (1988–1989)Conrado Miranda (1989)Kiril Dojčinovski (1989)Óscar Benítez (1991)Jorge Aude (1991)Aníbal Ruiz (1992)
Jorge Vieira (1993)Néstor Matamala (1993)Ricardo Tenorio (1993)
Kiril Dojčinovski (1994)José Pastoriza (1995–1996)Armando Palma (1996)
Milovan Đorić (1997)
Kiril Dojčinovski (1998)Julio Escobar (1998)Marinho Peres (1999)Ricardo Tenorio (1999)Óscar Benítez (1999–2000)Carlos Recinos (2000–2002)Juan Ramón Paredes (2002–2004)Armando Palma (2004)Carlos Cavagnaro (2005)Miguel Aguilar (2005–2006)Carlos de los Cobos (2006–2009)José Luis Rugamas (2010–2011)Rubén Israel (2011–2012)Juan de Dios Castillo (2012)
Agustín Castillo (2012–2013)Mauricio Alfaro (2014)Albert Roca (2014–2015)Jorge Rodríguez (2015)
Ramón Maradiaga (2015–2016)Eduardo Lara (2016–2017)Carlos de los Cobos (2018–2021)Hugo Pérez (2021–2023)Rubén de la Barrera (2023)David Dóniga (2024–2025)Hernán Darío Gómez (2025–present)The following players were named in the squad for the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches againstSuriname andPanama on 13 and 18 November 2025, respectively.
Caps and goals as of 19 November 2025, after the match againstPanama.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Mario González | (1997-05-20)20 May 1997 (age 28) | 53 | 0 | Alianza |
| 18 | 1GK | Tomás Romero | (2000-12-19)19 December 2000 (age 24) | 19 | 0 | New York City FC |
| 22 | 1GK | Benji Villalobos | (1988-07-18)18 July 1988 (age 37) | 19 | 0 | Águila |
| 2DF | Jefferson Valladares | (2002-12-08)8 December 2002 (age 22) | 12 | 0 | Municipal Limeño | |
| 2DF | Elvis Claros | (2000-08-31)31 August 2000 (age 25) | 2 | 0 | Municipal Limeño | |
| 2 | 2DF | Julio Sibrián | (1996-07-17)17 July 1996 (age 29) | 25 | 0 | Águila |
| 3 | 2DF | Ronald Rodríguez | (1998-09-22)22 September 1998 (age 27) | 34 | 0 | Águila |
| 4 | 2DF | Adán Clímaco | (2001-01-05)5 January 2001 (age 24) | 14 | 0 |  Perez Zeledon |
| 5 | 2DF | Rudy Clavel | (1996-10-10)10 October 1996 (age 29) | 18 | 1 | FAS |
| 2DF | Nelson Rodríguez | (2003-06-24)24 June 2003 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Águila | |
| 21 | 3MF | Elmer Bonilla | (2003-05-10)10 May 2003 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Municipal Limeno |
| 7 | 3MF | Darwin Cerén | (1989-12-31)31 December 1989 (age 35) | 108 | 5 | Águila |
| 12 | 3MF | Marcelo Díaz | (2000-12-19)19 December 2000 (age 24) | 7 | 0 | Águila |
| 23 | 3MF | Noel Rivera | (2004-06-18)18 June 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | Alianza |
| 3MF | Mauricio Cerritos | (2003-10-17)17 October 2003 (age 22) | 9 | 0 | Luis Ángel Firpo | |
| 6 | 3MF | Joshua Pérez | (1998-01-21)21 January 1998 (age 27) | 27 | 3 |  Odra Opole |
| 8 | 3MF | Bryan Landaverde | (1995-05-27)27 May 1995 (age 30) | 37 | 1 | Luis Ángel Firpo |
| 4FW | Michell Mercado | (1991-09-22)22 September 1991 (age 34) | 1 | 0 | Alianza | |
| 14 | 4FW | Styven Vásquez | (2002-10-29)29 October 2002 (age 23) | 19 | 3 | Luis Ángel Firpo |
| 17 | 3MF | Jairo Henríquez | (1993-08-31)31 August 1993 (age 32) | 60 | 5 | Águila |
| 10 | 4FW | Rafael Tejada | (2003-03-12)12 March 2003 (age 22) | 13 | 2 | FAS |
| 4FW | Brayan Gil | (2001-06-28)28 June 2001 (age 24) | 20 | 5 |  Baltika Kaliningrad | |
| 4FW | Nathan Ordaz | (2004-01-12)12 January 2004 (age 21) | 10 | 0 | Los Angeles | |
| 16 | 4FW | Francis Castillo | (2005-11-07)7 November 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 1 | CA Antoniano |
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Kevin Carabantes | (1993-02-06)6 February 1993 (age 32) | 7 | 0 | FAS | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| GK | Óscar Pleitez | (1993-02-06)6 February 1993 (age 32) | 1 | 0 | Isidro Metapán | v. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 13 October 2024 |
| DF | Henry RomeroINJ | (1991-10-17)17 October 1991 (age 34) | 29 | 1 | Alianza | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Bryan TamacasINJ | (1995-02-21)21 February 1995 (age 30) | 85 | 3 | Hércules | v. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 8 October 2024 |
| DF | Alexander LarínINJ | (1992-06-27)27 June 1992 (age 33) | 86 | 7 | Águila | v. Suriname, 7 June 2025 |
| DF | Kevin Reyes | (1999-08-28)28 August 1999 (age 26) | 20 | 0 | C.D. Águila | v. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 13 October 2024 |
| DF | Nelson Blanco | (1995-02-18)18 February 1995 (age 30) | 19 | 0 | San Antonio FC | v. Montserrat, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | Tereso Benítez | (2002-03-15)15 March 2002 (age 23) | 12 | 1 | Municipal Limeño | v. Montserrat, 18 November 2024 |
| DF | Diego FloresINJ | (2001-07-01)1 July 2001 (age 24) | 14 | 1 | Luis Ángel Firpo | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Jorge Cruz | (2000-01-24)24 January 2000 (age 25) | 20 | 0 | FAS | v. Guatemala, 5 September 2025 |
| DF | Kiano Falcao | (2006-04-11)11 April 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Atlético Huila | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
| DF | Roberto Domínguez | (1997-05-09)9 May 1997 (age 28) | 67 | 1 | Isidro Metapán | v. Panama, 11 October 2025 |
| MF | Melvin Cartagena | (1999-07-30)30 July 1999 (age 26) | 24 | 0 | Isidro Metapán | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| MF | Santos Ortiz | (1990-01-22)22 January 1990 (age 35) | 20 | 2 | Águila | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| MF | Elvin Alvarado | (1998-08-23)23 August 1998 (age 27) | 6 | 1 | Isidro Metapán | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| MF | Narciso Orellana | (1995-01-28)28 January 1995 (age 30) | 73 | 1 | Alianza | v. Peru, 6 June 2025INJ |
| MF | Leonardo Menjívar | (2001-10-24)24 October 2001 (age 24) | 16 | 0 | Alianza | v. Guatemala, 31 May 2025 |
| MF | Kevin Santamaría | (1991-01-11)11 January 1991 (age 34) | 23 | 1 | FAS | v. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 13 October 2024 |
| MF | Ezequiel Rivas | (1998-05-20)20 May 1998 (age 27) | 2 | 1 | Alianza | v. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 13 October 2024 |
| MF | Tomás Granitto | (1993-06-12)12 June 1993 (age 32) | 3 | 0 | Águila | v. Guatemala, 9 October 2024 |
| MF | Isaac Portillo | (1994-11-08)8 November 1994 (age 31) | 17 | 0 | Isidro Metapán | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
| MF | Enrico Dueñas | (2001-02-23)23 February 2001 (age 24) | 23 | 1 | Alianza | v. Guatemala, 10 October 2025 |
| MF | Christian Martínez | (1994-08-12)12 August 1994 (age 31) | 39 | 0 | San Carlos | v. Panama, 11 October 2025 |
| MF | Harold OsorioINJ | (2003-08-20)20 August 2003 (age 22) | 15 | 1 | Chicago Fire | v. Panama, 9 September 2025 |
| FW | Brandon Ramírez | (2008-09-05)5 September 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 1 | Juventud Independiente | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| FW | Steven Guerra | (2005-03-12)12 March 2005 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Isidro Metapán | v. Canada, 25 June 2025 |
| FW | Nelson Bonilla | (1990-09-11)11 September 1990 (age 35) | 64 | 20 | FAS | v. Bonaire, 18 November 2024 |
| FW | Emerson Mauricio | (2002-08-27)27 August 2002 (age 23) | 11 | 2 | Alianza | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
| FW | Josue Rivera | (1999-05-09)9 May 1999 (age 26) | 1 | 0 | Isidro Metapan | v. Suriname, 9 September 2025 |
INJ Player withdrew from thecurrent squad due to injury. | ||||||
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwin Cerén | 108 | 5 | 2012–present |
| 2 | Alexander Larín | 86 | 7 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Alfredo Pacheco | 85 | 7 | 2002–2013 |
| 4 | Dennis Alas | 83 | 3 | 2001–2012 |
| 5 | Leonel Cárcamo | 82 | 0 | 1988–2000 |
| 6 | Marvin González | 81 | 1 | 2002–2011 |
| 7 | Bryan Tamacas | 84 | 3 | 2016–present |
| 8 | Rudis Corrales | 78 | 17 | 1999–2011 |
| Ramón Sánchez | 78 | 2 | 2003–2012 | |
| 10 | Osael Romero | 77 | 16 | 2007–2013 |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raúl Díaz Arce | 39 | 72 | 0.54 | 1991–2000 |
| 2 | Rodolfo Zelaya | 23 | 52 | 0.44 | 2008–2019 |
| 3 | Jorge "Mágico" González | 21 | 62 | 0.34 | 1976–1998 |
| 4 | Nelson Bonilla | 20 | 66 | 0.3 | 2012–present |
| 5 | Juan Francisco Barraza | 19 | 40 | 0.48 | 1953–1969 |
| José María Rivas | 19 | 47 | 0.4 | 1979–1989 | |
| 7 | Rudis Corrales | 17 | 78 | 0.22 | 2001–2011 |
| 8 | Luis Ramírez Zapata | 16 | 58 | 0.28 | 1971–1989 |
| Osael Romero | 16 | 77 | 0.21 | 2007–2013 | |
| 10 | Miguel Cruz | 15 | 14 | 1.07 | 1935–1950 |
| Eliseo Quintanilla | 15 | 68 | 0.22 | 2006–2012 | |
| Guillermo Rivera | 15 | 76 | 0.2 | 1988–2000 |
El Salvador has never advanced beyond the first round of the finals competition. El Salvador declined to participate at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.[note 2]
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| 1930 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||||
 1934 | |||||||||||||||||
 1938 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
 1950 | Withdrew[note 2] | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
 1954 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
 1958 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 12 | ||
| 1974 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1978 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 16 | |||||||||||
| 1982 | Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | Squad | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 1986 | Did not qualify | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1990 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 1994 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 18 | |||||||||||
 1998 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 22 | |||||||||||
  2002 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 15 | |||||||||||
| 2006 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | |||||||||||
 2010 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 39 | 21 | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 16 | |||||||||||
| 2018 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 16 | |||||||||||
 2022 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 27 | 19 | |||||||||||
| 2026 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | |||||||||||
  2030 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 2/21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 22 | — | 170 | 73 | 35 | 62 | 269 | 200 | ||
| CONCACAF Championship &Gold Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1963 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 11 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
 1965 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | Squad | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1967 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| 1969 | Banned | Banned | ||||||||||||||
 1971 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
 1973 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
| 1977 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | Squad | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | |
| 1981 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Squad | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1985 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | Squad | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1989 | Fifth place | 5th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Squad | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1991 | Did not qualify | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | |||||||||
| 1993 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 1996 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1998 | 8th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | Squad | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2000 | Did not qualify | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 15 | |||||||||
| 2002 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Squad | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2003 | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Squad | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2005 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2007 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Squad | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2009 | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Squad | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2011 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Squad | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2013 | 7th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | Squad | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2015 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2017 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Squad | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
 2019 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | Squad | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Squad | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 | ||
| Total | Runners-up | 20/28 | 77 | 22 | 21 | 34 | 81 | 111 | — | 108 | 49 | 22 | 37 | 143 | 107 | |
| CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup history | |
|---|---|
| First match | El Salvador 1–1Panama (23 March 1963;San Salvador, El Salvador) |
| Biggest win | El Salvador 6–1Nicaragua  (25 March 1963;San Salvador, El Salvador) El Salvador 6–1Cuba  (12 June 2011;Chicago, United States) |
| Biggest defeat | Mexico 5–0El Salvador (5 June 2011;Arlington, United States) |
| Best result | Runners-up (1963,1981) |
| Worst result | Group stage (1996,1998,2007,2009,2015,2019, 2023,2025) |
| CONCACAF Nations League record | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Finals | |||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Division | Group | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | P/R | Year | Result | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | ||
| 2019–20 | B | B | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 |  | 2021 | Ineligible | |||||||||
| 2022–23 | A | D | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 |  | 2023 | Did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | A | A | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |  | 2024 | ||||||||||
| 2024–25 | B | A | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 | | 2025 | Ineligible | |||||||||
| Total | — | — | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 18 | — | Total | 0 Titles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| CONCACAF Nations League history | |
|---|---|
| First match | El Salvador 3–0Saint Lucia  (7 September 2019;San Salvador, El Salvador) |
| Biggest win | El Salvador 3–0Saint Lucia (7 September 2019;San Salvador, El Salvador) Montserrat 1–4El Salvador (5 September 2024;Rincon, Bonaire) |
| Biggest defeat | Guatemala 2–0El Salvador (7 September 2023;Guatemala City, Guatemala) |
| Best result | — |
| Worst result | — |
| Copa Centroamericana record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1991 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |
| 1993 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| 1995 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| 1997 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| 1999 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| 2001 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2007 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2009 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2011 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2017 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| Total | Third place | 14/14 | 57 | 19 | 14 | 24 | 54 | 67 | |
| CCCF Championship record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1941 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8 | |
| 1943 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 11 | |
| 1946 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 11 | |
| 1948 | Fifth place | 5th | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 17 | |
| 1951 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1953 | Fifth place | 5th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 | |
| 1955 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 13 | |
 1957 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1960 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| 1961 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 7 | |
| Total | 1 Title | 7/10 | 41 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 100 | 81 | |
| Olympic Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
| 1900 | Only club teams participated | ||||||||
 1904 | |||||||||
| 1908 | No national representative | ||||||||
| 1912 | |||||||||
 1920 | |||||||||
| 1924 | |||||||||
 1928 | |||||||||
 1936 | Not an IOC member | ||||||||
| 1948 | Did not participate | ||||||||
 1952 | |||||||||
 1956 | |||||||||
| 1960 | |||||||||
| 1964 | |||||||||
| 1968 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Squad |
| 1972 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1976 | |||||||||
 1980 | |||||||||
| 1984 | |||||||||
 1988 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Since1992 | SeeEl Salvador national under-23 football team | ||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 1/11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | — |
| Pan American Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1951 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1955 | ||||||||
 1959 | ||||||||
 1963 | ||||||||
| 1967 | ||||||||
| 1971 | ||||||||
| 1975 | Preliminary round | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
 1979 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1983 | ||||||||
| 1987 | Preliminary round | 7th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1995 | ||||||||
| Since1999 | SeeEl Salvador national under-23 football team | |||||||
| Total | Preliminary round | 2/12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Central American and Caribbean Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1930 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 25 |
| 1935 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 20 |
| 1938 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| 1946 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1950 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| 1954 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 |
| 1959 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 1966 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 1970 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1974 | ||||||||
| 1978 | Group stage | 9th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 21 |
| 1982 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 1990 | ||||||||
 1993 | ||||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 2002 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| 2006 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| 2010 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2018 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2023 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Total | 2 Titles | 13/23 | 52 | 20 | 6 | 26 | 83 | 127 |
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
| Opponents | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | +19 |
 Antigua and Barbuda | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Argentina | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 |
 Armenia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
 Aruba | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
 Barbados | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Belgium | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
 Belize | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 6 | +20 |
 Bermuda | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 |
 Bolivia | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 |
| Bonaire | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| Brazil | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | −13 |
| Canada | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 24 | −11 |
 Cayman Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| Chile | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
 China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Colombia | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 18 | −9 |
| Costa Rica | 60 | 9 | 13 | 38 | 50 | 130 | −80 |
| Cuba | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 4 | +20 |
| Curaçao[a] | 23 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 31 | 17 | +14 |
 Denmark | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Dominican Republic | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 |
 Ecuador | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 31 | −23 |
 Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
 Ghana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Greece | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
 Grenada | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| Guatemala | 89 | 23 | 27 | 39 | 75 | 104 | −29 |
 Guyana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Haiti | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 18 | +18 |
| Honduras | 78 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 76 | 126 | −50 |
 Hungary | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 |
 Iceland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
 Israel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
 Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
| Jamaica | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 27 | −9 |
| Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 |
 Martinique | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
| Mexico | 37 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 20 | 106 | −86 |
 Moldova | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Montserrat | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 |
 New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Nicaragua | 31 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 120 | 21 | +99 |
| Panama | 45 | 14 | 11 | 20 | 58 | 64 | −6 |
 Paraguay | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 11 | −10 |
| Peru | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 15 | −9 |
| Puerto Rico | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 |
| Qatar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
 Republic of Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Russia[b] | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 10 | −9 |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 |
| Saint Lucia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 |
 Serbia[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 |
 South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
| Suriname | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 14 | +16 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 |
| United States | 28 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 16 | 63 | −47 |
 U.S. Virgin Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 |
 Venezuela | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 |
 Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total (62) | 638 | 207 | 140 | 291 | 794 | 964 | −170 |
The following is a chart of the yearly averages of El Salvador'sFIFA ranking.
Only official honours are included, according toFIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized byFIFA or an affiliated confederation).
| Competition |  |  |  | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONCACAF Championship | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| CCCF Championship1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
Finalists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| National teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League system |
| ||||
| Domestic cups |
| ||||
| Awards | |||||
| Lists | |||||
