🇨🇷 Costa Rica
North America · FIFA CRI
Key Statistics
21
Matches
7-3-11
Record (W-D-L)
22
Goals Scored
-17
Goal Difference
24
Points
0
Titles 🏆
5.1M
Population
$80.3B
GDP
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: Costa Rica escaped the "Group of Champions" in 2014, reached the quarterfinals, and have refused to shut up about it ever since. They have built their entire modern football identity on that single, heroic run.
Since then, they have returned to their natural state: playing defensive anti-football and hoping their goalkeeper saves them from embarrassment. A one-hit wonder that is still selling t-shirts from their 2014 tour.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 3 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 10 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | Korea, Japan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | — |
| 1990 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — |
| Total | 6 editions | 21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 39 | 24 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Costa Rica has a population of 5.1M and an estimated GDP of $80.3B. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 4.31 | #14 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 4.70 | #12 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 1.37 | #10 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #25 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.27 | #6 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.30 | #5 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.09 | #5 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #25 / 84 |
Featured Football Analyses
Why GDP Per Capita Is the Only Fair Way to Judge World Cups
Raw trophy counts favor massive economies and large populations. Here is how macroeconomic normalization reveals the world's truest footballing superpowers.
Read Analysis →
The Bilardo Water Bottle Incident Explained
An analytical breakdown of the infamous 1990 World Cup hydration controversy that inspired the Bilardo Water methodology.
Read Analysis →
Top 10 Greatest World Cup Upsets of All Time
From the 1950 Maracanazo to modern giant-killings, how underdogs overturn economic disparity on the pitch.
Read Analysis →