The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed Los Ticos, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol.
Since the late 1980s, the team has continuously been visible as a solidly competitive side, with a prominent performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, making it to the knockout stage in their debut after finishing second in their group during the first phase, below Brazil. They also managed to qualify for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In 2014, Costa Rica made their best performance in history by finishing first in their group that consisted of three former World Cup champions: Uruguay, Italy, and England. During the Round of 16 they defeated Greece 5-3 via a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Reaching the quarterfinals for their very first time the "Ticos" were defeated by the Netherlands also in a penalty shootout (3-4) after a scoreless draw on 5 July.
Costa Rica will be playing in Group E with the Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia.
