Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
The fact that the 2026 World Cup will be hosted across three CONCACAF countries has eased the qualification pathway for others. To reach the decisive third round of qualifying, both Suriname and Puerto Rico need to finish in the top two of their group. So far, they are on track to do just that.
Suriname
In the second stage, each of the six groups plays a single round-robin format. There are four matchdays in total, with two already completed. Suriname currently lead the group with a perfect record, while Puerto Rico are second with four points. This upcoming fixture could prove decisive—particularly for Suriname. In the final round, they will travel to face El Salvador, who reached the third round of World Cup qualifying last time around—unlike either of these two sides.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico sit 20 places below Suriname in the FIFA rankings, currently at 157th. Suriname will take part in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, whereas Puerto Rico will not. In the opening round of this campaign, exactly one year ago, Puerto Rico earned a goalless draw away to El Salvador (0:0), but they had to adopt a defensive approach and hold the scoreline: six shots compared to El Salvador’s 13, with only one on target. Fortunately for them, the hosts also lacked precision—only three of their efforts were on target.
Suriname vs Puerto Rico Prediction
Puerto Rico could once again absorb the pressure, as they did in their most recent fixture against Suriname at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which also ended 0:0. However, their inconsistency was on display in a heavy 0:3 defeat to Haiti in the final round of the Nations League. Suriname, meanwhile, have managed to score more than once in just one of their last seven matches. This points to a low-scoring encounter, making backing Total Under on the goal line the most logical option, regardless of the outcome.
