Watch: Panama commentators burst into tears on hearing national anthem at the football World Cup
This was Panama’s first year playing at the FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup is not just the most hotly-contested football event on the planet, it is also a source of national pride. In one such display of pride, two commentators from the Central American country of Panama were seen bursting into tears of happiness when their national anthem played in the Fisht Stadium in the Russian city of Sochi on June 18.
This is the first time that the Panama national team has played in the World Cup. The emotional reaction of the Panama TV commentators was caught on camera before the team’s maiden match against Belgium. Despite losing this match, as well as their second against England on June 24, Panama’s sheer joy at being a part of the World Cup is winning hearts across the world.
The country did have an additional reason to cheer though. They got to watch their team score their very first World Cup goal, in the match against England. Needless to say, fans in the stadium went wild. You can see their reactions in the video below: