The national football federation for Panama is hoping its teams will soar as high as the bird on their new crest, which was launched last week.
La Federación Panameña de Fútbol (FEPAFUT) released the new crest on Friday, May 3. Front and center is a navy blue harpy eagle, the national bird of Panama, with its wings spread out behind a shield bearing the same pattern of quarters and stars as the country’s flag. All of that, plus the country’s name, is inside a white shield with a gold outline.
The Harpy Eagle, a symbol for the country and that has always been in the hearts of Panamanians, present in our coat of arms and in the logo of the Panamanian Soccer League, will now be protecting our new shield and with that we will reflect our commitment and pride in Panamanian biodiversity.
— FEPAFUT.com (translated to English by Google)
Each wing feather on the harpy eagle in the crest represents one of Panama’s 10 provinces.
The new crest also gets rids of the “FEPAFUT” acronym that was at the top of the old crest, and replaces it with the name of the country with an accent over the last A, as it’s written in Spanish.
The new Panama crest was developed in collaboration with El Joint Creativo, a creative agency based in Panama City. According to a FEPAFUT website dedicated to the new crest, the process entailed “365+ days of study of the history of the federation, market analysis, trial and error, meetings, coffee, learning and a lot of passion for this eternal love.”
This shield is dedicated to the new era of Panamanian soccer, a tribute to our past and a canvas for the future of Panamanian soccer. The World Cup transformed us deeply, sowing an eternal spirit that now beats in every youth and in every woman who advances with grace and skill in our fields. It is a tribute to those who forged our path and those who are yet to come. It is a hymn to our past deeds and the glories that we have yet to write.
— ElNuevoSimboloPatrio.com (translated to English by Google)
A member of Concacaf, Panama qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup in 2018, but finished at the bottom of Group G with three losses in three games against Belgium, England and Tunisia. But the Panamanian team has finished second in the Concacaf Gold Cup three times (2005, 2013, 2023) and won the 2009 Copa Centroamericana.
Panama’s national team kits have been manufactured by Reebok since 2023.
