Preview: Honduras vs Nicaragua - prediction, team news, lineups

On Tuesday, Nicaragua will seek their first victory against Honduras in over 60 years when the two sides clash on matchday two of World Cup 2026 qualifying at Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles.

Last week, the hosts had to settle for a 0-0 draw against Haiti, while Los Pinoleros stunned Costa Rica on matchday one, earning a 1-1 result.

Match preview

Their final round woes continued on Friday for Honduras, who are now winless in 15 consecutive matches in the last phase of World Cup qualification.

Despite having 56% possession, this team were fortunate in the end to walk away with a point, conceding seven shots on target to the Haitians.

They enter this encounter with just one goal in their previous three matches combined across all competitions, without a goal in those last two outings.

Reinaldo Rueda will hope that Tegucigalpa can reverse their recent form, with La H winning both of their second-round qualifiers in the Honduran capital by a combined margin of 5-1.

Since suffering a 2-1 defeat versus Guatemala in a March friendly, Honduras won have five consecutive matches when netting the opening goal, conceding just once over that run.

Los Catrachos are unbeaten in 14 successive meetings played against the Nicaraguans, scoring 49 goals over that span with only nine conceded.

Against all odds, Nicaragua clawed their way back into their opening match on Friday, earning a point against a side ranked 90 places above them according to FIFA.

Down a man and a goal with nine minutes remaining, they were able to feed off the energy of the home crowd, earning a penalty in the latter stages to claim a deserved draw.

Away from home, this side are winless in their last four competitive fixtures, failing to find the back of the net in two of those outings, losing 3-0 to Panama the last time around.

Marco Antonio Figueroa Montero’s men have not lost consecutive games since March and have found the back of the net in three of their previous four encounters.

The Nicaraguans have won their last nine matches played across all competitions when scoring first, dating back to September 2023, though they have only drawn first blood in one game this year, defeating Guyana 1-0 in June.

La Azul y Blanco’s last triumph against Honduras came in March 1965, though they were minutes away from beating them the last time they met in 2020, when Los Catrachos equalised in the 90th minute to claim a 1-1 draw.

Honduras World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Honduras form (all competitions):

Nicaragua World Cup Qualifying - North Central America form:

Nicaragua form (all competitions):

Team News

In their Friday affair, Alenis Vargas collected his first cap for the Honduran senior squad, replacing Romell Quioto in the second half, while Andy Najar made his 60th appearance on the international stage.

Edrick Menjivar stopped seven Haitian efforts for a clean sheet, while David Ruiz made his first international appearance since September 2024, replacing Jorge Alvarez with 10 minutes remaining.

Nicaragua will be without Jason Coronel following his red card against Los Ticos on Friday, while Juan Barrera can become just the second player to reach the century mark for caps with the senior squad on Tuesday.

Byron Bonilla converted an 81st-minute penalty to give them a single point on matchday one of the final phase, putting him at 41 all-time and all alone in seventh place in national team history.

Honduras possible starting lineup:

Menjivar; Najar, Santos, Martinez; Ruiz, Flores, Alvarez, Rosales; Benguche, Lozano, Palma

Nicaragua possible starting lineup:

Rodriguez; Cano, Nino, Acevedo; Quijano, Montes, Arteaga, Lopez, Gomez; Barrera; Smith

We say: Honduras 2-0 Nicaragua

As resilient as the Nicaraguans were on matchday one, we expect a letdown on Tuesday against a side that play more aggressively and with more confidence at home.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.