Panama declares national holiday after World Cup qualification

The president of Panama has declared today a national holiday after their national football team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history.

Qualification to the tournament, which starts next June, was secured after Panama beat Costa Rica by a scoreline of 2-1 on Tuesday evening.

President Juan Carlos Varela said on Twitter: "The voice of the people has been heard... Tomorrow will be a national holiday."

The president said that school classes would be cancelled, as well as public and private workers taking the day off; Varela later tweeted with a picture: "Degree signed, you deserve it."

Panama's first attempt at World Cup qualification was for the 1978 competition and the team have never been successful until now.