USA mistakenly celebrate qualification for World Cup

USA mistakenly unfurled a banner celebrating World Cup qualification after their 5-1 victory over Panama on Sunday night.

Under pressure to earn their place in Qatar, USA posted a dominant win, putting themselves on the brink of featuring in the Finals later this year.

However, after the game, many of the nation's players held a banner with 'QUALIFIED' on it, despite Costa Rica still being able to overtake them on the final matchday.

For that not to occur, USA must avoid a six-goal defeat against the same opponents this week, with a playoff tie still available as a consolation.

Christian Pulisic acknowledged the incident after the game, saying: "The guys didn't know at all what it said. It was just hand handed to them. Once we realised - there's no need to show that off because we still have a job to do."

Mexico are locked on the same points as USA, although they possess an inferior goal difference.