Costa Rica takes action before World Cup tests
National team axes player after gun incident
May 28, 2026 – 9:17 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
An off-field incident rocks football in Costa Rica. The association is now taking action.
Costa Rica did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but will still test against two World Cup participants shortly before the start of the tournament. In the duels with Colombia and England, national coach Fernando Batista deliberately decided not to use Alejandro Bran, Kenneth Vargas and Warren Madrigal. The trio was suspended.
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The background is apparently a shooting incident that is said to have taken place in the early hours of Monday morning in Los Yoses, a district of Costa Rica’s capital San José. Bran’s car was hit by several bullets. Police confirmed they were investigating a shooting.
Meanwhile, the football association did not name this incident. Instead, the announcement regarding Bran’s exclusion from the squad states that “the necessary conditions for his continued participation in the team are not met.”
Bran and Vargas’ association also takes action
In a second statement, the association announced a little later that Vargas and Madrigal would also be removed from the squad. “This decision is in accordance with the guidelines established for all members of the national teams,” the statement said. The association also wrote that “discipline and adherence to the rules are the cornerstones of all our national teams. These values are an essential part of the responsibility that comes with representing the country.”
It is not clear from the press releases whether the trio still has a future under national coach Batista. Together, Bran, Vargas and Madrigal have 72 caps for Costa Rica’s senior national team.
Meanwhile, two of the three professionals also have to accept consequences at club level. LD Alajuelense, where Bran and Vargas are contracted, have been expelled from the club with immediate effect “after a thorough analysis of recent events and in strict compliance with the principles.”
