Miguel Herrera comes from a painful failure in the Concacaf Qualifiers. In a qualifying phase without the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Costa Rica failed to secure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. "El Piojo" acknowledged his disappointment at not achieving the goal. In an interview with Claro Sports, Miguel Herrera did not hide the sadness caused by his questionable time with the Costa Rican team. An experienced coach like Herrera suffered one of his most painful defeats. "This is the saddest process because we had hope, desire, and a decent Gold Cup performance... The elimination hurt a lot; it hit me hard because I had so much hope. The boys did well, they gave their all, but we lacked a goal," said the Mexican strategist. Costa Rica was drawn into Group C of the Concacaf Qualifiers. The "Ticos" were surpassed by Haiti (11 points) and Honduras (9 points). Costa Rica only managed 7 points in the group.

“A single goal would have taken us directly to the World Cup or to the playoffs. That's the reality (…) We lost one, won one, and drew the rest. Winning any of those matches would have taken us to the World Cup,” he explained.

In January 2025, Miguel Herrera was announced as the coach of Costa Rica. “El Piojo” didn't last a year on the Costa Rican team's bench. The Mexican strategist led the “Ticos” for 15 matches. The former America coach left a record of 7 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses. The problem is that his team's failure occurred in the World Cup Qualifiers, the most important tournament they had faced since Herrera's arrival.

Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers Final Stage