Putting this here after El Salvador just beat SKN 4-0 away, they play at home on Tuesday but surely they are through. That means... our 1st WCQ will be on Sept 2nd in San Salvador. Slight disclaimer...Assuming CONCACAF will officially confirm that actual date, maybe 1 day before/after. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estadio_Cuscatlán Lets do this.
What are the COVID travel rules? Are fans allowed at the stadium? I have never visited El Salvador except to transfer at the airport on our way to Honduras in 2009.
Reduced attendance of 20,000 for the upcoming match vs. SKN: https://www.elsalvador.com/deportes/selecciones/selecta-boletos-eliminatorias-cuscatlan/847638/2021/ Tickets are cheap by US standards. No surprise there...poverty, developing world.... Online sales on Smart Ticket. I registered and quickly was able to put a ticket into my cart. https://www.smartticket.com.sv/wfLogin.aspx?rd=5379
Good sleuthing Eddie. Definitely no travel restrictions if vaxd upon entry into country. And 20k for Tuesdays game is very promising for a September match.
Already booked airfare and hotels. All in! Supporters groups will fill in the blanks on meeting spots and stuff..
I'll probably go. I wait on ticket information before booking flights. There are some cheap flights to SAL and to SAP. I spent a little time online so I think I have the whole San Salvador trip figured out, just need to refine and execute the plan. This window has the interesting possibility of combining San Salvador and San Pedro Sula into one trip, skipping the in-between home Canada match. Not for me. If one of the few readers of this forum is interested in such a Central American foray, I recommend a bus trip from San Salvador to Copan Ruinas, Honduras and on to San Pedro Sula.
Yep, i'm going to miss the US home game that Sunday, with the fam in ELS and then will fly back down to San Pedro. Can't recommend Eddie's trip enough. So many amazing places to explore in that San Salvador, San Pedro area that you can hit. Copan, Bay Islands, even up to Guatemala for Antigua or Tikal.
The ruins at Copan are highly recommended. Tikal is called the New York of Mayan cities and Copan the Paris. We visited Copan with a local bus from Guatemala City to the border, and then the 2 miles ride to the village and ruins. There is a ball court, a small outdoor stadium, at Copan that has amazing acoustics. Try clapping loudly or doing some voice. We stayed at what was the only hotel in the small village by the ruins. It was clean, cheap and had a very good restaurant attached, good Honduran food. Honduran beer is a little bit famous. Port Royal and Salve Vida are the two brands. Some of the best beer in Latin America.
Copan Ruinas is a special place. Far enough from the beaten path that it is not overly touristy, especially compared to places like Antigua, Guatemala or Tikal. (Of course, the residents might disagree with me.) It has more than one lodging option. We stayed at a budget hotel in town with shared bathrooms and cold water only showers at the bottom of the hill near the inter-city bus stop. It was probably less than $10/night. We also took the cheaper bus option to and from San Pedro Sula--Casasola, which was fine, on time, safe. We had a late morning flight (10 to 11 AM) from San Pedro Sula to DC and had no problem getting to the airport on time via a 5 AM bus from Copan Ruinas to the SPS bus terminal and a taxi (yuck) to the airport
1) why wouldn't u be vaccinated?.... but I digress... 2) U.S. citizens are required to present proof of completion of their vaccination course OR an original negative RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours of arrival at El Salvador at any point of entry (land, sea, or air).
Side note: pic of the recent June 15-ish) el salvador home game. They are definitely letting fans return a bit...
There are no El Salvador restrictions for exit, but there are still CDC requirements in place for US commercial airlines: Negative COVID-19 test required for all air passengers coming to the United States The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all air passengers entering the United States (including U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents) to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken within three calendar days of departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days. Airlines must confirm the negative test result or proof of recovery for all passengers two years of age and over prior to boarding. Airlines must deny boarding of passengers who do not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery. If you are fully vaccinated and are planning international travel, please consider the following: The CDC order requiring pre-departure testing to travel or return to the U.S. applies to all air travelers, even those who are fully vaccinated.
1) Because I don’t want to be vaccinated. I hope you can respect my decision. I respect yours. 2) Awesome. Might try to make this work. Never gone to a game on the road. Hope to see you and others if I go!
thank you for the info i was clearly too lazy to google myself. very helpful. i wonder if a test in the US can serve as proof of negative test for a return to the US if its still within the 72 hour window....
I thought the same thing. Can my negative test on the way up be used for the one on the way back. Because I’m only planning on staying there for two days. So why would I need another test? That’s a great question. I hope someone can answer that.
I agree, Tikal and Antigua are way more touristy. There is another Mayan site, Quirigua, that is sort of on the way from Copan to San Pedro Sula, but it involves more mileage that the direct route. It is in the middle of a Chiquita Banana plantation, and has very few tourists. We had to hitch-hike the 10 miles or so from Quirigua back to the main road linking Guatemala City with the eastern coast. No bus, no taxi! Not as great as Copan but may be worth the effort.
🚨 The El Salvador Department of Health has suspended all conglomeration of masses for the next 90 days (this includes sporting events):The #USMNT 🇺🇸 plays El Salvador 🇸🇻 in El Cuscatlán in the very first game of WCQ. Big blow for La Selecta’s home field advantage https://t.co/DNJmlZvPqE— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) July 13, 2021
Last week, I reached out to my contact in the US Soccer ticketing department about away tickets. He said they would have information soon "if even allowed." Clearly, El Salvador won't allow fans. Will Honduras follow suit?