What to Know About Costa Rica’s Gordo Navideño Lottery

Today marks the day thousands across the country have waited for: the draw of the Gordo Navideño 2025. Run by the Junta de Protección Social (JPS), this annual lottery brings hope to families during the holiday season. The event takes place tonight at 7:30 p.m., broadcast live on national television and radio. The Gordo Navideño …

Costa Rica Named Key Drug Hub by European People’s Party Assembly

Members of the European Parliament’s Partido Popular Europeo (EPP) have voiced serious worries about Costa Rica’s increasing position as a key hub for drug shipments heading to Europe. The group’s political assembly passed a resolution this week that highlights the country’s ports as major exit points for cocaine, calling for direct action to stem the …

Costa Rica Signals Readiness for Refugee Status For Kilmar Abrego Garcia

U.S. immigration officials released Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia from detention after a federal judge in Maryland ordered his immediate freedom, marking a key turn in a case that highlights tensions in American deportation policies. Costa Rican authorities have signaled their readiness to grant him refugee status if he chooses to seek it, providing a …

FECOP Study Reveals Shifting Trends in Costa Rica’s Sport Fishing Resources

Sailfish and companion-species fishing tourism represents a major source of income for Costa Rica, particularly for communities along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Despite its importance, information on species availability for recreational fleets has been limited. A recent study addressed this gap by estimating the catch per unit effort (CPUE) for sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna, …

US Ruling Denies Bond to Son Accused of Killing Costa Rican Mother

A Tennessee judge has bound over murder charges against the husband and son of Costa Rican Silvia Gabriela Vílchez Mora, who authorities say died from a brutal beating before her body burned in a rural fire pit. The ruling came during a preliminary hearing on December 8 in Sequatchie County, advancing the case to a …

Australian Open 2026 Highlights Central America’s Grand Slam Gap

Central America will again have a modest footprint at the 2026 Australian Open – but the region’s lone singles representative arrives in Melbourne with real momentum and a growing symbolic weight. Mexican Renata Zarazua, coming off a career-defining 2025 season, headlines Latin America’s presence from north of the Darién. She is expected to be the …

Costa Rican Surfer Carden Jagger Advances at ISA World Junior Championships

Carden Jagger, a 14-year-old surfer from Playa Grande in Guanacaste, has moved forward to the third round in the under-16 division at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Punta Rocas, Peru. His performance stands out as he carries forward our country’s expectations in a field of top young athletes from around the world. …

WestJet Expands Canadian Access to Costa Rica with Vancouver-Guanacaste Service

WestJet started its direct service from Vancouver to Costa Rica yesterday, landing with 153 passengers at Guanacaste Airport. This move broadens travel options between Canada’s west coast and Costa Rica’s northern Pacific area. The flight runs every Friday on a Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft. It touches down in Guanacaste at 9:21 a.m. and heads back …

Yamil Bukele Takes Over El Salvador Soccer Federation After FIFA Intervention Ends

Yamil Bukele, brother of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, took office Friday as president of the country’s soccer federation (Fesfut), pledging to run the organization honestly and revive a struggling national game. His appointment ends FIFA’s intervention in Fesfut. In 2022, FIFA installed a normalization committee after several federation officials were accused of fraudulent administration and …