Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi scored a 95th-minute winner to deny Panama their first-ever World Cup point in Toronto, Canada.
With six minutes added on at the end of a match of few chances, Brandon Thomas-Asante raced down the left, beat his marker, and squared the ball for Yirenkyi, who tapped in.
The result left Panama heartbroken, having matched the four-time African champions in only their fourth World Cup appearance since their debut in 2018.
Panama almost took the lead inside the first two minutes, but Cecilio Waterman’s strike was tipped over the bar by Ghana keeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.
In the second half, Panama’s Cristian Martinez hammered a shot against the side-netting when only a few yards from the goal.
Ghana’s head coach Carlos Queiroz had brought on goalkeeper Benjamin Asare at half-time after Ati Zigi suffered an injury when he landed awkwardly in the first half.
Queiroz’s side created little before scoring the late winning goal to start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a win in Group L.
It means Ghana joins England on three points after Thomas Tuchel’s men beat Croatia 4-2 earlier.
Ghana’s next game is against Group L leaders England in Boston on Tuesday (21:00 BST), while Panama will hope to end their losing World Cup record when they face Croatia in Toronto on Wednesday (00:00 BST).
