USA players held premature celebrations for qualifying for the World Cup after beating Panama 5-1 on Monday morning.

The players thought that they had secured the qualification with the win and spread out a banner, reading ‘Qualified’ in front of supporters.

The victory was not enough to guarantee them an early passage to the finals, considering results from other games.

However, the chances are still very high and the team could celebrate the qualification on Wednesday against Costa Rica unless they lose that encounter by six goals or more.

Such a defeat would drop the USA to fourth place and send them into a World Cup play-off, most likely against New Zealand.

But to earn an automatic qualification, the North American giants should avoid losing with that margin.

Canada, who are leading the table, have already booked their place at the tournament after beating Jamaica 4-0.

Third-placed Mexico will need at least a draw against El Salvador on Wednesday to book their spot at the World Cup.

Only the top three teams in the North American qualifiers earn automatic places with the fourth-place finisher facing an Oceania team in an intercontinental playoff for another berth.