The Argentine's exit was confirmed on Friday with speculation linking Alfaro as a potential successor to Daniel Garnero as Paraguay boss.
"We thank Mr Gustavo and his team for their dedication during their time leading the Costa Rica team," the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF) said in a short statement.
"At FCRF we will continue to build the path towards the 2026 World Cup. We will keep our fans informed and we reiterate our commitment to continue working for the development and success of national football."
The 61-year-old, who took charge of Ecuador at the 2022 World Cup, guided Costa Rice to the Copa America this year as his side were eliminated in the group stage by finishing third.
In a letter sent to FIFA on Wednesday, CONMEBOL asked for its opening qualifiers, scheduled for March 26, 27 and 31, to be postponed.
COVID-19 has killed more than 4,600 people worldwide while affecting more than 126,000.
CONMEBOL cited the possibility of players not being able to travel from Europe due to coronavirus as a reason for its request.
"The member countries of CONMEBOL – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela have requested the CONMEBOL to submit to FIFA's consideration the request to postpone the start of the qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup," the statement read in part.
Lionel Messi's Argentina are due to begin their qualifying campaign against Ecuador in Buenos Aires, while Brazil are scheduled to face Bolivia in Recife.
The other matchday one games are Paraguay-Peru, Uruguay-Chile and Colombia-Venezuela.
First-half goals from Celsa Sandaoval and Ramona Martinez in the 16th and 35th minutes, respectively gave the visitors a 2-0 lead at half-time before Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 61st minute.
Glaring errors by the Jamaica’s gifted the Paraguayans their two goals against a wasteful Jamaican team that missed several opportunities to score.
Deneisha Blackwood’s errant back pass was seized upon by Sandaoval, who beat an advancing Rebecca Spencer in the Jamaican goal before shooting into the bottom right hand corner.
The second 19 minutes later resulted in a poor pass from Havana Solaun, which gave the Paraguayan forwards to spread the ball wide before a cross found Martinez free inside the box to smash home from close range.
Head Coach Lorne Donaldson said he was not surprised by the slow start. He said he saw it coming given that the girls were not sharp during their warm-ups and it showed in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
He explained, however, that the match was not all about trying to win as there were several players that the coaching staff wanted to take a look at before finalizing the squad for the World Cup still nine months away.
“Our camp is a little bit different from Paraguay. We are still looking at stuff. We are still looking at players, so obviously we want to win but it is not going to be at all cost for this camp because we have to give some players a look, so stuff is going to be a little bit off and that was evident in the first 20 minutes,” he said.
Among the things that we “off” was the Reggae Girlz shooting. Chances fell to Drew Spence and Shaw in the first half but were either blocked missed entirely.
Spence’s 13th minute shot was parried by goalkeeper Christine Ricalde while Shaw dragged one past the far post just two minutes later.
Siobhan Wilson’s cross fell to Paige Bailey-Paige, whose shot from inside the box was charged down by a defender. Allyson Swaby also had a shot from two yards blocked by Ricalde.
Three changes made at the resumption of play resulted in Jamaica being more organized and stable defensively. Vyan Sampson replaced an ineffective Solaun and Atlanta Primus came on to replace Kayla McCoy in midfield while fullback Tiernney Wiltshire replaced Malikae Dayes.
Bailey-Gayle and Wilson were substituted for wingers Cheyna Matthews and Rachel Jones in the 59th minute, the latter making an immediate impact.
Jones’ driving run down the left flank and resulting cross led to the handled ball from which a penalty was awarded allowing Jamaica back into the game.
The changes, Donaldson said, were a direct result of the team’s inability to control the game and limit the number of turnovers, which invariably but the defence under pressure.
“If you see, when we came out in the second half there were two changes in the midfield because we couldn’t control the game, we couldn’t anything. We were passing the ball to the next team, so that’s a part of saying this would never work or this is not going to work,” he said while lamenting the poor finishing that ultimately cost the team.
“Should we have knocked some goals in, maybe we should have but such is football. To us, it’s preparation and the end product is what we are looking at.”
Donaldson said this was the last window when the coaching staff would be looking at new players. He indicated that by the next camp they should have the 30 players from which the final squad will be selected for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The number 42 ranked Jamaican Senior Women’s team will face off against the number 51 ranked Paraguay on November 10 and 13, 2022 at the Catherine Hall Stadium and National Stadium in Kingston, respectively as head coach Lorne Donaldson continues to fine-tune the squad for the world cup in New Zealand and Australia next July.
Meanwhile, the South American outfit will be keen to sharpen up for the FIFA Intercontinental playoffs in New Zealand come February 2023.
All players are expected to be available as the match will be played in a FIFA-approved window.
Jamaica qualified for their second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament last July in Mexico while Paraguay finished fourth in the South American Women’s qualifiers in August.
The Reggae Girlz lost their last international friendly match 1-0 to South Korea at the Hwaseong Stadium on September 3.
In what was the first meeting between the teams, Choe Yu-ri's 13th minute strike was the difference between the teams.
Dorival Junior's side, who disappointed at the Copa America, slumped to a fourth defeat from their last five qualifiers and sit fifth in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualification group.
Inter Miami's Gomez struck the decisive blow in the 20th minute, sending a stunning effort with the outside of his foot beyond Alisson Becker and in off the post.
Brazil almost found an immediate response four minutes later, only for full-back Guilherme Arana to see his effort cleared off the line in the visitors' only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
Following the interval, Rodrygo threatened to level the scores but could only fire over from close range, with Roberto Fernandez turning Vinicius Junior's strike around the post as the game ticked into the final knockings.
But Paraguay were able to hold firm to secure a memorable victory, leaving them seventh in the standings and just a point behind Brazil in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Data Debrief: Selecao stutter against stingy defence
Brazil rarely troubled Fernandez in the Paraguay goal, managing just three shots on target from the nine they attempted, registering an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.57.
Ballon d'Or hopeful Vinicius was credited with two of the Selecao's efforts, but struggled to make the desired impact, completing just one of his four attempted dribbles.
Paraguay, however, remained resolute in their defending, and have now kept a clean sheet in five of their last eight World Cup qualifiers, with only Argentina (six) managing more shutouts.
Lautaro Martinez had given Argentina the lead in the 11th minute – his powerful shot past Roberto Fernandez was initially ruled out for offside before a VAR review overturned it.
However, Paraguay were soon back on level terms. Gustavo Gomez rattled the crossbar with a diving header from a corner, but they regathered possession and pulled level with a sublime overhead kick from Antonio Sanabria 19 minutes in.
Two minutes into the second half, the hosts completed the turnaround through Omar Alderete, who met Diego Gomez's precise free-kick to nod in from close range.
Rodrigo De Paul arguably should have equalised for Argentina with just over 20 minutes to go, but under pressure, sliced over from close range, with the visitors unable to salvage a point.
It was a third defeat in World Cup qualifying for the Albiceleste, who remain top of the standings with 22 points, and Scaloni chose to focus on the positives.
"I'm not here to criticise my players; I'm here to support them," Scaloni said. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. We're here to move forward.
"In the first half, we played a good game, but the first action at the start of the second half made everything more difficult. We have to congratulate the opponent, who defended very well.
"I don't know if they found the antidote [to beating Argentina]. We're hoping to get back on the positive path.
"The team always tries and stands tall. That's what's important: never giving up on the game and always having the desire to compete."
Paraguay are sixth in the table, having extended their unbeaten run to six matches, which also includes a win over Brazil.
They had to dig deep, having only 23.2% possession throughout the game, though they had eight shots to Argentina's nine and scored with both of their efforts on target.
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro is yet to lose a game since taking over Paraguay after the Copa America, and he hailed his team's resilience.
"With the rebelliousness of these players in the face of adversity, I have no doubt that we will get there. When the predisposition is so great, time is secondary," he said.
"They were fantastic points, very difficult. It is difficult to take a point from Argentina."
Suarez announced earlier this month that Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier would be his final outing for La Celeste, who he helped win the 2011 Copa America and reach the 2010 World Cup semi-finals.
The former Liverpool and Barcelona man was unable to end his international career with a victory as Marcelo Bielsa's team were kept out by Paraguay.
Suarez played the full 90 minutes as captain as Uruguay registered just one shot on target in a meek performance, but the result could not put a dampener on post-match tributes to the striker.
Addressing the crowd, Suarez said: "I have only words of gratitude to all Uruguayans, who since my career began supported me, not only me, but a generation that had a very difficult time.
"That group marked me a lot, being a healthy group, where we were all on the same path. People don't know how much we fought for this shirt and how difficult it is to represent a country, it is not easy to assume that responsibility.
"I went through very complicated moments in my career. I want to thank you for the affection and be clear that Uruguay is bigger than any coach or player and that, from tomorrow, I will be just another fan.
"Up Uruguay and I will always be grateful to the Uruguayan people."
Suarez ended his international career with a national record 69 goals in 143 caps, his final strike for Uruguay being a last-minute equaliser versus Canada in the third-place play-off at this year's Copa America, a contest La Celeste won on penalties.
The five-time world champions were beaten 1-0 in Asuncion, with Diego Gomez's 20th-minute strike condemning them to a fourth defeat in five qualifying games.
Dorival Junior's side occupy fifth place in the CONMEBOL section - in which the top six nations automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the team finishing seventh entering the Inter-confederation play-offs.
Already eight points adrift of leaders Argentina, Brazil are now just one ahead of eighth-place Bolivia, and Vinicius knows he and his team-mates must do better.
"We apologise to the fans, who are always on our side," the Real Madrid forward told Sportv. "But this is a difficult time, we just want to improve.
"I know my potential, I know what I can do for the national team. Of course, it's been a very difficult process, because when you don't have confidence, you don't get goals, you don't get assists and good performances.
"We know the situation we're in, we want to get Brazil out of this situation at any cost, we all have to go home now and start thinking about what we can do to get back to playing well.
"We cannot come here, lose these points and play the way we did. It is a difficult time, we must take on board all the criticism and return as quickly as possible to put Brazil on top."
Meanwhile, Marquinhos believes Brazil are going through a transitional period, and that they are not brimming with belief as a result.
"The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that's reflected in the result," the defender told Brazilian TV Globo. "There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence.
"Qualifying isn't easy, it's a difficult time, and we have to know how to manage it. It's a time of transition, we're not feeling confident. We're going to work hard, getting results on the pitch is the best answer."
