Following their absence from the last tournament in Qatar, Colombia return to the global stage for the seventh time at FIFA World Cup 26™ in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Nestor Lorenzo will be guiding a gifted group of players after his talented team shone in the South American qualifiers. Spearheaded by their experienced talisman James Rodriguez, La Tricolor will also be counting on standout performances from their other stars, including Richard Rios, Luis Diaz and Jhon Arias.
Colombia coach: Nestor Lorenzo
Although his track record as a head coach may not seem particularly extensive, Lorenzo has vast football experience, both as a player and as part of the backroom staff. Having served as Jose Pekerman’s right-hand man during the 2014 and 2018 campaigns, the Argentine knows the national team set-up inside out and is well aware of what it means to compete at a World Cup.
After taking the reins in June 2022, Lorenzo quickly crafted an approach reminiscent of Pekerman’s era. In addition to successfully bringing James back into the fold, he put his faith in a crop of less experienced players, such as Rios, Arias, Kevin Castano and Jhon Duran – an approach that has paid off handsomely.
Colombia’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group
Los Cafeteros will discover their opposition and where they will play at the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26™, which is set to take place at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC from noon local time (18:00 CET) on Friday, 5 December.
Full World Cup 26 match schedule
How Colombia qualified for World Cup 26
Qualification was sealed with one game to spare on Matchday 17 of the South American preliminaries, in which Colombia finished third on 28 points, ten behind the leaders Argentina. In front of a home crowd who roared on the team in a carnival atmosphere, a fired-up James set the tone with the opener, before goals from Jhon Cordoba and Juanfer Quintero secured a resounding 3-0 victory over Bolivia. Colombia ended their 18 game qualification campaign with a record of seven victories, seven draws and four defeats.
Colombia’s World Cup history
Colombia’s best World Cup
Colombia’s impressive 2014 campaign in Brazil will be remembered as one in which the team’s lofty aspirations were achieved out on the pitch. In their best-ever showing, the South Americans began by collecting maximum points in Group C, swatting Greece aside 3-0 in their curtain-raiser before a nervier 2-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire was followed by a commanding 4-1 win over Japan. They then advanced to the round of 16, where they defeated Uruguay 2-0 to book a last-eight clash against Brazil. Although they bowed out as beaten quarter-finalists, there was some consolation for James, whose six-goal tally earned him the adidas Golden Boot.
Colombia’s last World Cup
Colombia’s last outing was at Russia 2018, where Pekerman’s side experienced a rollercoaster tournament. Their opening 2-1 defeat by Japan shook the squad’s confidence but, just a few days later, they bounced back with a bang thanks to a sparkling 3-0 victory against Poland, before rounding off the group stage by edging out Senegal 1-0. With James sidelined by injury, the team put in a resilient Round of 16 display against England, with Yerry Mina’s late leveller taking the game to extra time, only for La Tricolor to bow out 4-3 on penalties.
Colombia’s first World Cup
Los Cafeteros were eliminated at the group stage on their debut at Chile 1962, having succumbed 2-1 to Uruguay and 5-0 to Yugoslavia in their opener and final match respectively. In between those fixtures, they mounted a spectacular comeback to draw 4-4 against the Soviet Union in a clash that the South Americans were losing 3-0 after 11 minutes and 4-1 in the 56th minute.
Colombia’s World Cup top scorer
James is Colombia’s leading World Cup scorer, with six goals to his name. Remarkably, the brilliant Cucuta-born attacking midfielder scored them all at Brazil 2014, when he announced himself on the world stage by claiming the adidas Golden Boot. Although he had already played for top European clubs Porto and Monaco, his displays at that World Cup catapulted him to the next level. This ultimately paved the way for him to join the list of Galacticos at Real Madrid. Defender Mina sits in second spot, with a total of three goals.
Colombia’s record World Cup appearance makers
Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama lead the way for World Cup appearances for Colombia, having each featured ten times across the 1990, 1994 and 1998 competitions. Juan Cuadrado and David Ospina jointly occupy second place with nine outings apiece across the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. With eight appearances already under his belt, James could top the table if he lines up three more times at the showpiece event on North American soil.
Colombia’s memorable World Cup moment
During their run to the quarter-finals of the 2014 tournament, James produced a moment of magic which will live long in the memory of football fans around the globe. Midway through the first half of their Round of 16 meeting with Uruguay, he received the ball on his chest outside the box, with his back to goal and several defenders in attendance. In an instant, the ball was in the back of the net as James produced a lightning turn and breathtaking left-foot volley which arrowed beyond the despairing dive of Fernando Muslera and into the top corner.
Colombia’s biggest World Cup wins
Colombia have recorded a trio of victories by a three-goal margin in World Cup competition. Two of those wins came in 2014, courtesy of a particularly attacking side that dominated their group, beating Greece 3-0 on 14 June before dismantling Japan 4-1 on 24 June. They followed this up exactly four years later in Russia, recovering from a shaky start to eventually bag an impressive 3-0 win over Poland in their group-stage encounter on 24 June 2018. The team that day boasted some formidable firepower, including Cuadrado, James, Quintero and Radamel Falcao, who produced a clinical finish following a slick passing move.
