Colombia has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the seventh time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. In 2014, Colombia achieved its best tournament result by reaching the quarterfinals, where they were narrowly defeated 2-1 by hosts Brazil.
Earlier today, head coach Néstor Lorenzo announced the full squad. The captain and absolute leader of the team is James Rodríguez. The 34-year-old midfielder is one of the most experienced players in the squad and will play his third FIFA World Cup for Colombia. The most experienced player for Colombia is goalkeeper David Ospina. He is the recordholder with 129 caps for the country. Other key players in the squad are Davinson Sánchez (Galatasaray), Yerry Mina (Cagliari), Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), and star player Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich).
Goalkeepers: Camilo Vargas (Atlas), Álvaro Montero (Vélez Sarsfield), David Ospina (Atlético Nacional)
Defenders: Daniel Muñoz (Crystal Palace), Dávinson Sánchez (Galatasaray), Jhon Lucumí (Bologna), Johan Mojica (Mallorca), Willer Ditta (Cruz Azul), Santiago Arias (Independiente), Déiver Machado (Nantes), Yerry Mina (Cagliari)
Midfielders: Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace), Jhon Arias (Palmeiras), Jorge Carrascal (Flamengo), Juan Camilo Portilla (Athletico Paranaense), Richard Ríos (Benfica), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), Gustavo Puerta (Racing de Santander), Kevin Castaño (River Plate), James Rodríguez (Minnesota United), Jaminton Campaz (Rosario Central)
Forwards: Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich), Jhon Córdoba (Krasnodar), Luis Suárez (Sporting CP), Cucho Hernández (Real Betis), Carlos Andrés Gómez (Vasco da Gama)
Colombia had to qualify through the tough South American group. The group’s top six teams earned direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Colombia opened with a 1-0 home win over Venezuela, but followed it up with three consecutive draws. On matchday 5, Brazil came to Colombia. In Barranquilla, Los Cafeteros beat Brazil 2-1 with two goals from star player Luis Díaz. Colombia kept going strong with an away victory over Paraguay and a draw against Peru. On matchday 8, world champions Argentina came to Barranquilla. Colombia won 2-1 to keep their unbeaten run going. That unbeaten run ended a month later. In the extreme altitude of El Alto, Los Cafeteros suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bolivia. Five days later, at home against Chile, the Colombians won 4-0 to close the first half of the qualification with 19 points and a second place behind Argentina.
Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup seemed to be a matter of time. Colombia went on a bad streak of matches. After losing three matches in a row, they went on to draw their next three. The final draw of the three in the away game against Argentina gave Colombia some of the confidence back they had earlier in the campaign. At home, they got revenge for their previous 1-0 loss by defeating Bolivia 3-0. That win secured Colombia’s ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Los Cafeteros wrapped up their qualifying campaign with a wild 6-3 victory away against Venezuela. Star player Luis Díaz was the top goalscorer for the Colombians with seven goals during the qualifiers. Colombia ended the group with 28 points in third place behind Argentina and Ecuador.
Colombia will play its matches in Group K. The Colombians start their World Cup campaign on June 17 in Mexico City, Mexico, against debutants Uzbekistan. Six days later, they take on DR Congo in Guadalajara. For their final group stage match, they travel to Miami, Florida, to take on Portugal on June 27. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Colombia Schedule
Marcel Dorff Marcel Dorff covers Mixed Martial Arts & Soccer for Heavy.com. He has covered MMA on a professional level since 2022. More about Marcel Dorff
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