Colombia World Cup 2026 team guide

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

The plan

Today’s Selección Colombia still have a core of players that are remembered fondly from the Brazil and Russia World Cup finals tournaments in 2014 and 2018 respectively. A few of them are taking part in their third tournament, led by James Rodríguez, still a key figure in a side whose 4-2-3-1 formation is built around his No 10 position. There is support out wide, where Luis Díaz has become a source of goals, though not to the extent to which he shines for Bayern Munich.

Colombia had a rollercoaster ride to this World Cup. Their qualification campaign included moments of glory, such as the 2-1 victory against Brazil or the revenge over Argentina for their 2024 Copa América final defeat. But then came a 1-0 defeat in Bolivia that started a run of six matches without a win and endangered their place in the finals. In the end two thrashings of Bolivia and Venezuela sealed their spot.

Doubts over the team remain after disappointing friendly performances against Croatia and France in March but the coach, the 60-year-old Néstor Lorenzo, is optimistic. “The way Colombia play – trying to play on the front foot, not hiding – gives me satisfaction,” he told La Nación in his native Argentina. “The idea is to play well, not just win at any cost. And the team feel that: they believe in the idea and here we are. Let’s hope we start well and can put together the best World Cup in Colombia’s history.”

That would mean going past the quarter-final stage, which José Pekerman’s side reached in 2014. Aside from Díaz and Rodríguez, the goalscoring responsibilities are expected to fall on the shoulders of Luis Suárez – not that one. Before finding the net in the June warm-up friendly against Costa Rica, the 28-year-old striker had scored all four of his international goals in one game against Venezuela last year. Since joining Sporting from Almería last summer, he has hammered in 38 goals in all competitions in Portugal.

The coach

In the fifth World Cup of his career, Néstor Lorenzo will lead a team as head coach for the first time. He played for Argentina in 1990 and was assistant to José Pekerman with Argentina in 2006, and again with Colombia in 2014 and 2018. “José has been like a father to me,” Lorenzo said. “I’d barely got my coaching badges when he brought me on to the national team staff. He’s known me since I was little, almost always as a fellow coach, but he also coached me in the Argentinos reserves.” Aside from Colombia, the only other team Lorenzo has led was Melgar de Arequipa in Peru. That hasn’t stopped the former defender, who played under Ossie Ardiles at Swindon, from doing a good job.

Star player

Luis Díaz arrived on the scene after the 2018 World Cup and had to wait to become Colombia’s most important player. He became a household name at the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, firing Colombia to the semi-finals with a tournament-best goal haul of four. Now 29, the former Liverpool winger has grown in maturity and was sensational for Bayern Munich this season, winning a league and cup double. “I know we have a great selección, a great team, great coaches. Qualifying was decent for us because we got some very big results,” Díaz told ESPN.

One to watch

Andrés Gómez has played only a handful of games for Colombia but he has hit the ground running. On his first cap in December 2023 he scored the winning goal against Mexico and subsequently struck a late equaliser away at Uruguay in a game that Colombia ended up losing. The Vasco da Gama forward is a bit of a late bloomer but, at 24, he is now mature enough to be a credible alternative to Jhon Arias or even Luis Díaz. He had a very tough start to life. “As I kid, I grew up watching some of my friends get killed and saw others follow the wrong path. But my whole family has always been into football,” he told Chocó 7 Días.

Unsung hero

The man who brings balance to Colombia is Jefferson Lerma, who did not come through the system at any of the big domestic clubs. He earned his move to Europe from the modest Atlético Huila and was a surprise pick in José Pekerman’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, having not played a part in qualifying. Now the Crystal Palace player is a certain starter in midfield alongside Richard Ríos. The Benfica star may be in charge of providing the fireworks, but it is Lerma’s job to cover the spaces and do the dirty work.

Probable starting XI

What to expect from fans at games?

Colombia’s supporters are among the most loyal in the world. They filled stadiums in Brazil and even Russia. The fact that there are lots of Colombian immigrants in Mexico and the US, although less so in Canada, guarantees a sizable presence of “yellow fever” at this World Cup. The group game against Portugal in Miami is the second-most requested match for tickets at the tournament behind the final. That being said, Colombian fans will have to be careful because they will be watched closely by the authorities after the unrest in the stands at the 2024 Copa América in the US.

Relationship with the US/Trump?

The national team are yet to get dragged into what is a fairly difficult relationship between Donald Trump’s administration and the Colombian government led by Gustavo Petro. The outgoing president Petro had his American visa revoked – since reinstated – and he and his inner circle were, in October 2025, placed on the US government’s “Clinton List” (the treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control). The US treasury accused Petro of presiding over a “disastrous and ineffective” drug policy. Meetings between the two countries have since calmed the tensions. Petro denied he had threatened to pull Colombia out of the World Cup if Israel qualified after rumours were circling on social media.

Written by José Orlando Ascencio for El Tiempo.