Good coffee! Midfielder James Rodríguez, from Minnesota United, and forward Luis Díaz, from Bayern Munich, lead the list of 26 players who will represent Colombia in the next World Cup in 2026, a call without surprises in which the players that coach Néstor Lorenzo usually calls appeared.
«I want to thank all the boys and soccer players who were part of the calls, the process. Also thank those who were not part of it, but were always raising the bar of performance so that the national team was a competitive place to come to when it was their turn,” Lorenzo said this Monday at a press conference in Bogotá.
In addition to Rodríguez and Díaz, Colombia will be represented in the World Cup by other team regulars such as center backs Davinson Sánchez, Jhon Lucumí and Yerry Mina; the sides Daniel Muñoz and Johan Mojica; the midfielders Jefferson Lerma, Juan Fernando Quintero, Richard Ríos and Jhon Arias, and the forward Jhon Córdoba.
The only notable absences are of players who were in the process, but were not starters, such as center back Yerson Mosquera, from Wolverhampton, and forward Rafael Santos Borré, from Internacional, to whom, Lorenzo revealed, it was difficult to communicate the decision because “he has contributed a lot to the national team.”
The “coffee” team is part of group K with Portugal, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the latter winner of one of the play-offs that were held in March.
Colombia’s first match will be against the Asians of Uzbekistan on Wednesday, June 17 (10 pm ET) at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, and six days later, on Tuesday, June 23 (10 pm ET) they will play against the Africans of the Congo in Guadalajara.
The Colombians will close their participation in the group stage against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Miami, on Saturday, June 27 (7:30 pm ET), one of the most striking matches of the first round of the tournament.
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The Colombian list
– Goalkeepers:
Álvaro Montero (Vélez Sarsfield-ARG), David Ospina (Atlético Nacional) and Camilo Vargas (Atlas-MEX).
– Defenders:
Santiago Arias (Independiente-ARG), Willer Ditta (Cruz Azul-MEX), Jhon Lucumí (Bologna-ITA), Deiver Machado (Nantes-FRA), Yerry Mina (Cagliari-ITA), Johan Mojica (Mallorca-ESP), Daniel Muñoz (Crystal Palace-GBR) and Davinson Sánchez (Galatasaray-TUR).
– Midfielders:
Jhon Arias (Palmeiras-BRA), Jaminton Campaz (Rosario Central-ARG), Jorge Carrascal (Flamengo-BRA), Kevin Castaño (River Plate-ARG), Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace-GBR), Juan Camilo Portilla (Athletico Paranaense-BRA), Gustavo Puerta (Racing-ESP), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate-ARG), James Rodríguez (Minnesota United-USA) and Richard Ríos (Benfica-POR).
– Forwards:
Jhon Córdoba (Krasnodar-RUS), Carlos Andrés Gómez (Vasco Da Gama-BRA), Juan Camilo Hernández (Real Betis-ESP), Luis Suárez (Sporting-POR), and Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich-GER).
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Lorenzo appeals to performance
Colombia’s coach, Néstor Lorenzo, appealed to the country’s unity around his team and said that he privileged the “current performance” of the players when presenting the 26 called up for the 2026 World Cup in a press conference, a conference in which he avoided talking about their future after the tournament.
“I think that Cucho’s current situation at this moment is better,” said Lorenzo when justifying the presence of forward Juan Camilo Hernández (Real Betis-ESP) and the absence of Rafael Santos Borré, one of the most difficult decisions he made to form the Colombian roster for the championship of Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Regarding James Rodríguez, captain and main reference of the team, Lorenzo assured that he arrived at the concentration “very well” despite some minor physical discomfort in recent days.
“James is fine, he arrived very well, he has trained a lot, he had a little pain that kept him away from a couple of training sessions, but he is fine, he is in good shape,” he said.
The coach insisted that the preparation of the list was complex even from the preselection of 55 footballers and explained that he evaluated factors such as the competitive level of the leagues, physical condition, recent injuries, continuity and changes of club or coach.
Lorenzo also explained that the change in the date of the preparatory friendly with Costa Rica initially scheduled for May 29, which will be played on June 1, in Bogotá, altered the initial plans of the coaching staff, which intended to work first with an expanded group of between 30 and 32 players before defining the final call-up.
“The idea was to prepare the match on the 29th as a test bench (…) but since the match happened after the date that FIFA gives us to deliver the final list, we thought it was better to give the list now,” he explained.
At the close of the press conference, the coach was asked if this will be his last call as head of Colombia, but he avoided giving definitions about his continuity.
“Don’t know. For now, until I have a contract, yes. I’m preparing for the World Cup, nothing more. I don’t think after the World Cup. “God will tell,” responded the strategist, whose relationship with Colombia is valid until next July.
