Colombia national football team
The Colombia national football team, nicknamed Los Cafeteros, represents Colombia in men's international football and is managed by the Federación Colombiana de Fútbol, the governing body for football in Colombia. They are a member of CONMEBOL and are ranked 13th in the FIFA World Rankings as of April 2025. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in the country. The national team has been a symbol of nationalism, pride and passion for many Colombians worldwide. Colombia is known for having a passionate fan base, and the team's dances during goal celebrations have been symbolic.
The Colombian team has participated in six FIFA World Cups: 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014 and 2018. It has also qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
In the 2014 edition held in Brazil, the team achieved its best World Cup performance, reaching the quarter-finals and placing fifth in the final standings. Its greatest international achievement is winning the Copa América in 2001 as hosts, during which the team set a record by winning every match without conceding a single goal. Colombia also finished runner-up in 1975 and 2024 and finished third five times: in 1987, 1993, 1995, 2016, and 2021.
Furthermore, the team managed to make outstanding appearances at the continental level, obtaining from the Central American and Caribbean Games the gold and bronze medals in 1946 and 1938 respectively,
History
Early years and World Cup debut
The development of football in Colombia has long been the subject of scholarly debate. Most historians concur that the Caribbean Region served as the primary gateway through which the sport took root in the country. Its introduction is widely believed to date back to around 1900, when English railway engineers employed by The Colombia Railways Company brought the game with them. The Colombian Football Federation was formed in 1924, initially under the name Liga de Fútbol, and became affiliated with FIFA and CONMEBOL in 1936. Colombia played its first international match on 17 February 1926 against Costa Rica at the Julio Torres Stadium in Barranquilla, achieving a 4–1 victory with a team that competed under the name Selección Atlántico.In 1937, Colombia formed a national team for the Juegos del IV Centenario de Cali. Colombia contested four international fixtures at the newly inaugurated Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero, facing the Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and Cuba. Despite securing FIFA membership in 1936, Colombia withdrew from the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, opting instead to participate in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games. During this period, the Colombia national football team was composed predominantly of players from ‘‘Club Juventud Bogotana’’, reflecting the club’s central role in the early development of the national side. Alfonso Novoa served as Colombia’s manager until 23 February. The national team played its first match on 10 February 1938, suffering a 3–1 defeat to Mexico, with goals from Luis Argüelles, Luis de la Fuente and Horacio Casarín for Mexico, while Marcos Mejía netted Colombia’s lone goal. Despite the opening setback, Colombia went on to secure the bronze medal, finishing the tournament with two victories and three defeats. Later that year, Colombia competed at the I Bolivarian Games in Bogotá, where they placed fourth after recording one win and three losses. During this period, Fernando Paternoster took charge of the national team, becoming Colombia’s first foreign manager.
File:Colombia en el Sudamericano 1945, Estadio, 1945-01-26.jpg|thumb|left|Colombia at their first South American Championship in 1945
Colombia would not take the field again until 1945, when the nation at last entered the South American Championship for the first time, concluding the tournament in fifth place. On this occasion, the Colombian side was drawn almost entirely from the ranks of Junior de Barranquilla, with only two exceptions: Antonio de la Hoz, then of Sporting de Barranquilla, and Pedro Ricardo López, who plied his trade with Boca Juniors de Cali. Roberto Meléndez bore the dual mantle of player and coach for Colombia throughout the tournament. Though the nation withdrew from the 1946 edition, it turned its ambitions to the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla. There, Colombia emerged triumphant, vanquishing all six opponents, amassing twenty goals while conceding seven, and claiming the gold medal. At the helm of this victorious side stood the Peruvian strategist José Arana Cruz, whose guidance steered the team to its shining achievement.
Under the stewardship of the Argentine manager Lino Taioli, Colombia entered the 1947 South American Championship in Ecuador, yet fortune proved unkind. The team languished in eighth place, the lowest of all competitors, achieving only two draws—against Ecuador and Bolivia—while suffering five defeats and scoring a mere two goals throughout the tournament. These solitary strikes were delivered by Carlos Arango, who scored in the 1–5 loss to Peru, and Rafael Granados, who found the net in the 1–4 defeat to Chile in Colombia’s final fixture. In the aftermath of this disappointing campaign, Taioli’s tenure came to an end.
Colombia’s inaugural match in the professional era was contested on 6 April during the 1949 South American Championship, a contest that ended in a 3–0 defeat at the hands of Paraguay. At the helm stood the Austrian tactician Friedrich Donenfeld, who had relocated to Colombia with his family in the wake of World War II. Donenfeld’s first foray into Colombian football as a coach came with Atlético Junior, marking the beginning of his influential, if challenging, tenure with the national side. As Junior was chosen to represent Colombia in the tournament, he became the first European manager of the Colombia national team. The team, however, repeated their losing streak since, as in the previous tournament, by ending up eighth with two draws and five losses, scoring four goals.
Colombia chose to not enter the qualification process for the 1950 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil and also withdrew from the South American Championship in 1953. For the following World Cup in 1954, Colombia was banned from participating due to the controversial El Dorado era which witnessed the Colombian football league's breakaway from FIFA. Colombia also withdrew from the 1955 and 1956 editions of the South American Championship. Colombia returned to the 1957 South American Championship in Peru, finishing fifth with two wins and four losses. In this tournament, the team endured the heaviest defeat in its history, a 9–0 loss to Brazil. Colombia also made its first appearance in World Cup qualifying for the 1958 tournament in Sweden, opening with a 1–1 draw against Uruguay in Bogotá on 16 June 1957. Subsequent defeats left the team at the bottom of the group, preventing qualification.
Argentine Adolfo Pedernera orchestrated Colombia’s historic breakthrough as the team secured its first-ever qualification for the 1962 FIFA World Cup by overcoming Peru. The opening encounter in Bogotá concluded 1–0 in Colombia’s favor, with Eusebio Escobar converting the decisive goal. In the return fixture in Lima, Peru struck first with a third-minute penalty, yet Héctor González restored Colombia’s edge in the 68th minute, cementing a 2–1 aggregate triumph and the nation’s debut on football’s greatest stage.
Placed in a formidable group with Uruguay, UEFA Euro 1960 champions Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia, Colombia opened with a 2–1 loss to Uruguay, despite Francisco Zuluaga’s 19th-minute penalty—the nation’s first-ever goal at a World Cup. The following match produced an unforgettable spectacle: a 4–4 draw against the USSR, defined by América de Cali midfielder Marcos Coll’s Olympic goal, still the only direct corner goal in World Cup history. Colombia’s tournament concluded with a 5–0 defeat to Yugoslavia, who would ultimately finish fourth, leaving behind a series of historic milestones and indelible moments that would echo through Colombian football for generations.
First Copa América final and unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaigns (1963–1979)
After withdrawing from the two editions of the 1959 South American Championship in Argentina and Ecuador, Colombia participated in the 1963 South American Championship in Bolivia. Colombia finished last in the tournament with a draw and five defeats. For the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Colombia was placed in a group against Ecuador and Chile. The team finished in the bottom of their group with two points, with their only win being a 2–0 victory over Chile in Bogotá. The following year, Colombia had to qualify for the 1967 South American Championship by playing the same opponent, but was eliminated with a 5–2 defeat in Santiago and a goalless draw in Bogotá.Colombia entered qualifying for the 1970 World Cup in Group 2, drawn alongside heavyweights Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela. Despite spirited efforts, Colombia finished third in the group with one win, one draw and four defeats, falling short of a place at the finals. In the build‑up to the tournament, Colombia faced an illustrious England in a pre‑World Cup friendly, a match that ended in a 4–0 victory for the visitors. The result, however, was eclipsed by the infamous Bogotá Bracelet incident, in which Bobby Moore was briefly detained on allegations of theft during the team’s stay in Bogotá, a story that sparked international headlines and diplomatic attention.
At the 1975 Copa America, Colombia was placed in Group C with Paraguay and Ecuador. Colombia won all four games to advance to the semifinals against Uruguay. Colombia won 3–0 at home and lost 1–0 away, but the aggregate score allowed them to advance to the final for the first time in their history, where they faced Peru. Colombia won at home 1–0, but lost 2–0 away, so the champion was decided on neutral ground where Peru beat Colombia with a 25th-minute goal from Hugo Sotil.