Colombia’s Path to the 2026 World Cup: Important Dates

The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) has confirmed the dates for Colombia’s next two matches on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada and the United States. The Colombian team will face Uruguay and Ecuador in October, which will be Matchdays 3 and 4 of the South American Qualifiers.

Vision of Colombia returning to the elite of the Soccer World Cup

The journey towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins next September with the South American Qualifiers. In the first two matchdays, which were already known, Colombia will face Venezuela at home on September 7th. In the second match, Nestor Lorenzo’s team will visit and compete against Chile on September 12th.

This week, the FCF announced the following two matchdays. In Matchday 3, the Colombians will host Uruguay in Barranquilla on October 12th. The match will kick off at 3:30 pm, in the intense Caribbean heat of Colombia.

For Matchday 4, the Colombian team will travel to the capital of Ecuador, where they will face Felix Sánchez’s team on October 17th at 6:30 pm, Colombian time.

The goal for the Colombians is to overcome the huge disappointment of Qatar 2022. In the controversial World Cup in the emirate, the Colombians were eliminated following a poor qualifying phase. After competing in two consecutive World Cups (2014 in Brazil and 2018 in Russia), the Colombian team missed the opportunity to continue making history in the premier competition for national teams.

The 1990s were a good period for Colombian football. The national team’s participation in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups brought Colombia back to the global football stage after many years. Prior to that magical decade, the country had only participated in one World Cup, the 1962 edition.

However, after the 1998 World Cup, Colombia went through a long dry spell, missing out on the 2002, 2006, and 2010 tournaments. The team made a strong return in the Brazilian World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals and narrowly losing 2-1 to the host nation, Brazil, in a controversial match.

Challenges During the Rise of Women’s Football

The journey that the men’s national team begins in September coincides with the rise of their female counterparts. In the recent Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the team coached by Nelson Abadia reached the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by England, the reigning European champion, who would go on to lose the final against Spain.

With this result, the Colombian women’s team matched the greatest achievement in Colombian football history, reaching the quarter-finals of a World Cup, which the men’s team achieved in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Now, a new opportunity arises for the Colombian men’s team to participate in the 2026 World Cup, hoping to continue adding to the successes of Colombian football.