Our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team previews continue with a look at Colombia.
Colombia are about to embark on their seventh World Cup adventure, and their first since 2018.
Their best tournament was in Brazil in 2014 when they reached the quarter-finals thanks largely to the brilliance of James Rodriguez, who has made the squad his time around, too.
Los Cafeteros will be confident of reaching the last eight.
They convinced in qualification, coming third in the CONMEBOL table with a blend of exciting young players and experienced older heads.
They are priced at 33/1 by the bookies, making them 10th-favourites to clinch a first victory.
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SQUAD
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Colombia got off to a strong start in qualifying, going unbeaten for their first eight matches, in a run that included 2-1 wins over both Brazil and Argentina. They then suffered a blip, in the form of four defeats in five matches, before rallying with three draws and two wins to ensure they finished third in CONMEBOL qualifying, behind Argentina and Ecuador.
Los Cafeteros finished level on 28 points with Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay after a hard-fought qualifying campaign. They ended up with the same goal difference as Uruguay but finished above them by virtue of goals scored.
Only Argentina, with 31, found the net more frequently than Colombia, whose 28 goals were supplemented by nine in their final two matches against Bolivia and Venezuela.
Nestor Lorenzo’s men topped the rankings in CONMEBOL qualifying non-penalty expected goals (xG) with 1.45 but their defence was less convincing. Their expected goals conceded (xGC) of 0.88 placed them sixth out of 10.
Indeed, none of the other five South American teams that qualified conceded on more occasions (18).
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
*note: the xG in the above table is non-penalty
Luis Diaz ($8.1m) enjoyed an exceptional first season at Bayern Munich, recording 18 goals and 14 assists, and his international campaign was equally influential. Diaz struck seven goals and had a total of 55 shots – nearly twice the number of goal attempts as his nearest team-mate, James Rodriguez ($6.5m), who scored thrice from 29 attempts – one of which was a penalty.
Colombia’s most clinical forward was Luis Suarez ($5.7m), who rattled off four goals from only five shots, but all of those goals came in that final-day demolition of Venezuela. The Sporting striker played only 124 minutes in the entire campaign.
The two Jhons, Cordoba ($6.1m) and Duran, also contributed two goals apiece, the former recording an xG of 4.63 with an efficient xG per shot of 0.23, markedly better than the former Aston Villa forward’s 2.50 and 0.12. But Duran has since been left out of the squad amid rumours of a fall-out with Lorenzo.
Duran’s omission should boost Suarez’s prospects of making the team, and his four-goal salvo against Venezuela will have done his prospects no harm at all.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFYING
Rodriguez was Colombia’s creator-in-chief during qualifying, producing six assists. His expected assists (xG assisted) tally of 6.77 was a CONMEBOL high, as was his total of key passes (61).
Luis Diaz weighed in with three assists to add to his seven goals, while midfielder Jhon Arias and wing-back Daniel Munoz delivered 13 and 16 key passes, respectively.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result (Colombia first) | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2025 | Mexico (n) | 4-0 | Lucumi, Diaz, Lerma, Carbonero |
| 16 October 2025 | Canada (n) | 0-0 | |
| 16 November 2025 | New Zealand (n) | 2-1 | Puerta, Carbonero |
| 19 November 2025 | Australia (n) | 3-0 | Rodriguez (pen), Diaz, Lerma |
| 26 March 2026 | Croatia (n) | 1-2 | J Arias |
| 29 March 2026 | France (n) | 1-3 | Campaz |
| 2 June 2026 | Costa Rica (h) | 3-1 | Sanchez, Diaz, Suarez |
Colombia have played seven friendlies since qualifying, recording four wins and two losses.
The two defeats came in March but the opposition was considerably stronger than their previous adversaries and they will have learnt much from defeats to Croatia and France.
In both those matches, they deployed a 4-2-3-1 with Suarez leading the line, and they effectively had as many shots as their opponents on both occasions, but ultimately they were undone by more clinical finishing.
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
You can see why Colombia players are appearing in many Round 1 drafts.
Their most favourable fixtures come first, against Uzbekistan and DR Congo. Those two opponents lie 50th and 46th in the world rankings. Unsurprisingly, Nestor Lorenzo’s side are odds-on favourites in both matches.
It’s abandon ship in Round 3. Not only are Portugal formidable foes but qualification could be assured by the final game, so rotation may ensue.
All in all, Colombia players are strong opening picks for those on a Round 3 Wildcard strategy.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
While James Rodriguez ($6.5m) may lack the legs of the J-Rod of 2014, he was the creative force of Colombia during qualifying. It’s worth noting that he seems to be first in line for spot-kicks, scoring a penalty in a recent friendly.
Rodriguez has been granted early leave from Minnesota United to prepare for these finals, so will be both fully prepared for the demands of the tournament and acclimatised to the weather in Mexico and Florida.
He will look to link up with the exceptional Luis Diaz ($8.1m), whose form for club and country has been outstanding. Like Rodriguez, the Bayern winger can deliver assists, but he also has goalscoring in his repertoire. However, given the cheaper price tag of Rodriguez and the fact that Fantasy midfielders get rewards for key passes (and not shots), the veteran is probably the pick of the two.
The jury is still out on Luis Suarez ($5.7m), but he scored 38 goals in 53 appearances for Sporting in 2025/26 and four goals in Colombia’s last competitive game, so he could well catch fire at these finals. Given the budget price, he’s one to monitor.
At the rear, Colombia’s so-so defensive record in qualifying is a concern but they could achieve shutouts against DR Congo and Uzbekistan.
Daniel Munoz ($4.6m) deserves a mention, therefore. Colombia are a front-footed team and so the Crystal Palace man could well prove a decent source of points at both ends of the pitch.
His combined total of 22 shots and key passes was the highest of any Colombian defender in qualification:
Johan Mojica ($3.9m) seems to be first in line at left-back, for those who need a cheaper Colombia defender.
Camilo Vargas ($4.3m) is also picking up popularity between the sticks, although he’s hurtling towards the 5% ownership mark – and thus wouldn’t qualify for Scouting Bonus if he passes it.
