Colombia are currently lying at position 13 in the Fifa rankings, and are paired in Group K of the 2026 Fifa World Cup with the European champions Portugal, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On June 18, Colombia started their campaign at the World Cup well with a remarkable 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, then beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 on Wednesday.
Going into their last group match against Portugal on Sunday (June 28 ), Colombia led Group K on six points.
Colombia did not compete in the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. The team failed to qualify for the tournament, having finishing sixth in the South American (CONMEBOL) qualifiers missing out on both an automatic qualification spot and the inter-confederation play-offs by a single point.
An illustration of the 2026 Fifa World Cup by the numbers.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Colombia have recently played second fiddle to their South American neighbours in terms of world cup appearances. Giants Brazil are the only country in the world to have appeared all the 23 editions of the Fifa World Cup. Argentina have made 19 appearances, and Uruguay have qualified 15 times. Colombia have qualified for the tournament seven times; in 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014, 2018 and in 2026.
Colombia’s best performance in the World Cup was in 2014 when they were eliminated in the quarter finals by hosts Brazil who beat them 2-1. That year, Colombia won “Fifa Fair Play Award” for good sporting conduct, and their star player James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot award with six goals.
Andres Escobar.
Photo credit: Pool
One incident of murder stunned the world and brought Colombia to the global limelight during 1994 Fifa World Cup that was hosted by USA.
Colombia were one of Latin America’s representatives in the tournament alongside Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil. While fans globally were glued to their TV sets watching the preliminary round of the tournament, they were hit by shock and disbelief when news filtered through that Colombia’s team captain Andre Escobar had been fatally shot.
The central defender and his team had just been eliminated from the 1994 Fifa World Cup at the group stage. Escobar, one of Colombia’s most outstanding players of his generation was shot and killed in the wee hours of July 2, 1994.
Escobar, who had just returned back home with the rest of the team, had gone out with close friends at El Indio Nightclub and Restaurant in his home city of Medellin which is Colombia’s second biggest city after the capital city of Bogota.
Colombia fans in the stands during their Group K Fifa World Cup 2026 match against DR Congo at Estadio Guadalajara in Mexico on June 23, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
Four assailants trailed him as he left the night club, and an argument ensued concerning an own goal the player had conceded against USA which ended up eliminating Colombia from the tournament at the group stage. Colombia had been paired with USA, Romania and Switzerland in Group A of the tournament.
The killer was identified as Humberto Castro Munoz, a bodyguard and driver to Santiago Gallon, one of Colombia’s powerful drug barons at the time. Humberto was heard shouting “goal! goal” as he pumped each of the six bullets into Escobar, who died half an hour later on his way to the hospital. Humberto was later found guilty and was sentenced to 46 years of imprisonment.
Through Humbertos’ confession, the world learnt that Escobar’s death was liked to bookmakers and the gambling underworld. Believing that Colombia would go past the preliminary stage of the tournament, gamblers placed huge bets on the team.
It is noteworthy that Colombia sent a strong squad to the 1994 Fifa World Cup, and having beaten Argentina 5-0 away during the qualifiers held in 1993 before Argentina’s own fans, Colombians were certain that the team would go past the group stage in the tournament.
Earlier as the tournament started, the legendary Pele predicted that Colombia was among the teams with the potential to reach the semi-finals.
DR Congo's Charles Pickel (left) in action with Colombia's Jhon Arias during their Group K Fifa World Cup 2026 match at Estadio Guadalajara in Mexico on June 23, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
Escobar was the mainstay of Colombia’s central defence in the build up to the final. He was dependable and a highly gifted player, who had occasionally held the captain’s armband alongside prolific midfielder Carlos Valderama. Like Valderama, Escobar had a commanding presence on the field and was highly respected by his teammates.
Escobar led one of Colombia’s most talented players to the 1994 Fifa World Cup. The team had midfield maestro Valderama, Freddie Rincon and Gabriel Gomez, and the lethal twin striking force of Faustino Asprilia and Adolfo Valencia.
After Escobar had led Colombia to a 5-0 humiliation of home team Argentina in Buenos Aires in the 1994 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, the Buenos Aires crowd and the whole country demanded the return of Diego Maradona, who had quietly left the team. Argentinian football federation yielded to the mounting pressure and Maradona returned to the squad ahead of the 1994 Fifa World Cup.
Escobar was a highly disciplined player and a hugely popular figure in the team, thanks to his talent, even temper and gentle demeanour. At the club level, he played for Colombia’s top league side Atletico Nationale who were once south America’s continental champions in 1989, then he also played for top Swiss side and perennial champions, BSC Young Boys. AC Milan had intended to engage him after the 1994 World cup due to his prowess around the same time the tragedy struck.
Andres Escobar.
Photo credit: Pool
At the time of Escobar’s murder, Colombia had a poor reputation of being South America’s capital of narcotics. It was a multi-billion dollar underground trade that cut across continents as reported then, controlled by cartels that even infiltrated the government. Notorious drug lords in Colombia at the time were Escobar (not related to Andre) who had escaped jail in 1992, but was later killed in a shootout with the authorities in 1993.
Colombia's Luis Diaz celebrates a goal against DR Congo during their Group K Fifa World Cup 2026 match at Estadio Guadalajara in Mexico on June 23, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
It is also noteworthy that Andre Escobar’s teammate, legendary goalkeeper Renne Higuita who stood out during 1990 Fifa World Cup in Italy, also found himself in trouble and was arrested for his involvement with, and visiting Pablo Escobar while the drug baron was in jail in 1993. Higuita was jailed and missed the 1994 Fifa World Cup. His place was taken by Oscar Cordoba.
Fifa strongly condemned Escorbar’s shooting, and described it as a senseless act of violence over a ‘sporting mistake’. Cesar Gavaria who was Colombia’s president at the time, strongly condemned the incident as a cowardly act and led more than 120,000 Colombians, among them dignitaries and government officials, to Escobar’s funeral at Ivan de Bedout Stadium in Medellin City.
In the days that followed, Gavaria become the main focus of criticism both home and abroad for his inability to firmly deal with the drug problem.
He has been honoured globally and in his home town of Medellin with public monuments, social initiatives, and fan tributes. In 2002 the City of Medellin unveiled a public statue in honour of his memory and legacy, and the Andre Escobar Social Project, a youth programme designed to keep children in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods away from drugs, gang culture and violence.
Colombia aims to make an impression at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and their Argentine tactician Nestor Lorenzo has depth of highly experienced and youthful players to realize their long-time dream of surpassing their best achievement of 2014. Perhaps advancing to the round of 32 would be a good place to start the journey towards keeping Andres Escobar’s legacy alive.
