Colombia World Cup 2018
Colombia will be heading to Russia looking to build on their brilliant run to the Quarter Finals in 2014. Colombia haven’t exactly got the richest World Cup history, but they are steadily improving as a footballing nation.
History at the World Cup
They made their World Cup debut at the 1962 finals in Chile, but exited the competition without advancing past the group stage. A wait of twenty-eight years followed before they would qualify again, and at Italia ’90 they made it through to the last 16 for the first time. Two group stage exits followed, in 1994 and 1998, and then they failed to qualify again until 2014. That tournament in Brazil was where Colombia announced themselves on the world stage.
They topped a group containing Ivory Coast, Greece, and Japan to advance to the knock-out stages and a meeting with Uruguay. They were the underdog but their game plan worked perfectly and they picked up a 2-0 victory to reach their first ever World Cup Quarter Final. In the last eight, they faced the hosts and tournament favourites Brazil. They didn’t seem too over-awed by the occasion and gave the Brazilians a run for their money before ultimately losing 2-1.
- World Cup Finals Appearances – 5
- Previous Best Performance – Quarter Final
How they qualified
Colombia eventually scraped through CONMEBOL qualifying, finishing in the final automatic qualification position by a single point above Peru. They looked to be cruising towards qualification at one point, but their form dipped and they went without a win in the final four games.
They did only lose one of those, picking up three points from the four including a vital draw away to Peru in the final qualifier. It could have been much easier but they ended up making life hard for themselves, although they will be satisfied that they achieved their aim of booking a place in Russia.
Coach/Manager
The highly experienced Jose Pekerman has been in-charge of the Colombia national team since 2012, leading them to the World Cup for the first time in sixteen years and then their first ever Quarter Final. Colombia are the second nation to reach the Quarter Final of a World Cup under Pekerman, as he took his home nation Argentina to the last eight in 2006.
Pekerman hasn’t been short of criticism during his many years in management, with some questioning his tactical changes and experimental formations. But, he has had plenty of success so must be doing something right.
Star Players
The star of the show for Colombia is captain and all-time leading goal scorer, Radamel Falcao. The Monaco forward has netted twenty-eight times for his country, and has been a pivotal part of the squad for many years. Attacking midfielder James Rodriguez, currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, is another stand-out player and perhaps the most exciting member of the Colombia squad.
He was the top scorer at Brazil 2014, with his six goals being vital in helping his side reach the last eight. Rodriguez sits third on the all-time goal scorer list for Colombia, and is fast catching Falcao at the top of that list.
Colombia World Cup 2018: Assessing Their Chances & Odds
Colombia have been drawn in what many believe to be the weakest group in the tournament, with Poland, Japan, and Senegal. It may look weak on paper but there are only 38 places separating the highest and lowest FIFA ranked teams in the group, and that should make for extremely competitive matches.
Colombia are priced as 5/4 favourites to win the group, with Ladbrokes, despite being the second highest ranked of the four. If they can get through to the next round, they will play the winners or runners-up of Group G. This is highly likely to be England or Belgium, who should prove to be too strong for the Colombians. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that Colombia will lose that and Germany or Brazil would be their likely opponents if they made it through to the Quarter Final again.
Our Colombia World Cup Prediction
We agree with the betting odds and believe that Colombia will win the group. This means they will move on to face the runners-up of Group G, which will be England or Belgium unless Panama or Tunisia create one of the World Cup’s biggest ever shocks. For us, Colombia will give either of those teams a tough challenge, but we believe they will fall short and exit the tournament in the last 16.