First Touch ’26 - Colombia

No country rides the emotional roller coaster of the World Cup quite like Colombia. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of Los Cafeteros—a team of dazzling highs and devastating lows, back on the biggest stage after an eight-year absence. We go from the game’s beginnings in Barranquilla and the wild “El Dorado” era, when Colombia briefly hosted the world’s best league, through the joyful, chaotic 1990s: Carlos Valderrama’s iconic hair and passes, René Higuita’s scorpion kick, the rising hopes of a new South American powerhouse—and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar’s own goal and murder, which scarred both the national team and the country’s image during the height of narco-football. Colombia Script

From there, we fast-forward to the 2014 World Cup and James Rodríguez’s star turn, the choreographed celebrations that made Colombia everyone’s second team, and the painful 2022 qualifying failure that forced a reset. We break down the rebuild under manager Néstor Lopez, including a 28-game unbeaten streak, a Copa América final against Argentina, and a 2026 qualifying campaign that saw Colombia finish third in the brutal CONMEBOL gauntlet. With Luis Díaz now starring for Bayern Munich, James still pulling strings in a 4-3-1-2, and Yaser Asprilla emerging as the next great creative talent, Colombia arrive in a Group K clash with Uzbekistan, Portugal, and a yet-to-be-determined opponent eyeing another quarterfinal run. Along the way, we spotlight Valderrama as a national hero, the ferocious domestic rivalries that define Colombian football culture, and even why a country with 18 public holidays might just be the perfect home for the world’s most joyful fans.