The Colombian National Team is ready to turn a painful page, following the defeat against Argentina in the Copa América final in July, and now to write a new chapter that brings them closer to the World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the United States in 2026. Néstor Lorenzo revealed the call-ups for the matches of dates 7 and 8 of the South American Qualifiers. The core group remains, but there are some updates.
Without a doubt, the main novelty of the call-ups is the presence of Juan David Cabal, a player from Juventus who has had a significant role since he arrived with Thiago Motta. The defender can play as a center-back or full-back (at the Vecchia Signora he plays more on the wing) and would be the replacement for Davinson Sánchez, who is injured.
The others who made the list and were not at the Copa América are Kevin Mier, Yerson Mosquera, Cristian Borja, Jhon Solís, and Juan Camilo Hernández. From the runner-up squad of America, David Ospina, Deiver Machado, Matheus Uribe, Jorge Carrascal, Miguel Borja, and the aforementioned Davinson are out, some due to technical decisions and others due to physical issues.
James Rodríguez, who has yet to debut for Rayo Vallecano, might do so this Saturday against Espanyol, and would come with few minutes in the national team, but Lorenzo understands that this has never been a problem for the ’10’ and that he is needed now more than ever for his ideas and because the national team’s play heavily relies on his feet.
Richard Ríos and Jefferson Lerma are among the fixed players, just like Jhon Córdoba, who had a great Copa América and continues to be important for Krasnodar in Russia. Luis Díaz is also one of the essential players; the Liverpool winger started very well in the new era with coach Slot.
These are the call-ups for the qualifying matches against Peru and Argentina
- Goalkeepers: Camilo Vargas, Álvaro Montero, and Kevin Mier.
- Defenders: Carlos Cuesta, Daniel Muñoz, Juan David Cabal, Jhon Lucumí, Johan Mojica, Santiago Arias, Yerson Mosquera, Cristian Borja, and Yerry Mina.
- Midfielders: Kevin Castaño, Jefferson Lerma, Jhon Arias, Juan Fernando Quintero, James Rodríguez, Richard Ríos, Yaser Asprilla, and Jhon Solís.
- Forwards: Jhon Córdoba, Jhon Jader Durán, Luis Díaz, Luis Sinisterra, Rafael Santos Borré, and Juan Camilo Hernández.
Dates and times of Colombia’s qualifying matches
The first match of the Colombian National Team will be against Peru in Lima. The match will take place on Friday, September 6, at 8:30 p.m. The hosts will be looking for their first victory in the qualifiers. In the second match, they will face Argentina again, which will arrive without Lionel Messi. The match will be on Tuesday, September 10, at 3:30 p.m. A crucial match against the leader.
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