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Looking to place a bet on Colombia at the 2018 World Cup? You have come to the right place. This page provides a comprehensive wrap of all things Colombia for the World Cup of Soccer: result history, statistical analysis, future matches and most importantly, the best odds and lines from a variety of top online sportsbooks. Review tournament performance, plan for upcoming fixtures and place your wager with confidence right here.
Colombia’s World Cup 2022 Standings
Colombia is the third team in Group H, which also includes Poland, Senegal and Japan. Below you will find their current tournament standings, updated after every matchday.
Colombia’s Odds To Win The World Cup
Colombia was emphatic in 2014 when presented with a below-average group, and once again they have been gifted passage into the second round as long as they play to their potential. They join an overrated Poland side that relies heavily on Robert Lewandowski, plus Senegal and Japan in Group H, and are our pick to top the group, potentially winning all three games like they did four years ago.
Sports Interaction rate Colombia as a clear favourite to emerge from their group, priced at -333. If you believe otherwise, you can get +225 for the South Americans to miss the second round. We are backing them to emerge from the group, although we think their tournament will end in the knockout stage when they come up against either Belgium or England. Sports Interaction is offering +135 for Colombia to be eliminated in the Round of 16, and we think that’s a great option.
Surprisingly, Colombia is at pretty short odds to win the World Cup compared with a host of other nations. If you believe they can go all the way, the leading sportsbooks are offering +3200. They certainly have a talented squad, however, the lack of game time that some of their senior players are having at their club sides is a concern. Regardless, they will be exciting to watch this year’s World Cup.
Colombia’s Squad & Key Players
All teams must declare a 30 man squad for the World Cup by the middle of May, while the final 23 man squads don’t have to be finalized until the first week of June, just days prior to the tournament start date. We will update you when the team sheets are announced, but first, let’s take a look at some of the most important players in the Colombian team and who we think will play a big part in the competition.
James Rodriguez (Winger / Attacking Midfielder)
Rodriguez was on top form at the 2014 World Cup, although he has been below his best in recent times, falling out of favour with Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid and moving to Bayern Munich on loan. He has had moderate success at the club to date, scoring three goals in his first thirteen appearances. He is one of the true stars in the Colombian lineup, so hopefully, he can return to the form we saw four years ago.
Radamel Falcao (Forward)
Falcao is another one of Colombia’s world-class attacking players and was instrumental in securing Monaco’s Ligue 1 title in 2016-17. His most prolific spell came at Atletico Madrid, where he scored 52 goals in 68 matches, although his 47 in 65 for Monaco is equally impressive. If he can link up with James on the left for his country, expect to see him add to his 28 international goals at the World Cup.
Davinson Sanchez (Defender)
Colombia was forced to inject a number of young players into their defence during qualification, and one of the best performers was Davinson Sanchez, who has recently signed for Tottenham Hotspur. Having made 17 appearances for the Premier League side already, it is clear that club manager Mauricio Pochettino rates him highly, and he is sure to feature prominently at the back for his country.
The Coach – Jose Pekerman
Pekerman is an Argentine manager who had spent time as a player with Argentinos Juniors and Independiente Medellin. He commenced his managerial career way back in 1981, starting out with the youth teams at Chacarita, Argentinos and Colo-Colo, before moving on to the Argentine U20 side. He spent seven years in this role before a stint with the Argentinian senior team saw him head to the 2006 World Cup.
After Argentina’s quarter-final exit at the hands of hosts Germany, Pekerman resigned and returned to club football, before taking on the role of Colombian head coach in 2012. He led the South Americans to their best-ever finish at a World Cup in 2014 and was instrumental in seeing the nation over the line in the 2018 qualifiers.
Pekerman is known to experiment with his team and prefers players that fit in with his style as opposed to their individual ability. He will likely change formation and strategy throughout the World Cup, adding to the drama and excitement Colombia already brings to the table.
Colombia’s World Cup 2022 Lineup
Colombia’s latest competitive international was their final qualifier against Peru on October 11, 2017. The full lineup was as follows:
Starting Lineup (4-2-2-2)
David Ospina (Arsenal) – Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham Hotspur), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven) – Abel Aquilar (Deportivo Cali), Carlos Sanchez (Fiorentina) – James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) – Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Duvan Zapata (Sampdoria)
Reserves: T Gutierrez, G Moreno, E Cardona, C Valdes, C Bacca, L Muriel, G Cuellar, A Castellanos, W Tesillo, S Medina, W Barrios, Y Chara.
Colombia’s FIFA World Cup History
Colombia has been eligible to qualify for the FIFA World Cup since the 1958 tournament in Sweden, and have successfully progressed to the tournament on five occasions. The South Americans have has mixed success at the tournament – they have been eliminated at the group stage three times, reached the Round of 16 twice and made it to the quarter-finals once.
In order to qualify for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, Colombia were required to compete in a two-match playoff against fellow South Americans Peru, and after winning the first leg 1-0 in Bogota, a 1-1 draw in Lima was enough to see them through to their first ever tournament, where they would join a tough group containing European champions Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and two-time winners Uruguay.
Colombia performed admirably at their first event, managing to draw with the Soviets in one of the greatest World Cup shocks of all time. The 4-4 result gave Colombia their only point of the tournament, which came between a 2-1 loss to Uruguay and a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Yugoslavia. The highlight was that they managed four goals against Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, considered one of the best goalkeepers of all time.
After going winless in their opening campaign, Colombia was forced to wait another 28 years before having the opportunity to compete at another World Cup. Their opportunity came in Italy in 1990, and once again they encountered a tough pool featuring favourites West Germany, Yugoslavia and the United Arab Emirates. A 2-0 win over the Arabians was followed by a 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia and a 1-1 draw with the eventual champions. This was enough to see them into the Round of 16 for the first time.
In their first trip to the second round, Colombia faced Cameroon, and the match went into extra time after finishing goalless at the end of 90 minutes. Two goals to the Africans in the extra period secured their progress, while Colombia was eliminated despite scoring a late consolation goal.
In what could be described as Colombia’s best era to date, the South Americans qualified for the next two tournaments, although they were eliminated at the group stage on both occasions. Expectations were high for the Colombians after they topped their 1994 qualification group without losing a match, especially after their historic 5-0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires. However, Colombia finished last in a group that contained Romania, hosts the USA and Switzerland.
In France four years later, Romania was once again in the same group as Colombia, and once again the eastern Europeans managed to defeat the South Americans, this time by a solitary goal. While Colombia ended the hopes of Tunisia with a 1-0 win in their second match, leaving them with a winner-takes-all scenario against England, they were defeated 2-0 in the final match.
Another sixteen years in the World Cup wilderness was followed by an appearance in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and this would prove to be their most successful to date by a considerable margin. Colombia was blessed by receiving a favourable draw, pooling alongside Greece, the Ivory Coast and Japan in perhaps the weakest group of the tournament. They won all three games and progressed as group winners.
Colombia then came up against South American rivals Uruguay, who they had beaten 4-0 at home during qualification. A double by James Rodriguez, including what later won the 2014 FIFA Puskas Award for the goal of the year, secured a 2-0 victory and Colombia’s first appearance in the final eight. Unfortunately, Colombia ran into a red-hot Brazilian side, and the host nation was too good in their 2-1 victory.
Colombia scraped through its 2018 qualification campaign, drawing with Peru in their final match to book a spot in Russia. They have once again been gifted a modest group, containing Poland, Senegal and Japan, and should have their sights set on the second round. With a talented squad featuring plenty of top players, it’s sure to be a great World Cup for Colombian fans.
