The is the national team of . They only advanced past the first round once.
The team is considered slightly above-average in ability in the CONMEBOL region; they are stronger than
Venezuela and
Bolivia , not quite as strong as
Brazil and
Argentina and often find themselves evenly matched with
Paraguay ,
Ecuador , and
Uruguay . They are also known for producing good performances in preliminary tournaments and friendlies but seem to collapse in important matches. A 2001 Copa América win gave their backers hope that the side may yet join the top flight of international football. Recently, Colombia has shown ability to rach equal scores with Brazil and Argentina, tying the former on the road 0-0 and the latter at home 1-1.
The team has been peripherally involved in two of the greatest personal tragedies to hit football in recent years. In
1994 ,
Defender Andrés Escobar scored an
Own Goal in a
World Cup match against the
United States ; shortly after the team returned to Colombia, Escobar was murdered. In
2003 , at a
Confederations Cup semifinal, the Colombians watched as
Cameroon Midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed and died on the pitch due to an undetected heart condition.
Colombia first entered World Cup qualifying in the
1958 qualifiers but were unsuccessful. In the
1962 qualifiers, however, they faced
Peru in a two-game series and qualified for their first World Cup.
The stars of the 1962 team included forwards German Aceros and Delio Gamboa, and midfield schemer Marcos Coll. Colombia lost 2-1 to
Uruguay and came from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 with the
Soviet Union . Their campaign ended with a 5-0 defeat to
Yugoslavia .
A split in the governing body of Colombian football would be a major setback for the national team. Colombia entered the
1966 qualifiers with an amateur team from in and around Barranquilla, and finished bottom of their group behind
Chile (who they defeated 2-0) and
Ecuador . Although the rift was ended, the
1970 qualifiers proved to be little better.
Former Yugoslav international Toza Veselinovic became coach, and with a new crop of players emerging led by the hugely talented forward Willington Ortiz, Colombia experienced a rise in its fortunes. In the
1974 qualifiers, Colombia finished behind Uruguay only on goal difference- albeit unbeaten and with a win over Uruguay in Montevideo. In the 1975 Copa America, Colombia finished runners-up to Peru whilst Colombian clubs began making progress in the Copa Libertadores.
The improvement continued in the 1980s, and in the
1990 qualifiers, Colombia finally made the break-through. They have qualified for two more World Cups since, and have remained a there or thereabouts team on the continent.
- 1930 - ''Did not enter''
- 1934 - ''Did not enter''
- 1938 - ''Withdrew''
- 1950 - ''Did not enter''
- 1954 - ''Did not enter''
- 1958 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1962 - Round 1
- 1966 to 1986 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1990 - Round 2
- 1994 - Round 1
- 1998 - Round 1
- 2002 - ''Did not qualify''
- 2006 - ''Did not qualify''
