Six previous finals — 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014 and 2018; 2026 will be Colombia's 7th
The Guajira-born winger off a sensational debut season in Munich — direct, fearless, and the man most likely to drag Colombia past the group on his own. The one to set an alarm for.
Colombia's most-capped player of all time; the elder statesman of the 2026 squad
El Tigre — passed Arnoldo Iguarán's long-standing 25 to become the nation's all-time top scorer
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Néstor Lorenzo (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Valderrama #10 | AM | 1985–1998 | 111 | 11 | El Pibe — the golden mane and the no-look pass. Two South American Player of the Year awards and the soul of three World Cup sides. |
| Radamel Falcao #9 | FW | 2007–2024 | 104 | 36 | El Tigre. Record scorer who, cruelly, missed the 2014 run of his life through injury. |
| René Higuita #1 | GK | 1987–1999 | 68 | 3 | El Loco — the sweeper-keeper who invented the scorpion kick at Wembley and the dribble that cost a 1990 exit. |
| James Rodríguez #10 | AM | 2011– | 125 | 31 | The 2014 Golden Boot; that left-footed volley against Uruguay is on a loop in this archive. |
| Faustino Asprilla #11 | FW | 1993–2001 | 57 | 20 | Tino — chaos in human form, equal parts hat-trick and fireworks display. |
| Freddy Rincón #19 | MF | 1990–2001 | 84 | 17 | The colossus whose late equaliser stunned West Germany in 1990. Forever remembered. |
| Arnoldo Iguarán #18 | FW | 1979–1993 | 68 | 25 | Held the scoring record for nearly a quarter-century — the man Falcao finally caught. |
| Mario Yepes #3 | CB | 1999–2014 | 102 | 6 | The captain who anchored the 2014 quarter-finalists at the grand old age of 38. |
| Iván Córdoba #2 | CB | 1997–2010 | 73 | 5 | Headed the only goal of the 2001 Copa América final — Colombia's lone senior trophy. |
| Juan Cuadrado #11 | RW | 2010–2023 | 116 | 9 | The flying wing-back of the golden generation, busy on both flanks for over a decade. |
Football's great romantics — yellow shirts, samba-tinged flair, and a knack for breaking hearts (usually their own). One Copa América, one glorious 2014 quarter-final, and a back catalogue of geniuses from Valderrama to James. Never the most decorated, always among the most watchable. The Almanac keeps a soft tentacle for Los Cafeteros.