Colombia can celebrate the Mundial in the US
32 years after a painful return home from the last edition in the United States, Colombia bounced back and finished as group winners after a draw against Portugal — accompanied by strong support from fans in Miami.
As the group-winner, Colombia can celebrate after a 0-0 draw against Portugal in the match held in Miami. According to the report, the team finished undefeated and emerged as first home of their group, putting them in the easy part of the schedule for the knockout phase.
Coach Nestor Lorenzo told a press conference that Colombia controlled a large part of the match: "We had to suffer because of the missed opportunities. It's good that we played well — it's a good result." Lorenzo pointed to the team's suffering due to missed opportunities but also expressed satisfaction with his men's performance.
James Rodríguez, who now has eleven World Cup games and holds the record for Colombia, emphasized the hope the team showed: "I predicted it. We are always strong when there is space. Unfortunately, the icing on the cake was missing — a goal." The player mentioned that the best chances went to their team, but did not result in a goal.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://webp.vi.cdn.pxr.nl/news/2026/06/28/b933df771dd7243fcefbc8069e208eec66e3a301.jpg?width=1200" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Colombian media also echoed the massive support from the fans. According to El Colombiano, "Miami is like Barranquilla" — an estimated 80% of the 64,478 in attendance were wearing yellow jerseys. Colombia is not only dominant in the stands; some newspapers described the team's dominance as extending to the game itself. On the other hand, it was mentioned that Diogo Costa, Portugal's goalkeeper, was the star of the night due to some important saves.
For El Heraldo, the draw was "like a win" — a positive interpretation as Colombia managed to finish the group undefeated and face the easier part of the bracket.
There is subsequent pressure and hope in the country ahead of the 16th-final against Ghana. Ani Lorenzo: "People's hopes seem to be rising. Before, all I needed was to get into the Mundial; now everyone is looking to see if we can win the whole tournament." The article also referred to the team's quiet history in their last participation in the United States 32 years ago: in the 1994 Mundial, Colombia exited in the first stage after defeats against Romania and the United States. Back home, tragedy followed when Andrés Escobar, who had scored an own goal against the host nation, was killed — a dark moment in Colombian football history.
