The World Cup Qualifying match between Colombia and Venezuela will take place at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez on Friday at 4:30 am IST.
Colombia and Venezuela are set to kick off their 2026 World Cup qualification journeys when they face off at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez in Barranquilla on Friday. Despite reaching the knockout stages in the previous two World Cup tournaments, Colombia’s failure to qualify for the Qatar World Cup was a significant disappointment. In response, they appointed a new manager last summer, with their former assistant manager Nestor Lorenzo taking the job after a successful stint with Melvar in Peru. Lorenzo has an impressive record of being unbeaten in his first eight games in charge, winning six and drawing two. One of his standout victories was Colombia’s recent 2-0 win over Germany in Gelsenkirchen during a friendly match in June.
However, despite his initial success in friendly matches, Lorenzo is well aware that Thursday’s qualifying clash against Venezuela marks the true beginning of his tenure, where he will be judged on their performance and progress toward qualifying for the next World Cup, which is the minimum expectation. In contrast, Venezuela faces a challenging task, as they have never qualified for a World Cup in their history. They have finished at the bottom of CONMEBOL qualifying in the last two editions and have dropped more than 30 places in the FIFA world rankings since their peak at 25th less than four years ago.
Under the leadership of Fernando Batista, who took over from Jose Pekerman as head coach earlier this year, there is an expectation that they will become more competitive this time around. Batista has shown promise with three wins and one draw in his four friendly matches in charge. However, to boost their confidence in making history and securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup, Venezuela will need at least one positive result in their upcoming matches against Colombia and Paraguay.
Colombia probable starting lineup: Vargas, Munoz, Mina, Lucumi, Machado, Uribe, Lerma, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Borre, Diaz
Venezuela probable starting lineup: Graterol, Rosales, Villanueva, Osorio, Navarro, Savarino, Herrera, Casseres, Soteldo, Martinez, Rondon
Colombia
| Opponents | Score |
| Germany | 0-2 (W) |
| Iraq | 1-0 (W) |
| Japan | 1-2 (W) |
| South Korea | 2-2 (D) |
| USA | 0-0 (D) |
Venezuela
| Opponents | Score |
| Guatemala | 0-1 (W) |
| Honduras | 0-1 (W) |
| Uzbekistan | 1-1 (D) |
| Saudi Arabia | 1-2 (W) |
| Syria | 1-2 (W) |
| Last matches results | Score |
| Colombia beat Venezuela | 1-0 |
| Colombia drew Venezuela | 0-0 |
| Colombia beat Venezuela | 3-0 |
| Colombia drew Venezuela | 0-0 |
| Colombia beat Venezuela | 2-1 |
The World Cup Qualifying match between Colombia and Venezuela will take place at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez on Friday at 4:30 am IST.
| Colombia vs Venezuela | Key Details |
| Date | September 8 |
| Venue | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez |
| Kickoff time in the Colombia | 5:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 4:30 am |
Fans in Colombia can watch the game live on Caracol TV, RCN Television, Deportes RCN En Vivo and fans in Venezuela can catch this game live on Venevision, SimpleTV, ByM Sport.
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