Colombia – Chile

The hosts will prove no coincidence of their second place in the standings

Colombia's national team has become one of the most important on its continent in recent years. Even the unexpected defeat in Bolivia in the last round of the qualifying stage does not indicate that the Colombians are in a slump. The team was successful at the America's Cup and is showing good results in World Cup qualifying. The same cannot be said about Chile. After the Peruvian team won the last round in an official meeting for the first time since 2022, the Chileans "collapsed" to the bottom of the standings of the World Cup 2026 qualifying stage. It would seem that this factor should motivate the guests to win in Barranquilla, but do Chile now have enough resources to do so? Bookmakers have identified the hosts as the favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.51 on their victory. The Colombian team can definitely take 2023-2024 as an asset. This summer the team took part in the America's Cup, where they took first place in the group with Brazil and Paraguay, and then through Panama and Uruguay in the play-offs reached a dramatic final with Argentina. In qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Jamez Rodriguez and his partners not only did not lose until the last round, but also secured victories over Brazil and Argentina during that period. Both took place at the Colombians' home arena, where the Chileans will come in the next round. The Chilean national team has lost a lot in recent years. The team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, finishing in seventh place. At the America's Cup in the summer, the Chileans disappointed once again, failing to score a single goal in three games and failing to reach the playoffs. Finally, in the current qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the team has so far beaten only weak Peru at home. In the autumn of this year, Chile even stopped alternating defeats with draws and lost all three meetings played. Two of them lost in Santiago with the same score 1:2 - Brazil and Bolivia. The last match in Colombia the rivals played in 2021. The hosts already in the first half provided a difference of two goals, which finally formed into a score of 3:1 at the end of the second half. In the upcoming meeting, we expect about the same advantage for Colombia.