The Colombian Football Federation will announce on Thursday, October 3, the list of players summoned to the matches on date 9 and date 10 of the South American Qualifiers.
Although there are some players whose presence on the list is guaranteed, such as Camilo Vargas, Luis Díaz and even James Rodríguez, there would be other names that will cause surprise among fans.
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Sebastián Heredia, journalist from Antena 2, assured on his networks that there will be two players who return, since they were not included in the call for the matches against Peru and Argentina, matches that took place within the framework of the FIFA date in September.
One of the players was in the Copa América USA 2024, where Colombia advanced to the grand final, which they lost to the Albiceleste. The other is a player whose last call-up was in 2023.
The Copa América player who would return to the squad would be Miguel Ángel Borja, replacing Rafael Santos Borré, who suffered a muscle injury with Internacional de Porto Alegre from Brazil.
Meanwhile, there is no certainty as to which of the players called up in 2023 would make the list. However, defender Carlos Cuesta will not be able to participate in the upcoming qualifying matches due to a calf injury suffered during a match with Genk in the Belgian League. This news adds to the already confirmed absence of Yerson Mosquera, who was left out due to a ligament injury. So it would be a defender who returns to the list.
The journalist also anticipated that there will only be one player from the Colombian League, which would be Álvaro Montero, goalkeeper of Millonarios FC and substitute for Camilo Vargas.
The Colombian team is preparing to face Bolivia in a crucial match of the South American Qualifiers towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This match, scheduled for Thursday, October 10, will take place at the El Alto municipal stadium, located in the province of Murillo in the department of La Paz, at an altitude of more than 4,100 meters above sea level. This stadium is the highest altitude approved by Conmebol for international competitions, which represents a significant challenge for visiting players.
An advance party was sent to the match headquarters to organize the logistics of the trip and prepare the footballers for the extreme conditions they will face. These actions include specific demands on the local team, which has generated surprise and discontent among Bolivians:
- Rental of 40 rooms in the hotel
- Security deployment
- 200 kilos of ice per day
- No contact between hotel employees and players called up to the Colombian national team
- Exclusivity in the main hall (1,200 square meters)
- Argentina: 18 points / +8 goal difference / 8 games played
- Colombia: 16 points / +4 goal difference / 8 games played
- Uruguay: 15 points / +8 goal difference / 8 games played
- Ecuador: 11 points / +2 goal difference / 8 games played
- Brazil: 10 points / +1 goal difference / 8 games played
- Venezuela: 10 points / -1 goal difference / 8 games played
- Paraguay: 9 points / -1 goal difference / 8 games played (playoffs)
- Bolivia: 9 points / -5 goal difference / 8 games played
- Chile: 5 points / -8 goal difference / 8 games played
- Peru: 3 points / -8 goal difference / 8 games played