James Rodríguez hails Colombia's World Cup qualification | OneFootball

Colombia qualified for the 2026 World Cup this Thursday (4th), by defeating Bolivia 3-0 in Barranquilla, in the penultimate round of the South American Qualifiers. After the match, midfielder James Rodríguez, former São Paulo player, celebrated the spot.

Midfielder James Rodríguez opened the scoring in the first half (31′), before Jhon Córdoba (74′) and Juan Fernando Quintero (83′) sealed the match.

“It is a great pride, it’s another World Cup. God willing, we will arrive in good shape, and I think these people deserve it,” said James after the match on the local federation's social media.

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This Thursday's game may have been the last official match played in Barranquilla by James Rodríguez (34 years old) and the current reserve goalkeeper David Ospina (37 years old), the player with the most matches for the national team, with 129.

Together, they experienced great moments at the Metropolitano Stadium alongside other Colombian football idols, such as the national team's top scorer, Radamel Falcao García, and Juan Cuadrado.

With one game left in the Qualifiers, Colombia is in fifth place, with 25 points, and will visit Venezuela next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Bolivia (8th), despite the defeat, still has chances of qualifying. With 17 points, one less than the 'Vinotinto', the team can still finish the Qualifiers in seventh position, which would take them to the playoffs.

In the last round, the Bolivians will host the Brazilian National Team in the city of El Alto, 4,150 meters above sea level.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.