Colombia, out with honour: beaten on penalties by Switzerland
Colombia had a solid World Cup and left through the cruellest door. After beating Ghana in the round of 32 (1-0), the Tricolor lost in the last 16 to Switzerland on penalties (0-0, 3-4) without losing in normal time.
Colombia bowed out of the 2026 World Cup without losing a match in ninety minutes, and that is perhaps the best and most bitter way to sum up their tournament. The Tricolor, led by a James Rodríguez who remains their footballing beacon, competed with pride to the end.
In the round of 32 they beat Ghana by a narrow 1-0, hard-fought but enough to reach the last 16. There Switzerland awaited, and the match was a contest of maximum evenness that finished 0-0 after extra time, with neither side able to break the deadlock.
Everything was decided in the penalty lottery, where Switzerland were a little more accurate and won 4-3. Colombia thus left by the cruellest route, the one that does not distinguish merit, after a tournament in which they impressed and showed they were close to the best.
What remains is the memory of a competitive side, hard to beat, who came close to the quarter-finals and left on tiptoe, without being beaten on the pitch. Check the World Cup bracket and the penalty shootouts on our site.