Colombia has confirmed a pre-World Cup friendly against France on Sunday, March 29. The match between La Tricolor and Les Bleus will take place in Northwest Stadium, in Landover, Maryland, United States, and is scheduled to kick off at 3:00 p.m. local and Colombian time.
Colombia also confirmed a friendly match against Croatia in Orlando on March 26. Croatia could be a potential rival for Colombia in the knockout stages of next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Both games had been rumored to take place for months, and now they have been confirmed after the groups for the summer tournament were drawn. Per FIFA laws, these games would have been cancelled had Colombia been drawn in the same group as either France or Croatia, as teams cannot face each other in preparation for the tournament if they were drawn together.
Colombia will use its friendly against France to prepare for Portugal
ESPN Colombia reports that after learning La Tricolor had been drawn with a strong European rival like Portugal in the World Cup, the Colombian Football Federation moved quickly to secure friendlies against rivals of the same caliber.
The third and final match of the group stages in Miami against Portugal could decide Colombia’s fate for the remainder of the tournament, as beating Portugal (provided Colombia wins the previous two matches or bests Portugal’s points) could hand Colombia a more favorable schedule in the latter stages of the competition.
France is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, as in their ranks they have current Ballon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, as well as other key players such as Desire Doue, Michael Olise, and Real Madrid number 10, Kylian Mbappe.
Nos Bleus lanceront leur année 2026 par une tournée aux États-Unis et 𝟐 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞 ! 🔥
🆚 Brésil 🇧🇷 | 26 mars | 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧
🆚 Colombie 🇨🇴 | 29 mars | 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧🎟️ Infos Billetterie : ⁰🔹 Prévente : lundi 12 janvier⁰🔹 Ouverture grand… pic.twitter.com/X2BfGyA2F2
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) January 8, 2026
The March international friendly window, where Colombia will play France, will be the last one before the staff of the national team decides the players that will make the roster to represent Colombia at the 2026 World Cup. Colombia’s third group rival will also be decided around this time, as the playoff between New Caledonia, Jamaica, and Congo is set to take place.