Colombia captain James Rodriguez said he is entering the 2026 World Cup with one clear ambition: lifting the trophy in New Jersey. In a candid interview in Bogota, the 34-year-old midfielder said the national team’s objective is nothing less than becoming world champions.
Rodriguez, who attended a commercial event on Tuesday and spoke with Noticias Caracol, said playing his third World Cup feels even more meaningful than his first two. “Playing in the World Cup is always a great joy. … Now, at 34, I think it’s much nicer because football passes, time passes for everyone,” he said. “I’m in very good spirits for that World Cup. … We’re all on the same path.”
The former Real Madrid star, currently without a club, made clear that Colombia’s expectations have grown under coach Nestor Lorenzo. “With the team we have … we’ll stand up to anyone because this is a big team,” he said. “We’re playing for big things. … A World Cup, and we want to win it.”
The 2026 World Cup will be James Rodriguez’s third and final World Cup
Rodriguez also referenced Colombia’s painful loss in the 2024 Copa America final against Argentina, saying it has only sharpened the team’s hunger.
The 2026 tournament will be Rodriguez’s third. He was the breakout star of the 2014 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot and leading Colombia to its best-ever finish, a quarterfinal run in Brazil. In 2018, Colombia was eliminated by England in the round of 16 after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Colombia will enter Friday’s World Cup draw in Pot 2 and is considered a dangerous outsider. Data firm Opta projects Colombia with a 2% chance of winning the tournament, placing the team ahead of several high-profile sides, including Belgium, Uruguay, Croatia, and all three host nations, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
With less than seven months until kickoff, Rodriguez said preparation, physical and mental, will be decisive. “We all know that,” he said. “We want to win it. … That’s what we all want.”
Before next summer’s World Cup, Colombia will face France in a high-profile friendly in March, which will give fans and analysts clues as to where the team stands when competing against one of the best teams in the world.