| Football in Colombia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Colombia |
| Governing body | Colombian Football Federation |
| National team | Colombia |
| First played | 1902[1] |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport inColombia.[2] Football in Colombia is overseen by theMinistry of Sports, which is the governmental body that has regulated it since 2019. As a private spectacle, football in Colombia is managed by theColombian Football Federation (FCF).[3] This entity, affiliated withCONMEBOL andFIFA, is responsible for appointing and coordinating the national teams at all levels. FCF also manages theDIMAYOR, the entity that organizes professional club championships, as well as theColombian Amateur Football Division (Difútbol), which organizes regional and amateur tournaments.[4]
TheColombia national team represents Colombia in internationalfootball competitions. The highest rank it has ever reached in theFIFA Men's World Rankings was third in 2013.[5]
The origins of football in Colombia is debated by many. Most historians agree that theCaribbean Region was the place where football spread. It is believed that its origins go back to 1900, by English railway engineers from The Colombia Railways Company looking to create a railway between the cities ofBarranquilla andPuerto Colombia.[1][6][7]
The first clubs were formed inBarranquilla andBogotá:Barranquilla FC,Polo Club,Escuela Militar andBartolinos, although the game took a while to develop in popularity.[8] The1918 Campeonato Nacional was the first tournament played between Colombian clubs, followed by theCopa Centenario Batalla de Boyacá.Deportivo Cali, founded on 23 November 1912, is the oldest club that remains as a professional club.
It was not until 1924 that theColombian Football Federation was formed, initially under the name Liga de Fútbol, that gained the affiliation withFIFA andCONMEBOL in 1936.[1]
In 1948, a national league was created, known asDivisión Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano, formed largely from the efforts of administrator Alfonso Senior Quevedo.[1] Outside the remit of FIFA due to contract problems, the league recruited a number of leading players, such asAlfredo Di Stéfano,Neil Franklin andCharlie Mitten, and gained the nickname "El Dorado". However, the period ended in 1954 after much of the money promised to the players failed to materialise.[9]
In 1968, the league followed the pattern common in South America by splitting into two separate competitions per season, theApertura (February to June) and theFinalización (July to December).[1] In 1991, asecond division was added to thefirst with athird, now defunct. With 18 titles,Atlético Nacional is the team with the most trophies, followed byAmerica de Cali andMillonarios with 15 both; All three are the most successful clubs domestically.[1] TheCopa Colombia appeared in 1950, although this knockout competition was only contested from time to time until 2008 when it became an annual tournament. Atlético Nacional is also the most successful club in this competition, with seven wins.[10]
In 2017, theColombian Women's Football League was founded, the first professional women's league in the country.Santa Fe was the winner of the first edition.
TheColombia national team made their first appearance in 1938 and since then have enjoyed both highs and lows.
Colombia did not enter theCopa América until the1945 tournament when they finished fifth out of seven countries. Their participation was sporadic until1975, a tournament in which they finished as runners-up, since when they have been ever-present. Colombia hosted the2001 Copa América and registered to date their only win in the competition, defeatingMexico 1–0 in the final.
Colombia first entered theFIFA World Cup in 1938 but withdrew from thequalification tournament. They qualified for the1962 finals but were eliminated in the first round. They returned to the tournament in1990 and reached the second round with a team featuring the likes ofCarlos Valderrama,Freddy Rincón, andRené Higuita.
Duringqualification for the1994 FIFA World Cup, Colombia impressed with some exceptional results, not least a 5–0 away win overArgentina, the losing finalists in the previous tournament. Such was their form thatPelé tipped them as possible winners of the whole competition.[11] However, the team were eliminated in the first round afterAndrés Escobar scored a notorious own goal, an act for which an irate gambler shot him dead after his return home.[12]
Colombia returned to the competition in1998 with expectations lowered, and once again they were eliminated in the first round. They did not qualify for a World Cup final again until the2014 edition, ending a 16-year absence. Colombia has been credited with a new talented golden generation, led byJames Rodríguez, who won the Golden Boot for scoring six goals during the tournament as the Colombians reached their first quarter-final in a World Cup, being eliminated by tournament hostsBrazil in acontroversial game that ended 2-1. Rodríguez's first goal againstUruguay in the round of 16 won that year's FIFA Puskás Award. Colombia qualified for the2018 tournament and came top of their group to proceed into the round of 16. They were knocked out of the tournament byEngland; the game finished 1-1 before England won 4-3 on penalties. Colombia did not qualify for the2022 FIFA World Cup.
As Copa América winners, Colombia was able to take part in theFIFA Confederations Cupheld in 2003. They qualified from their group before being eliminated byCameroon and then losing the third place play-off toTurkey.
The Colombian Football Federation runs a number of other teams, notably theunder-20s (twice winners at theSouth American Youth Championship) and theunder-17s (who won theSouth American Under-17 Football Championship in 1993). In 2014, Colombia was one of the eight nations to take part in the firstUnity World Cup. It will hold the forthcoming edition of the competition, in 2017.
Two Colombian clubs have won theCopa Libertadores, leadingMedellín clubAtlético Nacional in1989 and2016 and little-fanciedOnce Caldas who triumphed in2004, whilstSanta Fe became the first Colombian winners of theCopa Sudamericana in2015. These are the only victories in any major international club tournament by Colombian sides.
Prior to 1980s, Colombia national football team was widely recognized as a weak team, and lack of fans, due to neglected investment for the national team by the Colombian Football Federation, national tragedies likeLa Violencia, and widespread criminal activities that destabilised the country. Their lack of participation also added for this sporadic support, and despite having qualified for the1962 FIFA World Cup, the Colombian team remained underrated and under-achieved than the rest ofSouth America, particularly to those ofChile,Peru,Bolivia andParaguay outside traditional powersUruguay,Brazil andArgentina, in spite of their youth football successes.[13]
Since the mid-1980s, with the influx of drug money into football, a new generation of football stars emerged, withRené Higuita,Faustino Asprilla,Carlos Valderrama,Andrés Escobar andArnoldo Iguarán.[14] Following with it, the national team has become a symbol fighting the country's negative reputation. This has made the sport popular and made the national team a sign of nationalism, pride, and passion for many Colombians worldwide, and can be seen in their goal celebrations which are usually done in a group. Colombia is known for having a passionate fan base, and fans often attend in large number whenever the national team plays elsewhere.[15][16]
Football stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included.
| # | Stadium | City | Country | Inaugurated | Capacity | Tenants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez | Barranquilla |  Colombia | 1986 | 46,692[17] | Junior |
| 2 | Deportivo Cali | Palmira | Colombia | 2010 | 42,000[18] | Deportivo Cali |
| 3 | General Santander | Cúcuta | Colombia | 1948 | 42,901[19] | Cúcuta Deportivo |
| 4 | Atanasio Girardot | Medellín | Colombia | 1953 | 40,943[20] | Atlético Nacional Independiente Medellín |
| National teams | |
|---|---|
| League competitions | |
| Domestic cups | |
| Defunct competitions | |