The Colombian team already knows its destiny: in the 2026 World Cup in North America it will face Portugal, Uzbekistan and the winner of the playoff between New Caledonia vs. Jamaica – Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For this reason, Néstor Lorenzo, coach of the Tricolor on the way to the 2026 World Cup, and one of his teachers in technical direction, such as José Néstor Pekerman, spoke about what the World Cup left behind and each one left his concept.
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First of all, Néstor Lorenzo spoke with journalist Marina Granziera, from Gol Caracol, after the draw ended, he gave his assessment of what it means to face Portugal:
“It doesn’t depend on you, it’s a bit of chance what happens in the draws, and we had a great team like Portugal.“, one of the best in the world at the moment, between 5 and 6, we are happy to compete with them and measure ourselves against that type of teams,” he said.
He also acknowledged that he has no information about Uzbekistan, and the possible rivals in the playoffs, but acknowledged that they will work in these six months prior to the World Cup to approach the matches in the best way.
“I don’t know much about Uzbekistan, I know that it ranked in the Asia zone with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and among the Congo, Let’s hope it will happen, we will prepare it in the best way,” he acknowledged.
He also spoke about the importance of reaching the last classified match, since in the event of qualification to the round of 32, the management of the group from the physical aspect will be key.
“The ideal is to reach the third game already classified, to make a replacement, give rhythm to players who have not played football for 10 to 15 days, That’s what happens, it happened to us in Brazil. We won the first two games, and in the third game, we gave everyone minutes, that helps for the future schedule,” he highlighted.
Finally, when asked about the list for the 2026 World Cup, he revealed that all the players who are on the Tricolor radar are present, and that the challenge in the final selection of footballers will occur when the season ends.
“The national team is open, there is a nice competition, players at a good level, we hope that this is maintained, the difficult part, It will be when the players reach the end of the season at the top, we know that it is a demanding season and that we must take the precautions to reach the best possible level,” he concluded.
In a conversation with Espn’s Balón Dividido program on December 5, 2025, José Néstor Pekerman was invited, first of all, to talk about Néstor Lorenzo’s process, and he confirmed his ability to direct:
“I am calm in the fact that I know Néstor Lorenzo, since he was with us in the cycle of the 2014 Brazil and 2018 World Cups in Russia, he has football knowledge and his experience is key from what he did as a player and coach. He must analyze the details that exist in the run-up to the World Cup, so that gives me peace of mind and I feel that because of this aspect, they will be doing the math, and entering this last stage that will have difficulties,” he said.
He also added the challenge that this new format of the World Cup will have, which will be a challenge for Colombia, which will condition the work of Néstor Lorenzo’s coaching staff:
“Seeing an increase in many nations, 48 places, there is a different context in which, surely, certain situations should have been planned. Being in the United States, which has difficult logistics in terms of distances, and the stages of passing the matchesare situations that will have their relevance. I know it’s exhausting, and it’s hard to explain. But the most important thing will be the rest of the players, the preparation of the group, where they will try to go as far as possible, so they must know that it will be difficult to arrive in good shape for the 2026 World Cup, along with reaching the clubs at a high level.
“You take stock of your rivals, then you see the possibilities that may arise in the standings. This is positive because the teams that have more potential and that play a long tournament can adapt to situations for players who have no experience in this type of competition,” he said.
Finally, he mentioned that he always had Portugal as one of the great candidates to win the 2026 World Cup:
“I always believed that Portugal is one of the great candidates not only to qualify for the World Cup or advance to the next round, but also to fight for the title. It is a moment where Portugal can do it. In fact, he had a great performance in Qatar and maintained his level, and reinforced it. They are a fearsome rival, and I think the blow of receiving the first game against them is strong, but it will be an enormous challenge, because considering and taking the entire group completely, it gives peace of mind for the game against them, it is beautiful to play against the best teams.”
