00:00The painful disappointment of missing the 2022 World Cup spurred Colombia on during their arduous journey through South American qualifying.
00:09Four years later, Los Cafeteros are back after navigating through a testing 18-game campaign, finishing ahead of the likes
00:16of Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay.
00:20Their award was a place in Group K with Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Portugal, setting up their training base in
00:27Guadalajara, the Mexican host city that will stage one of its group matches.
00:33I think it's a country that is similar to Colombia.
00:38They have made us feel very comfortable, like at home.
00:42We're very calm and eager to start playing in the World Cup.
00:47It's an experienced and battle-hardened side, one that entered the 2026 World Cup with plenty of talent in a
00:54starting XI that can compete with anyone.
00:57Colombia's main man is Luis Diaz.
01:00The winger is coming off a sensational season with Bayern Munich after being deemed surplus to requirements at Liverpool.
01:07I'm very excited to be playing at a World Cup.
01:11But at the same time, I'm relaxed, because I've had one of the best years of my life on a
01:16personal level.
01:19Lucho is a very important player for the Colombian national team, because the game, in a lot of situations, only
01:25falls on him.
01:26He is a very important player for certain situations, because in the moments of pressure, of difficulty, he is always
01:33there to solve it.
01:36It was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man for Colombia, as Diaz took centre stage in his
01:43side's 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, playing a starring role.
01:49Diaz set up Colombia's opening goal with a delightful pass, before getting on the score sheet himself, squeezing the ball
01:55past the Uzbek goalkeeper to restore the South American's advantage.
02:01In his first World Cup game, Diaz showed why he is one of the best wingers going round, lifting Los
02:07Cafeteros to a vital win that sent them top of Group K.
02:12With Diaz leading the charge, could Colombia reach the levels of World Cup 2014, where they went on their best
02:19-ever run to the quarter-finals?
02:21I think they can. I think they have a young team with a lot of experience that could allow them
02:30to go beyond the quarter-finals.
02:34Or at least the quarter-finals, I think.
02:39After eight years away, Colombia are back with a bang on the biggest stage of all.
02:45Their hard-fought 3-1 win over Uzbekistan was inspired by Luis Diaz, who scored one goal and set up
02:51another to play a starring role.
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