Dayro Moreno back for Colombia against Bolivia and Venezuela | OneFootball

Colombia will face Venezuela and Bolivia in the final rounds of the South American World Cup Qualifiers for 2026. The call-up includes European football star Luis Díaz and the highest scorer in its history, Dayro Moreno, who returns to the national team after an eight-year absence.

Díaz, who recently shone in his debut as a reinforcement for Bayern Munich after three years at Liverpool, is the main name on the list of 26 players that Argentine coach Néstor Lorenzo called up for rounds 17 and 18.

Dayro Moreno, the highest scorer in the history of Colombian football, who will turn 40 next month, is one of the highlights against the Bolivians, on September 4, in Barranquilla, and against Venezuela, on September 9, in Maturín.

The veteran shone this year as the player with the most goals in the South American Cup, with eight for Once Caldas, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the continental tournament.

On the eve of the decisive phase of the World Cup Qualifiers, Colombia is in danger, while Venezuela is right behind, occupying the position that leads to the playoff dispute.

The Colombians, with 22 points, are four points away from the sixth position, which guarantees the last direct spot from South America for the World Cup.

The team led by Lorenzo is just three points away from qualification. Therefore, they will have to take advantage of playing at home in the stifling Barranquilla against Bolivia, which is in eighth place and with 17 points, whose last hope is to take Venezuela's spot to be able to dispute the playoff.

Thanks to a dream season, in which it started the qualifying phase undefeated, with memorable moments such as a home win against Argentina, the chances of Colombia not qualifying are minimal.

However, without a single victory in the last six matches, their spot is not fully guaranteed and will largely depend on the performance of the other teams in these rounds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.