Colombia, Portugal’s opponent in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, lost 3-1 to France today in a friendly match held in Landover, United States, suffering its second consecutive defeat in preparation for the tournament’s final phase.
Désiré Doué (29th and 56th minutes) and Marcus Thuram (41st) secured the victory for the French, world champions in 1998 and 2018 and runners-up in 2022, who had previously defeated Brazil 2-1, while Colombia reduced the deficit through substitute Jáminton Campaz (77th).
Midfielder Richard Ríos, from Benfica, and forward Luis Suárez, top scorer of the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Sporting CP, started for Colombia but were substituted at halftime, three days after participating in the 2-1 comeback loss against Croatia, also in the United States.
Read more: World Cup 2026: France beats Brazil 2-1 (with video)
These were the last preparation matches for the South Americans before the announcement of the squad for the 23rd edition of the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 and will feature 48 teams for the first time in a historic tri-nation format across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Qualified for the seventh time, and first since 2018, Colombia is in Group K, facing Portugal, debutant Uzbekistan, and the winner of the first intercontinental playoff path, whose final takes place on Tuesday between Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Senegal and Norway will face France in Group I, alongside Bolivia or Iraq, involved in the second intercontinental playoff path.
