Top five players left out of Colombia's FIFA World Cup 2026 final squad ft. Duran & Cuadrado

Jhon Duran has been dropped from Los Cafeteros’ World Cup squad.

After failing to qualify for Qatar 2022, Colombia are returning to FIFA’s premier competition. They placed second in the World Cup qualifiers, and the expectations are high.

Colombia will train in Bogota before playing a friendly against Jordan on June 7 and Costa Rica on June 1. They have many well-known players in their squad. They will play Portugal, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K.

Following a season marred by sickness, captain James Rodriguez and another well-known player, Luis Diaz, were included in Colombia’s World Cup team. However, many noteworthy individuals were left out, as we examine below.

List of the top five missing players from the Colombia FIFA World Cup 2026 squad

Rank	Player	Club
5	Yaser Asprilla	Galatasaray (on loan)
4	Cristian Borja	Club América
3	Álvaro Angulo	UNAM
2	Juan Cuadrado	Pisa
1	Jhon Duran	Zenit Saint Petersburg (on loan)

5. Yaser Asprilla

The Colombian national team’s final World Cup roster has left out Yaser Asprilla due to a knee injury. Asprilla lost the opportunity to compete for his nation in the summer competition. He was unable to heal from a knee oedema he sustained in April.

The talented dribbler is now anticipated to return to his parent club, Girona, at the end of June after making seven appearances (one start) for Galatasaray during the 2025–26 Turkish league season.

4. Cristian Borja

Due to a ruptured medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee, Cristian Borja was excluded from Colombia’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

PARTE MEDICOEl Club América informa que nuestro jugador, Cristian Borja sufrió una lesión del ligamento colateral medial de la rodilla derecha.El tiempo de recuperación será de acuerdo a su evolución. pic.twitter.com/kS8VKmGX4a

— Club América (@ClubAmerica) May 4, 2026

The Club América left-back was snubbed from the squad after suffering a serious injury during the Liga MX quarterfinal first-leg draw against Pumas UNAM. Johan Mojica of RCD Mallorca was called up by manager Nõor Lorenzo to fill the left-back position.

3. Álvaro Angulo

Colombia’s final 26-man FIFA World Cup 2026 squad does not include Álvaro Angulo. Johan Mojica and Deiver Machado were chosen by head coach Nõor Lorenzo to fill the left-back spots in his final roster. Although Angulo was on the first 55-man preliminary list, Lorenzo gave other tactical options for the defence priority, so he did not make the final cut.

Also read: Top seven players left out of Spain’s FIFA World Cup 2026 final squad ft. Huijsen & Morata

2. Juan Cuadrado 

Colombia’s final FIFA World Cup squad for 2026 did not include Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. To make room for younger, more productive forwards, manager Něor Lorenzo dropped the 38-year-old veteran.

Despite being a stalwart for Los Cafeteros for more than 10 years, Cuadrado’s international playing time has recently decreased. This is a result of his advanced age, recurrent injuries, and few club appearances over the last two seasons.

1. Jhon Duran

Despite being included on Nestor Lorenzo’s 55-man preliminary roster, Jhon Duran has not been included in Colombia’s 2026 World Cup team.

fifaThe 22-year-old attacker, who has made 17 appearances for his nation, has battled for the majority of the season while on loan at Zenit Saint Petersburg from Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr.

Head coach Nestor Lorenzo included Duran in Colombia’s 55-man preliminary roster despite his disastrous loan at Zenit.

Club statement on Jhon Duran.The Colombian striker and the Zenit management have agreed on a leave of absence for the player due to personal circumstances. Details of his return date will be announced in the near future. pic.twitter.com/W0G6PAdyDq

— FC Zenit in English✨ (@fczenit_en) May 14, 2026

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