- Colombia won in their opener, while Costa Rica held Brazil to a goalless draw.
- Victory can take Los Cafeteros to the quarterfinals early, or leave Los Ticos in a good situation to qualify.
Colombia and Costa Rica promise to compete for every inch on the pitch at State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ), in the opening match of the second round of Group B of this CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ on June 28. The ball starts rolling at 3 p.m. local GMT-7 – at 4 p.m. in Costa Rica and 5 p.m. in Colombia – in a match that can define another qualifier for the Quarterfinals of this edition.
Los Cafeteros debuted in this CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ with a victory that extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 24 games: orchestrated by captain James Rodríguez, the South American team overcame Paraguay 2-1, and arrives at this game against the Concacaf nation being able to guarantee qualification to the next round with a simple victory in Arizona. On the other hand, the good phase in play does not lead Néstor Lorenzo to lose focus:
"We try to ensure that favoritism does not become a simple backpack or a burden. What we have passed on to the players is that we are doing things well, and we must continue on the same path," said the Colombia coach after the last match.
On the other hand, Costa Rica arrives motivated after a hard-fought clash with Brazil in California, achieving a 0-0 draw against the nine-time champion team of the continent. A result that puts the Ticos with good chances to qualify in the difficult Group B, with 1 point added with two games still to play. The Central American team shows that it is capable of making good on their chances at the oldest national team tournament in the world.
Where to watch Colombia vs. Costa Rica live?
The match kicks off at 3 p.m. local Pacific time – 4 p.m. in San José (Costa Rica), 5 p.m. in Bogota (Colombia). You can watch the match through the following channels and streaming services:
- In Colombia: Caracol TV, RCN, DirecTV, Win Sports.
- In Costa Rica: Teletica, Repretel, TDMAX, TD+.
- In the United States: Univisión, Unimás, TUDN, Fox, FS1, FS2.
- In Canada: RDS, TSN, TSN+.
Colombia vs. Costa Rica: history in the CONMEBOL Copa América™
The two teams have faced each other four times in the history of the oldest national team tournament in the world: Colombia won 3 matches (1997, 2004 and 2011) and Costa Rica won the most recent match during CONMEBOL Copa América Centenario 2016™ also held in the United States.
The last 5 results between the teams (all competitions):
- Colombia 3-1 Costa Rica – Friendly (2018)
- Colombia 2-3 Costa Rica – CONMEBOL Copa América™ (2016)
- Colombia 1-0 Costa Rica – Friendly (2015)
- Colombia 1-0 Costa Rica – CONMEBOL Copa América™ (2011)
- Colombia 2-0 Costa Rica – CONMEBOL Copa América™ (2004)
Key Facts
- Colombia is Costa Rica's most recurrent opponent in the history of CONMEBOL Copa América™. Of the five previous editions of the tournament that Costa Ricans have participated in, the only time they did not face each other was in 2001.
- Colombia started with two consecutive victories in four of the eight editions of CONMEBOL Copa América™ played in the 21st century (2001, 2004, 2016 and 2019). When they achieved this mark, the Colombians reached the semifinals on three of four occasions, being champions in 2001.
- Colombia has won eight of its last nine games against CONCACAF opponents in the CONMEBOL Copa América™. The only defeat in this period was precisely against Costa Rica at the 2016 edition (2-3).
- James Rodríguez has five assists in CONMEBOL Copa América™. Since the Colombian made his debut in the competition in 2015, he has been surpassed in this statistic only by Lionel Messi (14) and equaled by Ángel Di María (5).
- Costa Rica conceded an expected goals ratio of 1.7 xG against Brazil, the highest among teams that kept a clean sheet in the first round of the 2024™ CONMEBOL Copa América. Goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira made four saves, and the outfield players blocked four shots from the Brazilian team.
Probable lineups
Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Davinson Sánchez, Yerry Mina (Jhon Lucumí), Johan Mojica; Jefferson Lerma, Richard Ríos, Jhon Arias, James Rodríguez; Luis Díaz, Rafael Borré.
Coach: Néstor Lorenzo.
Costa Rica: Patrick Sequeira; Jeyland Mitchell, Juan Pablo Vargas, Francisco Calvo; Haxzel Quirós, Orlando Galo, Jeferson Brenes, Brandon Aguilera, Ariel Lassiter; Álvaro Zamora, Manfred Ugalde.
Coach: Gustavo Alfaro.
Referee appointment
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
Assistant referees: Martín Soppi and Pablo Llarena (Uruguay)
Fourth official: Augusto Aragón (Ecuador)
VAR: Héctor Palleta (Argentina)
Match information
Match: Colombia vs. Costa Rica (Group D, Second Round)
Date and time: June 28, at 3 p.m. local GMT-7 – 4 p.m. Costa Rica, 5 p.m. Colombia
Venue: State Farm Stadium – Glendale, Arizona
