Dayro Moreno’s first goal for the Colombian national team came in 2007, and he debuted in 2006 against Venezuela for Los Cafeteros. Nearly 20 years later, he’s back wearing the iconic yellow kit of the national team as Colombia faces two pivotal games to secure their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America—a tournament sure to see the stands full of Colombian fans if they qualify.
Colombia’s Struggles Since the Copa América Final
At the 2024 Copa América, Colombia’s squad entered on a winning streak that extended all the way to the final. Colombia topped their group (which included Brazil) with 7 points and then reached the final with wins over Panama and Uruguay without conceding a goal. Against Argentina, the underdog side battled beyond the 90 minutes, but scoreless, they ran out of steam and conceded in extra time, handing Lionel Messi and his teammates another international trophy.
This 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle, where CONMEBOL, like other federations, has expanded slots for the first time, has seen Colombia fall into a slump. After 16 games, five South American teams are either qualified or certain to reach a final playoff round, with Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay ahead of Colombia.
The final phase of qualifying is being contested by three teams this September. Colombia is on 22 points (5-7-4 record and a +4 goal difference), Venezuela is on 18 points (4-6-6 and -4 GD), and Bolivia is on 17 points (5-2-9 record with a -16 GD). One of these three teams will qualify directly for the World Cup, and the second-best finishing team over the next two games will reach the intercontinental knockout playoff early next year.
Looking at their record agaisnt the direct rivals, Colombia beat Venezuela in 2023, 1-0 when this qualifying window started at home in Barranquilla, while Bolivia defeated Colombia as hosts at high altitude 1-0 in October 2024 at El Alto, international football’s thinnest air.
In 2025, the national team is winless with a loss to Brazil and three draws against Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. While the draw against Argentina was respectable, the scoreless draw at home against Peru was particularly concerning, raising questions about whether playing games in hot coastal Colombia in the summer is benefiting the national team.
CONMEBOL qualifying tends to be physical and attritional, and the flair and attacking talent of Colombia has frequently gone missing in games. 21-year-old striker Jhon Duran (formerly of Aston Villa and Al-Nassr, now at Fenerbahçe in Turkey) was dropped from the team after exhibiting a poor attitude during that international window. The teams that have finished ahead of Colombia in World Cup qualifying, recently beat them or avoided defeat to them.
Rivals For Qualification: Venezuela and Bolivia
Looking at their direct rivals, Salomón Rondón, a 35-year-old well-traveled international striker, has carried Venezuela nearly to their first ever World Cup. Wins over Peru and Bolivia at home have given fans of La Vinotinto “Mano, Tengo Fe” (“I have faith” in English). Playing at home has been a fortress for the national team in a country mired in political and economic crisis, where much of the population has been scattered abroad (which resulted in thousands of Venezuela fans showing up at World Cup qualifying games around South America). The national football team is one of the few uniting forces in the divided country. Venezuela still loves baseball, but it’s football that’s causing the nation and its diaspora to crowd around their television sets this month.
Like Colombia, most of Venezuela’s players are playing in leagues abroad, with Yeferson Soteldo at Fluminense in Brazil, Rondón at Oviedo in Spain, and Jefferson Savarino at Botafogo in Brazil. All three players were in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Bolivia is another South American side that has historically been non-competitive. Playing away, the national team has rarely put up strong results but has improved, with the nucleus of the squad coming from Bolivia’s domestic league.
Two Matches Determine Colombia’s Fate
Bolivia travels to Barranquilla to face Colombia on September 4th, a game Colombia expects to win as hosts. Bolivia will then host Brazil on September 9th, a match likely requiring all three points to have any chance at even the knockout playoff.
Venezuela travels to Buenos Aires to take on an already qualified Argentina in a potential national team sendoff game for Lionel Messi (and other legendary teammates). Either 1 or 3 points would be valuable from that game on the 4th. On the 9th, they host Colombia at Estadio Monumental in Maturín, possibly the biggest home game in the nation’s football history.
With how the table has worked out, Colombia can’t afford to falter, while Venezuela needs to at least hold their position.
A win over Bolivia would see Colombia qualify for the World Cup for just the third time since 2000. Should they lose or draw, they would still only need a draw against Venezuela to qualify. Venezuela needs to hope Bolivia falters and at least aims to keep their position in the intercontinental playoff.
Battling two of the most unheralded nations in South American football is not where Colombia expected to be at this stage in this cycle of the national team, and the pressure is boiling. Enter Dayro Moreno to help relieve that pressure.
Talent Abroad, But Squad Clarity Lacking
In that Copa América, four Colombians had two goals each and eight were on the scoresheet in total. Colombia is a country excelling at having talent play abroad in Europe and across the Americas. Should they qualify for the World Cup, sellouts are expected at every game they play across the United States, Mexico, and Canada—all countries with significant Colombian diaspora populations and relatively easy direct travel from Colombia. They would be one of the dark horse teams expected to reach the knockout phase.
Hopes and expectations remain high for a top-20 side, but if Argentine manager Néstor Lorenzo is going to continue leading Colombia and make them competitive at the World Cup after three years in charge, he has to figure out the composition of the roster.
For this final qualifying window, Lorenzo still lacks clarity at goalkeeper (though Kevin Mier at Cruz Azul in Liga MX is the favorite). Yerson Mosquera from Wolverhampton has returned, with Daniel Muñoz from Crystal Palace, Bologna’s Jhon Lucumí, and Galatasaray’s Davinson Sánchez standouts defensively. In midfield, James Rodríguez has been in a slump for Liga MX’s Club León for months but remains the veteran leader with 116 caps. Richard Ríos moved to Benfica this summer and leads the midfield in practical terms, with Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma and new Wolverhampton player Jhon Arias also featuring. Players who were not called, but could feature at the World Cup, include Real Betis’ Nelson Deossa (who starred at the Club World Cup for Monterrey), and Cucho Hernandez.
In attack, it’s going to be new Bayern Munich star Luis Díaz, Colombia’s top goal scorer, along with young talents 23-year-old Marino Hinestroza from Atlético Nacional and 24-year-old Kevin Castaño from River Plate. But the most interesting name in the call-up list? 39-year-old Once Caldas striker Dayro Moreno, who has more football experience than any of the other options at striker.
“Baila Moreno” at the 2026 World Cup?
Dayro Moreno is the most famous active player in Colombia’s domestic competition, officially titled Liga BetPlay Dimayor, and unofficially referred to as FPC. While striker Radamel Falcao famously sold the most jerseys upon his return to Millonarios of Bogotá, Moreno embodies the fun, joyfulness, and thrills of Colombia’s domestic football. Moreno is the all-time top scorer in FPC; his current club, Once Caldas, is still alive in the Copa Sudamericana in part due to Moreno’s 8 goals in the competition, having eliminated Argentine side Huracán. Moreno has scored over 225 goals, most in Colombia, including 17 for Once Caldas in 2025 and 21 more in 2024. In a league with strikers like former Wigan and Fulham star Hugo Rodallega (Santa Fe) and former Rangers FC star Alfredo Morelos (Atlético Nacional), Moreno remains the ultimate idol, not just for his scoring, but for his off-field personality.
Moreno’s flamboyant fashion and tattoos, frequent appearances in advertisements and entertainment media, and presence on TV, radio, podcasts, billboards, and viral videos, have made the 39-year-old transcend sports. Moreno openly embraces drinking and partying, including Colombia’s national beverage “Guaro” (Aguardiente), and the country’s nightlife and dance clubs. A carefree personality with iconic goal celebrations, Moreno is being called to lift the spirits of Colombia’s locker room ahead of two vitally important games.
Moreno has critics due to his perceived lack of discipline, but he is a Colombian original who has had modest success abroad after leading Caldas to a shocking 2004 Copa Libertadores title. Moreno scored 47 goals in 95 games for Tijuana in Liga MX, and 12 goals in 43 games for Steaua Bucharest in Romania. Within Colombia, Moreno has been a valuable goalscorer for five Liga BetPlay Dimayor clubs: Once Caldas, Atlético Junior (11 goals in 38 games), Millonarios (29 goals in 45 games), Atlético Nacional (44 goals in 68 games), and Atlético Bucaramanga (22 goals in 42 games).
Despite all his domestic success, Moreno was rarely called upon by Colombia over his 20+ year career, only briefly appearing at the 2016 Copa América, and now, at the end of his career, he can leave as one of the country’s football legends internationally, joining the ranks of “El Pibe”, Carlos Valderrama, and “El Loco” René Higuita, the scorpion kick goalkeeper.
Moreno doesn’t belong to just one club or region in Colombia; he embodies part of the spirit of his nation. Should Colombia qualify, Moreno, who took the place of the younger Duran in the squad, would join rare air if he makes the 2026 World Cup roster. 42-year-old Roger Milla of Cameroon (1994) was the oldest striker to play in the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal would be 41 next year, and is expected to play in the World Cup. Lionel Messi of Argentina will be turning 39.
It’s an open question if Moreno could continue with this national team, but he’s already raised the confidence of a nervous nation, and the Colombian locker room, if he plays against either Bolivia or Venezuela, one touch of the ball for Dayro Moreno could be what secures qualification for Colombia. His level in the Sudamericana suggests he’ll take any opportunity he’s given to score goals.
If Moreno contributes to Colombia’s World Cup qualification and makes the squad, he is sure to go viral during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. So get started learning the Baila Moreno dance.
Main Photo Credit: Imago Images Javier Torres/Photosport
