soccer in colombia

Soccer is a very valuable and important sport to Colombians, and it dates back to as early as 1913, which was when many professional clubs started in Colombia. Nowadays the top five clubs are Atlético Nacional which is located in Medellín, Millionaires which is located in the capital city Bogotá, Cali América which is  located in Cali, Deportivo Cali also located in Cali, and Independiente Santa Fe which is located in Bogotá as well as Millionaires. However, in 1924, the Colombian Football Federation was founded, and the national team was created. The Colombian men’s national team has participated in a total of six Fifa World Cups; 1962 in Chile , 1990 in Italy, 1994 in the United States, 1998 in France, 2014 in Brazil, and 2018 in Russia. Their overall best showing was in 2014, when they made it to the quarter finals, placing fifth out of thirty two teams total. The team, nicknamed “Los Cafeteros” or coffee growers, were actually banned from the 1954 Fifa World Cup because some of Colombia’s club leagues decided to break away from Fifa. As said above, soccer is very important to Colombia; so important in fact, that when André Escobar - the captain of the World Cup team in 1994 - accidentally scored an own goal, costing Colombia the game against the U.S and knocking them out of the tournament, he was murdered later in his home in Medellín. On the other side, the Colombian women’s World Cup team is gaining more and more fame and success. They have participated in three Fifa World Cups; 2011 in Germany, 2015 in Canada, and 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. Their overall best showing was in 2023 when they made it to the quarter finals and finished in fourth place. Similar to the men’s team, they are nicknamed “Las Cafeteras” also meaning coffee growers. Some Colombian club teams like Cali América, Atlético Nacional, Deportivo Cali, and also have professional leagues for women. Across the country of Colombia, soccer is a sport that holds much value and importance to many people, who follow it or play it.