For Colombia’s James Rodríguez, the yellow national team jersey has always brought out the best in his decades-long football career, and the 34-year-old veteran midfielder is poised to conjure up his trademark magic on one of the sport’s biggest stages: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rodríguez and Los Cafeteros will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Uzbekistan at Mexico’s iconic Estadio Azteca. Though Rodríguez has had a low-profile stint so far with Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United this season, his national team’s coaching staff and young teammates are unanimous that the veteran remains a game-changing difference-maker for the Colombian side.
“James is in good shape, he has been improving physically and of course his talent and his attributes also make him a player who, sometimes without running as much as others, defines things and brings clarity to the game,” Colombia head coach Néstor Lorenzo told reporters ahead of the opening match.
This tournament marks Rodríguez’s third World Cup appearance, tying the all-time Colombian record previously set by national football legends Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincón. For young first-time World Cup players like 23-year-old forward Carlos Gómez, sharing a squad with the veteran icon is a surreal, exciting opportunity.
“He’s very important for us debutants because he’s played in every World Cup; he’s a global icon,” Gómez said. “He has quality and a lot of experience. I watched him from home in 2014 and celebrated his goals; it’s very exciting for me to be with him.”
A pattern has long defined Rodríguez’s career: while he often fills a rotational role at the club level, he transforms into an unmissable star when he pulls on Colombia’s national jersey. Heading into the 2026 tournament, he arrives surprisingly fresh, having logged only 284 minutes across eight appearances for Minnesota in the first half of the 2026 MLS season. A lack of club minutes has never held him back on the international stage, however, as Rodríguez has consistently proven to be a talisman for Colombia in short-format knockout tournaments.
Most recently, Rodríguez led Colombia to a surprise run to the 2024 Copa América final, earning tournament MVP honors for his standout play. His legendary international breakthrough came 12 years earlier at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he claimed the Golden Boot with six tournament goals and pushed Colombia to a historic quarterfinal finish — still the best World Cup result in the nation’s history. That breakout performance earned him a high-profile transfer to La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid, where he won two domestic titles over four seasons before launching a globe-trotting club career that has taken him to Bayern Munich, Everton, Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos, São Paulo, Rayo Vallecano, Club León and ultimately Minnesota United.
Teammates say Rodríguez’s ability to elevate his play for the national side is unmatched. “James, ever since we’ve seen him, or I since I was little, representing the country, it’s like he transforms when he puts on the jersey,” Colombian striker Luis Suárez said. “He’s a source of pride as an athlete and a teammate, not only for me but for many others. It’s a dream to be sharing the locker room with him.”
For Colombia as a whole, the 2026 World Cup carries extra meaning: the nation missed out on qualification for the 2022 Qatar tournament, and is returning to football’s grandest stage hungry for redemption. The side’s last World Cup appearance came in 2018 in Russia, where it advanced to the knockout round before falling to England in a tense penalty shootout.
“The message is to enjoy it, to be grateful, and to give their all for the Colombian jersey,” Lorenzo said. “Thank God we’re back at this tournament after eight years. We’re excited and eager to do things right.”