Colombia vs Ghana LIVE: World Cup score, lineups and highlights for round of 32
Unbeaten Colombia takes on a resilient Ghana side at Arrowhead Stadium, featuring a personal revenge plot for Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz.
The World Cup round of 32 concludes on Friday, July 3, 2026, as Colombia and Ghana face off at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The match serves as a high-stakes clash between two teams arriving from contrasting paths: Colombia enters as an unbeaten group winner, while Ghana advances as one of the top eight third-place teams from Group L.
The encounter carries a personal subplot for Ghana's manager, Carlos Queiroz. The 73-year-old, who has coached five World Cup teams—leading South Africa and Portugal once each and Iran three times—previously managed Colombia in 2019. He led the squad through the Copa America, where they beat Argentina, Paraguay, and Qatar before a quarter-final penalty loss to Chile. His tenure ended after 2020 following successive losses to Uruguay (3-0) and Ecuador (6-1), the latter being Colombia's biggest ever defeat, making this fixture a potential revenge match against his former employers, according to The New York Times.
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Road to the Round of 32
Colombia topped Group K with a disciplined run, securing victories over Uzbekistan (3-1) and Congo (1-0) before playing to a scoreless draw against Portugal. According to Sports Illustrated, Los Cafeteros have been aggressive in their pressing, recovering possession in an average of 41.46 seconds per instance and conceding only one goal throughout the group stage.
Ghana's journey has been more volatile. The Black Stars opened with a 1-0 win over Panama, featuring a stoppage-time goal by Caleb Yirenkyi, and earned a notable 0-0 draw against England. However, they suffered a 2-1 loss to Croatia in their final group game. Sports Illustrated reports that Ghana has struggled to create chances, producing one of the lowest totals in the tournament with 2.07 xG.
The appointment of Carlos Queiroz was a late move for Ghana, occurring just two months before the tournament kickoff following the sacking of Otto Addo 72 days before the event. Addo had been dismissed after back-to-back friendly defeats to Austria and Germany, despite Ghana finishing top of their qualification group. Queiroz has since organized the team into a resilient side, as noted by The New York Times.
Lineups and Tactical Shifts
Both managers made strategic changes to their starting elevens for the knockout clash. Colombia manager Nestor Lorenzo, who took over in 2022 after serving on the staff under José Pékerman in 2014 and 2018, reintroduced Daniel Muñoz and Johan Mojica, replacing Santiago Arias and Deiver Machado.
Ghana's Queiroz made four changes. Most notably, he recalled goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi from a groin injury to replace Benjamin Asare. Other changes saw Caleb Yirenkyi, Jerome Opoku, and Iñaki Williams start in place of Elisha Owusu, Jonas Adjetey, and Kamaldeen Sulemana, respectively.
Confirmed Starting XIs:
| Colombia (4-3-3) | Ghana (4-1-2-3) |
|---|---|
| Camilo Vargas (GK) | Lawrence Ati-Zigi (GK) |
| Daniel Muñoz | Gideon Mensah |
| Davinson Sánchez | Jerome Opoku |
| Jhon Lucumí | Derrick Luckassen |
| Johan Mojica | Marvin Senaya |
| Gustavo Puerta | Thomas Partey |
| Jefferson Lerma | Caleb Yirenkyi |
| Jhon Arias | Kwasi Sibo |
| James Rodríguez (C) | Antoine Semenyo |
| Jhon Córdoba | Jordan Ayew (C) |
| Luis Díaz | Iñaki Williams |
Ghana's primary offensive threat is Antoine Semenyo. The Manchester City forward, who scored seven Premier League goals and the winner in the FA Cup final over Chelsea, started the match, as reported by The New York Times.
Colombia relies on the vision of captain James Rodríguez, who won the 2014 Golden Boot with six goals. While Rodríguez has not yet scored in this tournament, he has 31 total national team goals, five behind leading scorer Radamel Falcao. According to Yahoo Sports, Colombia has won its last four matches against African nations.
Match Details and Atmosphere
The match is being played at Arrowhead Stadium, where The New York Times noted walls of yellow
in the stands. Ghana entered the pitch wearing white Puma home kits featuring a spiderweb design that pays tribute to Kwaku Ananse, a spider-like figure and trickster in West African folklore, while Colombia is in their yellow adidas home kits, according to USA TODAY.
What to Watch Next
- Round of 16: The winner of this match will face Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday, July 7.
- Potential Quarter-final: A victory over Switzerland could lead to a quarter-final meeting in Kansas City, where Lionel Messi's Argentina is a likely opponent. Argentina recently advanced past Cape Verde in a 3-2 extra-time thriller.
