Colombia national under-17 football team

The Colombia national under-17 football team represents Colombia in international under-17 association football competitions and is administered by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF).

The team competes in the South American U-17 Championship, which serves as South America's qualifying competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Colombia has won the South American championship twice, in 1993 and 2026. Its best performances at the FIFA U-17 World Cup came in 2003 and 2009, when it finished fourth.

History

Early years

Colombia first competed in the South American under-17 championship in 1985, when the competition was known as the South American Under-16 Championship. The tournament later became the principal South American qualifying competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Colombia finished sixth in its first appearance and did not qualify for the 1985 or 1987 FIFA world championships.

Colombia reached the continental podium for the first time at the 1988 South American Under-16 Football Championship, finishing third. The result qualified the team for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship in Scotland, where Colombia made its debut at a world championship in the age category. It finished third in its group and did not advance to the knockout stage.

First continental title

Colombia won its first South American under-17 title at the 1993 South American Under-17 Football Championship, which it hosted. The team finished unbeaten and secured first place in the final standings. The title qualified Colombia for the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Australia.

At the 1993 world championship, Colombia defeated Cameroon but lost to Russia and Australia in the group stage. It therefore did not advance to the knockout phase.

Colombia did not qualify for the 1995, 1997, 1999 or 2001 FIFA under-17 world championships. It returned to the continental podium at the 2003 South American Under-17 Football Championship, finishing third and qualifying for the FIFA tournament in Finland.

World Cup breakthroughs

Colombia's first major success at the FIFA U-17 World Cup came at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. The team advanced from its group after recording three victories, including a 9–1 win over the hosts. It defeated Costa Rica in the quarter-finals before losing to Brazil in the semi-finals. Colombia finished fourth after losing the third-place match to Argentina.

The fourth-place finish was Colombia's best result at the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the time. Several members of the 2003 squad later established professional careers in Colombia and abroad, contributing to the team's reputation as an important pathway into the senior national team.

Colombia did not qualify for the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, but returned to the tournament at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. It reached the round of 16 before being eliminated.

Colombia reached the semi-finals again at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria. After advancing from the group stage, it defeated Turkey and Argentina before losing to Spain in the semi-final. Colombia finished fourth after losing the third-place match to Switzerland.

The result equalled Colombia's fourth-place finish from 2003 and remains one of the team's two best performances at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

2011–2019

Colombia did not qualify for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup, 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup or 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Its strongest result during this period came at the 2013 South American U-17 Championship, where it finished third in the final group.

The team returned to the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. Colombia advanced from the group stage and defeated Germany in the round of 16 before losing to Spain in the quarter-finals.

Colombia failed to qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup after finishing in the first round of the 2019 South American U-17 Championship. It was also eliminated in the first round of the 2023 South American U-17 Championship and consequently did not qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

2025–present

Colombia qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar after finishing second at the 2025 South American U-17 Championship. In the World Cup group stage, Colombia drew with Germany and El Salvador before defeating North Korea 2–0. The result placed Colombia second in Group G and sent it to the round of 32, where it lost 2–0 to France.

Colombia won the 2026 South American U-17 Championship in Paraguay. It defeated Argentina 4–0 in the final at the Cancha CONMEBOL in Luque to claim its second title in the competition, following its first championship in 1993. Miguel Agámez scored twice in the final, while Matías Caicedo and José Escorcia also scored.

The 2026 championship was Colombia's first South American under-17 title won outside the country. Escorcia finished as the tournament's leading scorer and was one of the principal figures in Colombia's successful campaign.

Competitive record

*Draws include knockout matches decided by a penalty shoot-out. **Gold background indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border indicates that the tournament was held in Colombia.

Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place

FIFA U-17 World Cup YearRoundPosition 1985Did not Qualify 1987 1989First round15th301235 1991Did not Qualify 1993First round14th310236 1995Did not Qualify 1997 1999 2001 2003Fourth Place4th6321145 2005Did not Qualify 2007Round of 1613th4112107 2009Fourth Place4th7232811 2011Did not Qualify 2013 2015 2017Round of 1611th420257 2019Did not Qualify 2023 2025Round of 32TBD412133 2026QualifiedTotalFourth place8/2131109124644

South American U-17 Championship

The South American U-17 Championship is CONMEBOL's principal competition for men's under-17 national teams and serves as the region's qualifying competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

YearRoundPosition 1985Round-robin6th8314912 1986First round8th411235 1988Third place3rd723276 1991First round5th4211104 1993Champions1st7520144 1995First round5th411266 1997First round5th421152 1999First round8th411268 2001First round5th421177 2003Third place3rd73311110 2005Fourth place4th721468 2007Runners-up2nd9531165 2009Fourth place4th7421116 2011Fifth place5th93241215 2013First round8th403134 2015Sixth place6th92341115 2017Fourth place4th94231212 2019First round9th400448 2023First round9th401319 2025Runners-up2nd6411114 2026Champions1st6411102

Other competitions

Bolivarian Games

YearResult1993Runners-up1997Champions2001Runners-up2005Champions2013Champions2017Champions2022Third place

South American Games

YearHost cityResult1994ValenciaChampions2010MedellínChampions2014SantiagoChampions

Head-to-head record FIFA U-17 World Cup record The following table shows Colombia's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. OpponentWin %Total

Current squad The following players were called up to the squad for the 2026 South American U-17 Championship, which was held in Paraguay from 3 April to 19 April 2026.

Honours

FIFA U-17 World Cup Fourth place (2): 2003, 2009 South American U-17 Championship Winners (2): 1993, 2026 Runners-up (2): 2007, 2025 Third place (2): 1988, 2003 Fourth place (2): 2005, 2009 Bolivarian Games Champions (4): 1997, 2005, 2013, 2017 Runners-up (2): 1993, 2001 Third place (1): 2022 South American Games Champions (3): 1994, 2010, 2014

Colombia national under-17 football team

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