Colombia Beats Uzbekistan 3-1 In World Cup Opener As James Rodriguez Praises Win

Colombia opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan, a result that extended an impressive tournament run and immediately placed the South Americans on top of Group K after Portugal were held 1-1 by DR Congo.

Daniel Munoz, Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz scored at Mexico City Stadium on Wednesday, securing Colombia’s fourth straight World Cup match without defeat. Colombia are now unbeaten in their last four games at the tournament, with three wins and one draw, matching their best sequence from 2014.

The current record continues a consistent World Cup stretch for Colombia, who have lost only two of their last 10 matches on this stage since 2014, winning seven and drawing one. This strong run underlines why Colombia entered Group K as one of the favourites to progress.

James Rodriguez played a central role in controlling the tempo against Uzbekistan and later spoke with ESPN about the performance. James praised Colombia’s control in possession, highlighted the importance of starting quickly in tournaments, and hinted that some bigger nations struggled in supposedly straightforward fixtures.

This match was something unique, like it was my first game, seeing all this when the anthem played, it's a great feeling that money can't buy. I'm happy about that, James told ESPN. I'm happy because we played a good game. The first game is always tough to win; there are several teams that couldn't win against teams that are supposedly 'easy'. I think we played a good game and finished the day well.

James also explained how Colombia adapted to Uzbekistan’s defensive shape. "They are tactically strong and were sitting deep, so I dropped back a bit to try and thread passes through, and Jhon [Arias] and [Gustavo] Puerta used that space to play between the lines. That's easy when you have these guys next to you, who have unique quality."

Uzbekistan, playing their first World Cup match, tried to frustrate Colombia by defending close to their penalty area and limiting space between midfield and defence. That approach forced James to operate from deeper areas, where passing lanes opened for Arias and Puerta, leading to clearer chances as the game progressed.

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Colombia’s win came on a historic day for Asian nations at the World Cup. Countries from Asia have lost 13 of their 14 World Cup debut matches, with the only previous exception Kuwait’s 1-1 draw against Czechia, then Czechoslovakia, in 1982. Uzbekistan’s goal followed that trend of more competitive debuts in 2026.

Both Uzbekistan and Jordan scored in their first World Cup matches in 2026, joining Kuwait in 1982 and Saudi Arabia in 1994, who scored in a 2-1 defeat against Netherlands, as Asian debutants who have found the net in their opening game. That places Uzbekistan’s effort alongside a small group of first-timers.

Colombia World Cup context and James Rodriguez reaction

Uzbekistan are coached by Fabio Cannavaro, who reached another personal milestone at Mexico City Stadium. Cannavaro is now only the fourth person to have both won a Ballon d'Or and taken part in a World Cup as a player and later as a manager, adding another layer of interest to this fixture.

It was their first match [in a World Cup] and it took them a while to understand where they were, the atmosphere in the stadium wasn't easy, said Cannavaro. We played in Mexico, but it was like playing in Colombia with all the people who were here. It's tough; losing 3-1 is tough. [The players] were too nervous. In the first half they only thought about defending, in the second half they didn't.

With Colombia leading Group K after the first round of fixtures and extending a strong World Cup record, James’s influence, the attacking contribution from Munoz, Diaz and Campaz, and a testing debut for Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan have already added significant storylines to a group that also includes Portugal and DR Congo.