2026 World Cup: Colombia vs. Ghana, Probable Lineups

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, will host the final Round of 16 match of the 2026 World Cup, featuring Colombia and Ghana. This is, in fact, a first-ever matchup—not just in World Cup history—with the winner advancing to the round of 16 in a tournament that has been nonstop so far. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Italian time on the night between Friday and Saturday, with French referee Clement Turpin officiating.

Long considered a wild card at this level, Colombia had a very respectable group stage, finishing first in Group K ahead of Portugal (against whom they drew 0-0 but created far more scoring chances), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (beaten 1-0, goal by Muñoz), and Uzbekistan (defeated 3-1, with Muñoz, Luis Díaz, and Campaz scoring for the Cafeteros). Head Coach Nestor Lorenzo has all 26 of his players available for a match in which his team enters as the favorite under pressure.

Ghana, on the other hand, had a decent group stage, standing out more for its defensive qualities than for its attacking flair. After defeating Panama 1-0 on a goal by Yirenkyi in the 95th minute, Carlos Queiroz’s team drew 0-0 with England before suffering a 2-1 loss to Croatia (with Luckassen scoring for the Black Stars), which left them in third place. The injured Kojo Peprah will not be available, but everyone else is fit and ready to play: the goal is to keep the World Cup dream alive and come close to their best-ever result—the quarterfinals reached in 2010.

Probable Lineups

COLOMBIA (4-3-3): Vargas, Muñoz, Sanchez, Lucumí, Mojica; Lerma, Puerta, Arias; James Rodriguez, Suarez, Luis Diaz. Head Coach: Lorenzo.

GHANA (4-1-4-1): Asare; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Partey; Sulemana, Yirenkyi, Sibo, Semenyo; Ayew. Head Coach: Queiroz.