After missing out on the 2022 World Cup, Colombia is making a strong comeback. As a finalist in the 2024 Copa América and under coach Néstor Lorenzo, the team is brimming with talent and confidence. The opening match against Uzbekistan in Mexico City will be a true test of their mettle.

Coach Néstor Lorenzo has named three goalkeepers for Los Cafeteros: Camilo Vargas, Álvaro Montero, and David Ospina. Colombia will face Portugal, Uzbekistan, and the DR Congo in Group K and is considered one of the strongest South American teams in the tournament. The trio of goalkeepers brings together two generations and three completely different career paths—from the Mexican league to Argentina, from Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper to a returnee.

Vargas is 37 years old and Lorenzo’s clear first choice. He has been with Atlas Guadalajara in Mexico’s Liga MX since 2019, where he has established himself as the club’s most reliable goalkeeper over the course of seven seasons. This season, he has made 26 appearances with four shutouts. His highlight at the club level was winning the double championship with Atlas in 2021/22—the Apertura and Clausura in a single calendar year, a first for the club in 70 years. With over 56 international caps, he is Lorenzo’s proven starting goalkeeper, having played throughout the World Cup qualifiers. A muscle injury in January 2026 sidelined him briefly but healed in time. Vargas is not a flashy goalkeeper, but one who impresses with his consistency both in goal and in the locker room.

Montero is 31 years old and stands 6 feet 7 inches tall, making him one of the most physically imposing goalkeepers in the entire tournament. His career path took him from São Caetano in Brazil to San Lorenzo, Cúcuta Deportivo, and Deportes Tolima, before landing at Millonarios in Bogotá, where he won three national championships between 2022 and 2025. Since July 2025, he has been on loan at Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina’s Primera División—he has made eleven appearances this season. With eleven international appearances since 2019, he is clearly the second choice at the international level and physically the most interesting backup Colombia has ever had.

Ospina is 37 years old and, with 129 international caps, holds the record for the most appearances in the history of Colombian soccer. His career path: Atlético Nacional, OGC Nice, Arsenal, Napoli, Al Nassr—and in the summer of 2024, a return to Atlético Nacional, where he began in 2005. There, he won the Copa Colombia for the first time that same year. This season, he has made seven league appearances with a save percentage of 87.5 percent—solid numbers for a supporting role that he fills with dignity at the club closest to his heart.

Ospina is a Colombian national hero. He played in the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups. 2026 will be his fourth World Cup. His contract in Medellín expires in June 2026. Everything points to this being his last major tournament, and Lorenzo is sending him off with dignity as the third-string goalkeeper, not as a forgotten legend.