Colombia U20

Origins and early international appearances

Women's football was played in Colombia from the 1940s onwards, largely through informal and regional competitions that operated without federation backing, and the sport gained institutional recognition only decades later. A national team did not appear in official competition until the 1998 South American Women's Football Championship in Mar del Plata. Colombia beat Venezuela 4–1 in their first match and won two of four group games, but a 12–1 defeat by Brazil indicated the distance still separating them from the continent's established side.

That pattern of heavy wins against weaker opponents and heavy losses to Brazil persisted. At the 2003 South American Women's Football Championship in Lima, under Myriam Guerrero, Colombia beat Venezuela 8–0 and finished third, yet also lost 12–0 to Brazil in the same tournament. Guerrero later attributed the team's limitations to the absence of a domestic professional league. The federation's commitment remained uneven: for the 2005 Bolivarian Games it entered an under-19 side even though senior teams were eligible, and that team still finished second behind hosts Peru.

Breakthrough and first global tournaments (2010–2012)

The decisive change came in 2010. Under Ricardo Rozo, Colombia finished runners-up at the 2010 South American Women's Football Championship in Ecuador, beating Uruguay 8–0, Venezuela 5–0 and Argentina 1–0 in the final group. A single tournament thereby delivered three debuts: the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2012 Olympic tournament.

Those first appearances exposed how little the results in South America translated. Drawn against Sweden, the United States and North Korea in Germany, Colombia lost 1–0 and 3–0 before drawing 0–0 with North Korea, finishing 14th without scoring. They came fourth at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara and then lost all three group matches in London. The opening game at Hampden Park was delayed after organisers displayed the South Korean flag beside the North Korean line-up, prompting the North Korean team to leave the pitch for around an hour.

Canada 2015 and the dispute with the federation (2014–2016)

Fabián Felipe Taborda took charge for the 2014 Copa América Femenina, where Colombia conceded twice in seven matches and again finished behind Brazil, qualifying for both the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2016 Olympic tournament. In Canada they drew 1–1 with Mexico and then beat France 2–0 in Moncton—their first Women's World Cup win, and the first by a Spanish-speaking nation at the tournament. A 2–1 loss to England still left them in the round of 16, where the eventual champions the United States eliminated them 2–0.

At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Colombia reached the women's football final after defeating Canada 1–0 in the semi-final at the Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium. They ultimately finished with the silver medal after losing 4–0 to Brazil in the final. The result added another major tournament final to Colombia's growing record during the period, although Brazil remained the dominant side in the region.

Progress on the pitch coincided with open conflict off it. After players criticised disparities in bonuses and conditions compared with the men's team, several members of the 2015 squad—among them the goalkeeper Sandra Sepúlveda and the forwards Daniela Montoya and Lady Andrade—were left out of the pre-Olympic training camp. Colombia went out in the group stage at Rio 2016, though they drew a match and scored their first Olympic goals.

Titles and the 2023 quarter-final (2019–present)

Colombia won their first senior title at the 2019 Pan American Games, beating Argentina on penalties in the final in Lima. They reached the semi-finals of the 2018 Copa América Femenina and, as hosts of the 2022 edition, lost a third final to Brazil before large crowds in Cali.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup produced their best global result. Colombia won Group H ahead of Germany, South Korea and Morocco, beating the two-time champions 2–1 in Sydney through a Linda Caicedo goal and a 97th-minute winner, then beat Jamaica 1–0 in the round of 16. England beat them 2–1 in the quarter-finals, leaving Colombia eighth.

Under Ángelo Marsiglia the team reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Olympic tournament and entered the top 20 of the FIFA Women's World Rankings for the first time in June 2025, at 18th. A fourth Copa América final defeat by Brazil followed in Ecuador in 2025. The long wait for a senior continental title ended in June 2026, when Colombia won the inaugural 2025–26 CONMEBOL Women's Nations League, finishing unbeaten on 20 points from eight matches after a 4–3 win over Paraguay in Asunción on the final matchday, which also confirmed direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.