Colombia booked the final remaining spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a disciplined 1-0 victory over Ghana at Kansas City Stadium, extending their unbeaten run in the tournament to four matches.
Néstor Lorenzo’s side, who topped Group K ahead of Portugal, made their early dominance count through Jhon Arias, whose first-half strike proved decisive. Colombia will now face Switzerland in Vancouver on July 8 for a place in the quarter-finals after the Swiss defeated Algeria 2-0.
Ghana threatened first when Thomas Partey unleashed a powerful long-range effort inside two minutes, but Colombia quickly settled into their rhythm and began stretching the Black Stars’ defence with pace and width.
The breakthrough came in the 14th minute after Luis Javier Suárez, deputising for the injured Jhon Córdoba, surged down the right before picking out Arias, who calmly guided a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Colombia continued to dictate proceedings for the remainder of the first half and nearly doubled their advantage. Luis Díaz fired narrowly wide from close range before goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi produced an outstanding reflex save to keep out Johan Mojica’s close-range header.
Díaz thought he had added a second in the 56th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out for a marginal offside after VAR intervention. The Liverpool forward was presented with another opportunity moments later but shot straight at Ati-Zigi from inside the area.
Despite the narrow scoreline, Colombia remained in complete control after the interval, managing possession intelligently and denying Ghana any clear opportunities. The Black Stars failed to register a single shot on target as Lorenzo’s side comfortably saw out the victory to continue their impressive World Cup campaign.