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In July 2018, the Colombia team was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup in Russia in a match against England that drew the tears of most Colombians because it meant the end of an era of splendo r by José Pékerman and an uncertain path to the next tournament, in Qatar in 2022.
The defeat was used by a sector of the press to attack the Argentine, not only because of the style of play, but also because of the role of Pascual Lezcano in the tricolor team. The rarefied atmosphere meant that on September 4, 2018, after meeting with the managers of the Colombian Football Federation, Pékerman announced the end of his cycle at the head of the Colombian national team.
It could not be expected, despite the sadness of most Colombians over the departure of Pékerman, the Colombian professional football team had to think of a replacement for the Argentine and who had the difficult task of taking the country to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Federation then began the search for the helmsman position of the coffee squad. Names such as Juan Carlos Osorio, Ricardo Gareca, Tata Martino, Guus Hiddink, Marcelo Gallardo and Reinaldo Rueda sounded, but Carlos Queiroz was anointed. The Portuguese had come from being Iran's coach in Russia 2018, where he was eliminated in the first round.
Quieroz was introduced on February 7, 2019 as the new coach of the Colombian football team, where he played 10 friendlies, one Copa America and only four matches in the Conmebol Playoffs.
On his way to Qatar and with Queiroz as striker, Colombia started off on the right foot defeating Venezuela 3-0 with goals from Muriel and Zapata. The match left a good feeling and people were starting to dream, but there was the first bump in the tortuous road that has been the journey of the coffee team to live the world cup in the middle east.
Colombia arrived with air in the shirt to face Uruguay at home, but Cavani, Suarez and Núñez started the momentum from the national team and prepared the ground for what would be one of the great humiliations of the coffee team.
On November 17, 2020, Colombia visited Ecuador at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in Quito. What seemed like a simple match quickly turned into a nightmare and can be considered the moment when coffee growers started a plummeting drop in performance as an absolute selection.
The local team humiliated Colombia 6-1, not only affecting the team's morale but leaving out Queiroz, who by common agreement decided to abandon the command of the eleventh coffee maker, who was already beginning to see his trip to Qatar 2022 complicated.
On January 14, 2021, Reinaldo Rueda was confirmed as the new coach of the Colombia National Team. The vallecaucano came for the third time to lead the coffee growers and it seemed to be an opportunity to prove that he was the coach who claimed the team and the country. Their first match was a resounding victory against Peru, where Mina, Uribe and Diaz showed that the National Team could play well and win as before.
After a Copa America in which Colombia finished third and an absence of James Rodríguez, who was not called up by Rueda, the coffee team would return to the qualifiers to face Bolivia and Paraguay from where they would only rescue 2 points.
On September 9, 2021, Colombia returned to victory against Chile with goals from Díaz and Borja and although there were good feelings this would be the last match for a long time in which the tricolor team scored a goal.
Against Uruguay, Colombia began a seven-match run without knowing the victory and achieving a shameful record of 684 minutes without scoring goals, letting valuable points slip further away from the dream of Qatar 2022
Despite three defeats and four draws, the National Team came alive against Bolivia, where it scored and scored goals again with Luis Díaz and Borja, leaving the possibility of a qualification to the repechage, but depending on other results.
With the match on March 29, Colombia stayed at the end of the road, alive until the last moment but unable to take the necessary step, and did not achieve the desired qualification for Qatar 2022. Despite the victory by the slightest difference against Venezuela, Peru's simultaneous victory against Paraguay in Lima leaves Rueda very close to abandoning the leadership of the Coffee team and in a crisis the Colombian Football Federation.
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