Round of 32 · Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Colombia
GhanaFriday, July 3, 9:30 PM EDT · 📺 FOX / FOX One
Colombia's carnival of flair — Luis Díaz, James Rodríguez — against Ghana's brick wall. The Black Stars already held England 0-0. Can they do it again without their best player?
Winner reaches the Round of 16. Colombia won their group unbeaten and expect to be here; Ghana snuck in as one of the best third-place teams and would love nothing more than to spring the upset.
Colombia. Luis Díaz on the break and James Rodríguez on set pieces is the most fun neutral watch of the night — and Colombian fans throw the best party in any stadium they're in.
01Sound smart about this
- Colombia arrive hot: they won Group K unbeaten with seven points, two clear of Portugal, beating Uzbekistan 3-1 and DR Congo 1-0. Luis Díaz has been in scintillating form, and — bizarrely — their joint-top scorer at this World Cup is a right-back, Daniel Muñoz.
- Ghana without their best player: star Mohammed Kudus is out with a quad injury and never even made the tournament. Under Carlos Queiroz they've become a disciplined low block that already held England to a 0-0 draw.
- One doubt, one first: winger Antoine Semenyo is carrying an ankle issue and is worth monitoring — and Colombia and Ghana have never once met at a World Cup, so there's no history to lean on.
02Players to actually watchtap a line to copy
Colombia's primary attacking threat and in scintillating form — pure pace and direct running that tired defenses cannot handle.
Say this“Every time Díaz gets the ball at his feet with space to run, Ghana's defenders are in trouble.”
Colombia's creator-in-chief — vision, passing, and dangerous deliveries from set pieces that are perfect for cracking a packed defense.
Say this“Against a team that just parks the bus, one perfect James Rodríguez free kick can decide the whole game.”
Ghana's captain leads the line and is their main outlet on the counter with Kudus absent.
Say this“With their best player hurt, a lot rides on the captain Jordan Ayew up top for Ghana.”
The screen in front of Ghana's low block — his job is to break up Colombia's attacks before they reach the box.
Say this“Watch Partey sitting in front of the defense — Ghana's whole plan is built around him mopping everything up.”
03Ask thistap to copy
Ghana's best player, Mohammed Kudus, isn't even here — he's out with a quad injury. That's a huge loss for them.
Ghana held England to a 0-0 draw in the group stage with a disciplined low block — they can absolutely frustrate you.
Colombia's joint-top scorer at this World Cup is a right-back, Daniel Muñoz. Soccer is weird.
Colombia won their group ahead of Portugal and haven't lost a game yet.
Colombia and Ghana have never met at a World Cup — this is the first time ever.
04Opinions you can safely have
- Ghana will sit deep and try to make this ugly, so don't panic if it's scoreless for a long stretch.
- If Colombia stay patient, Díaz's pace eventually cracks a tiring low block.
- Losing Kudus is brutal for Ghana — he's the one player who could've turned a 0-0 into a win by himself.
05Jargon of the match
Soaking up pressure, then springing forward fast the instant you win the ball — Ghana's whole hope. Say 'they're dangerous on the counter' and you sound like you've watched them all tournament.
06The call
Colombia 2-0. Ghana bunker in and frustrate them for an hour, then Díaz's fresh legs finally win it late and Kansas City erupts in yellow.
Facts checked: 2026-07-03. Lineups drop ~1 hour before kickoff.