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Colombia Is The Only Latin American Country Left in 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup — Here’s What’s Next

Lead Photo: PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 03: Linda Caicedo of Colombia competes for the ball against Hanane Ait El Haj and Sakina Ouzraoui of Morocco during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium on August 03, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 03: Linda Caicedo of Colombia competes for the ball against Hanane Ait El Haj and Sakina Ouzraoui of Morocco during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium on August 03, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Colombia is through to the round of 16 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup – and they are the only team from Latin America to qualify to the knockout stages. The South Americans lost 1-0 to Morocco in their last group game, but still advanced first in Group H thanks to a superior goal difference.

They will meet Jamaica in the next round, in a game set to be played Tuesday, August 8th at 4AM ET.

It’s a surprising and welcome result for Colombia, who did not come into the tournament as favorites. They, however, managed to win games against both South Korea and two-time tournament champions Germany, who did not qualify to the knockout stages – in large part because of their loss to Colombia.

The team played a muted game against Morocco, especially in the first half, with star Linda Caicedo completely neutralized by a Morocco team that defended really well. But they had their chances in the second half, and though they didn’t score, they remain favorites in their upcoming game against Jamaica. If they win that, then things might get trickier. A possible meeting with England in the quarterfinals is in the horizon. 

For now, though, Colombia is celebrating. They’ve had some of the loudest fans in the stands from the beginning of the tournament.

They’ve captivated people all over.

And we’ll get to see more from them.

Plus, this feels like just the beginning where more community is coming out to support Colombia and women’s sports in a way that hasn’t happened before. And with that support, change follows that will hopefully propel Team Colombia far.