Colombia vs Costa Rica prediction 02.06.2026 | International Friendly

Colombia head into this match with a highly talented squad led by manager Néstor Lorenzo. The hosts recently confirmed their 26-man World Cup squad, featuring experienced names such as James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz, Davinson Sánchez and David Ospina.

Despite entering the World Cup with strong momentum overall, Colombia’s recent friendly results have been mixed. They suffered back-to-back defeats against Croatia (2-1) and France (3-1) during the March international window, although both opponents are considered elite-level European sides. Prior to those defeats, Colombia had recorded impressive victories against Australia (3-0), New Zealand (2-1) and Mexico (4-0).

There are no major injury concerns reported ahead of the Costa Rica fixture, although some regular starters could have their minutes managed carefully to avoid fatigue before the World Cup opener later in June.

Costa Rica arrive in Bogotá during a difficult transitional period. Following their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the federation appointed Fernando Batista as head coach in an attempt to rebuild the national team. Recent performances, however, have exposed several weaknesses.

Los Ticos were heavily beaten 5-0 by Iran during the March international break and also conceded twice in a 2-2 draw against Jordan. Defensively, Costa Rica have struggled badly against technically superior opponents, while their attacking output away from home has remained inconsistent (they failed to score in three of their last five away matches).

Preparation for these friendlies has also been disrupted by off-field disciplinary problems. Kenneth Vargas, Warren Madrigal and Alejandro Bran were all removed from the national team camp ahead of the matches against Colombia and England following an internal disciplinary investigation.