Colombia has defeated Ghana to claim the final ticket to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

In the Round of 32 match held at Kansas City Stadium in Missouri, USA, on July 4 (KST), Colombia secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal by Jhon Arias in the 14th minute of the first half, which they successfully defended until the final whistle.

For Colombia, whose best World Cup performance was reaching the quarterfinals in the 2014 Brazil tournament, this marks their return to the Round of 16 for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Russia tournament.

In the Russia World Cup, teams advanced directly to the Round of 16 after passing the group stage.

After failing to qualify for the 2022 Qatar tournament, Colombia returned to the global stage after eight years. They finished first in Group K with an undefeated record (2 wins, 1 draw) to reach the Round of 32 and maintained their momentum in the knockout stage.

Colombia will face Switzerland in the Round of 16, scheduled for July 8 in Vancouver, Canada.

Ghana, which was eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 Qatar tournament, succeeded in reaching the knockout stage this time but saw their tournament run end after falling in their first match.

With this match, all Round of 32 games have concluded, finalizing the matchups for the Round of 16, which will take place from July 5 to 8.

The upcoming matchups are: France vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Egypt, Canada vs. Morocco, Portugal vs. Spain, USA vs. Belgium, Brazil vs. Norway, Mexico vs. England, and Switzerland vs. Colombia.

Both Colombia and Ghana faced injury setbacks early in the match.

Just eight minutes into the game, Colombia's starting forward Jhon Cordoba left the pitch due to an injury and was replaced by Luis Suarez.

About five minutes later, Ghana's fullback Marvin Senaya complained of hamstring pain and was unable to continue, leading to his substitution by Alidu Seidu.

The lone goal, which proved to be the winner, came shortly after in the 14th minute.

After Suarez's initial cross from the right flank was blocked by the defense, he attempted another cross, which Arias connected with to score the decisive goal.

In first-half stoppage time, Colombia's Johan Mojica attempted a header off a cross from Daniel Munoz, but it was saved by goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, leaving Colombia with a one-goal lead at halftime.

In the 11th minute of the second half, Luis Diaz slid to connect with a cross from the right and found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Two minutes later, another shot by Diaz was blocked by the goalkeeper, missing a chance to extend the lead.

However, Ghana, which failed to record a single shot on target out of six attempts in the first half, could not create any significant opportunities in the second half either, finishing the game with zero shots on target. Colombia maintained their lead without facing any major threats.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)