Mexico City, Guadalajara, Miami, Kansas City – Colombia’s World Cup journey has gradually been heading north for three weeks. Thousands of their supporters now descend on Vancouver looking to see Néstor Lorenzo’s side try to reach their first quarter-final in 12 years when they face Switzerland on Tuesday. After Mexico and the United States, “yellow fever” is about to hit Canada.
This sort of fan migration, which has filled host cities with vibrant colour and joy, has not been seen since that last quarter-final in 2014, when Colombia supporters travelled in massive numbers to Brazil, not only owing to its proximity but also to the fact that the selección had not qualified for a World Cup for almost a generation before. James Rodríguez, the breakout star of that tournament, addressed the fans before travelling to North America as captain this year as there had been trouble when Colombia were in the US for the 2024 Copa América.
