Bayern Munich Luis Díaz could carry Colombia to a deep run at the 2026 World Cup

Colombia National Soccer Team have its new superstar - and he might be capable of taking them further than ever before.

Colombia will be an exciting team to watch at 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada - and the biggest reason optimism is sky-high is the same player opponents now fear most: Luis Díaz .

"It'll be my first time at a World Cup . I'm very moved by it," he said after getting the ticket for the international tournament. "I know the best is still to come." It's not just hope - it's the truth. Colombia once rode James Rodríguez to a historic quarterfinal run in 2014. In 2026, Díaz is poised to become the country's new global breakout star.

Colombia's new standard-bearer

For years, Colombia searched for the player who could take the mantle from James . They've found him. Díaz has become the player through whom everything flows. When L os Cafeteros need a dribble, a spark, a cross, or a moment of magic, Díaz is the one who creates it. In Néstor Lorenzo 's attack-minded 4-2-3-1, all roads lead to the left wing - to No. 7.

He can drop deeper to help circulate possession, explode into space in transition, beat defenders 1-on-1 in tight pockets, finish or assist from inside the box. And he's doing it with elite European form behind him. Ten years after James lit up Brazil 2014, Díaz now fills that void - but with a different style. Less orchestrator, more disruptor. Less finesse-only, more daring and dynamic.

Lorenzo 's Colombia doesn't hide what it wants to do: attack in waves. With two holding mids, a classic No. 10, and speed on the wings, the structure is built to feed Díaz . On the right, Fluminense star Jhon Arias forces defenses to stay honest. In the middle, a creator like James Rodríguez, Juanfer Quintero or Jorge Carrascal connects lines. And up front, Rafael Santos Borré often does the dirty work to open space.

The result? Díaz gets exactly what he thrives on

Switch-of-play isolation. Colombia builds on the right, then flips the field to Díaz on the left - where he often has a full runway to attack the defender 1-on-1. Tight-space dribbling: if the defense shifts early, Díaz is trusted to break lines on his own. His assist to Jhon Córdoba against Romania came from one of those sequences.

Defensive growth. His evolution at Liverpool has sharpened the other side of his game. As Jurgen Klopp noted: "Defensively, the difference is always how much your offensive players work back... 'Lucho' adapted really, really well." That makes him a complete, 90-minute threat - not just a highlight maker.

Simply put, he's a proven big-moment player. Díaz no longer disappears in quiet stretches - he forces himself into games. His résumé with Colombia over the past year: Two goals in five minutes to stun Brazil in qualifying A standout performance vs. Spain to extend Colombia 's unbeaten run to 20. Regular match-changing bursts in CONMEBOL play. A growing leadership presence, acknowledged by coaches and teammates. He senses the responsibility - and welcomes it.