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Why Is James Rodriguez No Longer Playing for Colombia vs Ghana at the World Cup?
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- Why Is James Rodriguez No Longer Playing for Colombia vs Ghana at the World Cup?
Colombia was 1-0 up at halftime against Ghana in the Round of 32 match in the 2026 World Cup .
Colombia took the lead in the 14th minute of the match with a goal from Jhon Arias . The winner of this match will play Switzerland in the Round of 16 on July 7 at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada .
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The Colombians were the better team in the first half and could've scored more, but they were unlucky in front of the goal.
Fans were surprised to see that their captain, James Rodriguez , was taken off before the second half started. Rodriguez played the first 45 minutes of the match, but he was replaced by Richard Rios .
Colombia's midfielder #10 James Rodriguez and Ghana's midfielder #08 Kwasi Sibo fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Colombia and Ghana at the Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City on July 3, 2026. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP via Getty Images)Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP via Getty Images
Cameras caught Rodriguez looking upset on the bench as the second half was about to start. Rios is a defensive midfielder and is playing with Gustavo Puerta and Jefferson Lerma in the Colombian midfield.
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Is James Rodriguez Injured?
It is unclear whether Rodriguez is injured, but it did not appear so as the player seemed normal on the bench with no medical staff near him.
Gustavo Puerta appears to be occupying a more attacking midfielder role with the team, and Richard Rios seems to have been added for defensive support.
As of now, the change may be tactical, and Colombia has looked threatening on multiple occasions again, when attacking Ghana on the pitch.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
