James Rodríguez featured by FIFA after illness, ties Colombian caps record

James Rodríguez disclosed that he played with a virus during Colombia's round‑of‑16 victory over Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which led to an unusual halftime substitution. FIFA later highlighted him in a post on its official X account as the image to announce Colombia's progression to the knockout stage.

In the subsequent round‑of‑16 match against Switzerland, Rodríguez started and reached 131 international appearances, equalling goalkeeper David Ospina as the most‑capped player in the history of the Colombian national team. The federation’s statistics department confirmed the record.