Venezuela national football team
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The Venezuela national football team (Template:Langx), nicknamed La Vinotinto ("The Red Wine"), represents Venezuela in men's international football and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (Template:Langx), the governing body for football in Venezuela. Their nickname is a reference to the unique “red wine” team color that is used on their home jerseys. When playing at home in official games, they usually rotate between three stadiums: The Polideportivo Cachamay in Puerto Ordaz, the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto La Cruz and the Estadio Pueblo Nuevo in San Cristóbal, though recent FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns saw home games in other stadiums around the country, including the Estadio Monumental in Maturín. Likewise, in friendly matches, they tend to rotate between the rest of the stadiums in the country.
Unlike other South American nations, and akin to some Caribbean nations, baseball is extremely popular in Venezuela, which diverts athletic talent away from football, contributing to its historic lack of success in CONMEBOL competitions. As of 2025, they are the only CONMEBOL side to have never qualified for the World Cup. Often Venezuela would go through entire qualification tournaments without recording a single win, although this has not happened since 1998. Until 2011, their best finish at the Copa América was fifth in their first entry, in 1967. It is only recently with the spread of the World Cup's popularity in nations where football was not the primary sport (such as Canada, Japan, the United States, and Australia) that the national team found incentives to increase player development and fan support. As of December 2019, Venezuela has the highest position on the FIFA World Ranking of any team that has not yet qualified for the World Cup, being ranked 25th.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
History
20th century
Venezuela did not participate in FIFA World Cup qualification until the 1966 qualifiers in which they were drawn with Uruguay and Peru, but failed to register a point in four games. In the 1970 qualifiers they managed to register a point, and after withdrawing from the 1974 series, repeated that in the 1978 qualifiers. The 1982 qualifiers saw them register their first win, over Bolivia. They wouldn't register another World Cup qualifying win until the 1994 series when they defeated Ecuador. A highlight of the 1998 qualifiers was goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel scoring against Argentina in a 5–2 defeat.
Despite poor results during the 1960s and 1970s, outstanding players like Luis Mendoza and Rafael Santana achieved recognition. Venezuela also managed to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics around this time, the first-ever major international football competition they participated in.
Richard Páez era
After José Omar Pastoriza's resignation during the 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, Richard Páez took over as head coach of the national team. In their remaining qualifiers, Venezuela achieved 4 victories in a row against Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay; in terms of World Cup qualifying matches, this was the first time the team won more than one game in row, the first time they won away from home, and the first time they avoided finishing in last place in their entire history.
The team nevertheless failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, or the 2006 World Cup, gaining 16 and 18 points respectively. However, the team did achieve progression to the second round of the 2007 Copa America on home soil.
In November 2007, Páez resigned after disagreements with the media and supporters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
César Farías era
With a new coach César Farías, Venezuela national team improved their performances. At the beginning of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Venezuela won its first game in World Cup qualifying against long unbeaten Ecuador in Quito. Something similar happened to Bolivia in La Paz, where Venezuela won for the first time at Bolivian altitude. Also, they received their first point against Brazil in qualifying. Despite not ultimately reaching the 2010 World Cup, Venezuela achieved its best result in qualifying. They finished this round with 22 points in 18 matches, surpassing Peru and Bolivia for eighth place in the region.
On 6 June 2008, Venezuela achieved its first-ever triumph over Brazil, defeating the Seleção 2–0 in a friendly match in Boston, United States. Venezuela obtained excellent results in the 2011 Copa América when they finished fourth, their highest finish in the tournament to date. With a squad composed mostly of players playing in Europe, they began 2014 World Cup qualification with a historic result (1–0) against Argentina in Puerto La Cruz, beating the Argentines for the first time.
Noel Sanvicente era
On 4 September 2014, Noel Sanvicente was made coach of the Venezuela national team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The team's first match under Sanvicente was against South Korea in Bucheon on 5 September 2014, ending in a 3–1 defeat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sanvicente's first tournament came in the 2015 Copa América, with Venezuela drawn in Group C of the competition. Their opening game finished with an upset victory over tournament favorites Colombia by 1–0, but subsequent defeats to Peru and Brazil saw La Vinotinto eliminated.Template:Citation needed
Venezuela began the World Cup qualification campaign with a 1–0 defeat against Paraguay at home, and would not earn their first point until their match against Peru, a 2–2 draw in Lima where Venezuela led until the last minute of stoppage time. Their match with Chile ended in a disappointing 4–1 defeat. Sanvicente announced his resignation a week later after mutual consent with the FVF. At the time of Sanvicente's departure, Venezuela was last in the qualification standings with a sole point.
Rafael Dudamel era
Sanvicente was replaced by former Vinotinto goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel, who decided to revamp the entire national team, by injecting the team with the promising young generation of Venezuelan players that finished second at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup that was dubbed as the country's first-ever football Golden Generation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Under his coaching, La Vinotinto quickly improved and reached the quarterfinals in the Copa América Centenario, with two 1–0 wins over Jamaica and Uruguay and a 1–1 draw against Mexico in the group stage and then a 4–1 defeat to Argentina in the quarter-finals. In the 7th matchday of the 2018 World Cup qualifier, Venezuela lost to Colombia 2–0 in Barranquilla, the first loss against Los Cafeteros since 2009. Later, on matchday 11, Venezuela won for the first time in the qualifier, 5–0 over Bolivia in Maturín with a hat-trick from Josef Martínez and goals from Jacobo Kouffati and Rómulo Otero.
On 2 January 2020, Dudamel resigned from the national team.
Copa América history
Venezuela first participated at the Copa América in 1967, and finished fifth after defeating Bolivia 3–0 with a side containing Mendoza and Santana. The 1975 tournament saw Venezuela drawn in a group with Brazil and Argentina, and finished bottom with an 11–0 defeat to Argentina. In the 1979 edition, which would be the international swansong for Mendoza and Santana, they drew 0–0 with Colombia and 1–1 with Chile. A highlight of the 1989 tournament was midfielder Carlos Maldonado's four goals. In the 1993 series, Venezuela drew with Uruguay and the United States.
The team's overall Copa América record has been relatively poor (goal difference 33–145 before the 2011 Copa América), but the "Auge Vinotinto" (Vinotinto Rise) period in the early 2000s (decade) brought increased attention to the sport in the country, which in turn brought increased support from both government and private institutions. Said support contributed greatly to the "Vinotinto's" rise in quality. In 2007, during the Copa América held in Venezuela, the team progressed to the quarterfinals for the first time in its history after finishing first in a group containing Peru, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Venezuela's 2–0 victory over Peru during the competition was its first Copa América victory since 1967.
2011 Copa América
At the 2011 Copa América championship, Venezuela reached the semi-finals round for the first time by defeating Chile in the quarter-final, 2–1. Despite their commanding presence against Paraguay in their semifinal, Venezuela was unable to convert their chances into goals. They would eventually lose 5–3 to Paraguay in a penalty shootout after remaining scoreless in normal and extra time. Venezuela and Peru played for third place at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, where Venezuela would suffer their biggest loss of the tournament, losing 4–1 to Peru and falling into fourth place overall. Nonetheless, it was their best-ever finish at the competition.
Group B: {{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
| Team | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Fb | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 |
| Template:Fb | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
| Template:Fb | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Template:Fb | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Results: Template:Football box collapsible Template:Football box collapsible Template:Football box collapsible Template:Football box collapsible Template:Football box collapsible Template:Football box collapsible
Team image
Template:Sister project Venezuela made its international debut in the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Panama in 1938, wearing the vinotinto (burgundy) color. The burgundy color originated from the uniform of the Venezuelan National Guard.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 1967 Copa América Venezuela also wore the Peñarol shirt v Chile to avoid colors clash, as Venezuela had arrived in the Estadio Centenario (Peñarol's frequent venue) with no alternate shirts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1993, a vertical band with the colors of the National flag was added to the left side of the jersey, which changed its colors to a more traditional red tone. This lasted until 1996 when Venezuela returned to the vinotinto tone.<ref name=tienda/>
In 1998 Venezuela adopted a yellow/blue/red scheme, similar to their flag colors, by Mexican manufacturer "ABA Sports".<ref name=tienda>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The national team returned to the traditional color in 2000. It has been remaining (with few changes)<ref>La Vinotinto estrenará uniforme Template:Webarchive on La Patilla website</ref> as the main uniform up to present days.
Kit providers
Source:<ref>Las marcas que han vestido a la Vinotinto Template:Webarchive on Meridiano.com</ref>
| Manufacturer | Period |
|---|---|
| Template:Flagicon Adidas | 1981–1991 |
| Template:Flagicon Forte | 1992–1995 |
| Template:Flagicon Polmer | 1996–1997 |
| Template:Flagicon Aba Sport | 1998–1999 |
| Template:Flagicon Atlética | 2000–2004 |
| Template:Flagicon Adidas | 2005–2018 |
| Template:Flagicon Givova | 2019–2023 |
| Template:Flagicon Adidas | 2024–2026 |
Results and fixtures
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
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2024
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2025
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Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Template:Flagicon Fernando Aristeguieta |
| 1st Assistant coach | Template:Flagicon Juan Guerra |
| Assistant coach | Template:Flagicon Eduardo Saragó |
| Assistant coach | Template:Flagicon Daniel Izzo |
| Goalkeeper coach | Template:Flagicon Michael Cofrades |
| Fitness coach | Template:Flagicon Julio Soto |
Coaching history
- Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
- Template:Flagicon Vittorio Godigna (1938)
- Template:Flagicon Sixto Soler (1944–1946)
- Template:Flagicon Álvaro Cartea (1947–1948)
- Template:Flagicon Orlando Fantoni (1951, 1955–1959)
- Template:Flagicon Miguel Ángel Gleria (1951)
- Template:Flagicon Rafael Franco (1961–1967)
- Template:Flagicon Gregorio Gómez (1967–1969)
- Template:Flagicon Rafael Gonzalez (1970-1972)
- Template:Flagicon José Julián Hernández (1972)
- Template:Flagicon Dan Georgiadis (1972–1977)
- Template:Flagicon Luis Mendoza (1981, 1989)
- Template:Flagicon Walter Roque (1981–1985)
- Template:Flagicon Rafael Santana (1985–1986, 1996)
- Template:Flagicon Carlos Horacio Moreno (1989)
- Template:Flagicon Víctor Pignanelli (1990–1992)
- Template:Flagicon Ratomir Dujković (1992–1995)
- Template:Flagicon Eduardo Borrero (1997–1998)
- Template:Flagicon José Omar Pastoriza (1998–2000)
- Template:Flagicon Richard Páez (2001–2007)
- Template:Flagicon César Farías (2007–2013)
- Template:Flagicon Manuel Plasencia (2014)
- Template:Flagicon Noel Sanvicente (2014–2016)
- Template:Flagicon Rafael Dudamel (2016–2020)
- Template:Flagicon José Peseiro (2020–2021)
- Template:Flagicon Leonardo González (2021)
- Template:Flagicon José Pékerman (2021–2023)
- Template:Flagicon Fernando Batista (2023–2025)
- Template:Flagicon Oswaldo Vizcarrondo (2025)
- Template:Flagicon Fernando Aristeguieta (2025)
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up to the squad for the friendly matches against Australia and Canada on 14 and 18 November 2025, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite instagram</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
- Caps and goals are correct as of 18 November 2025, after the match against Canada.
- Friendlies not recognized by FIFA are not counted.
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Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months. Template:Nat fs r start Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs r player Template:Nat fs break
- INJ Withdrew due to injury
- PRE Preliminary squad
- SUS Suspended
- WD Withdrew from the squad
Player records
Template:Updated<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Players in bold are still active with Venezuela.
Most appearances
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| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomás Rincón | 143 | 1 | 2008–present |
| 2 | Juan Arango | 129 | 23 | Template:Nowrap |
| 3 | Salomón Rondón | 120 | 47 | 2008–present |
| 4 | José Manuel Rey | 115 | 10 | 1997–2011 |
| 5 | Roberto Rosales | 96 | 1 | 2007–present |
| 6 | Jorge Alberto Rojas | 87 | 3 | 1999–2009 |
| 7 | Miguel Mea Vitali | 84 | 1 | 1999–2012 |
| 8 | Oswaldo Vizcarrondo | 80 | 7 | 2004–2016 |
| 9 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 77 | 9 | 1996–2005 |
| 10 | Luis Vallenilla | 76 | 0 | 1996–2007 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salomón Rondón | 48 | 120 | {{#expr:48/120 round 2}} | 2008–present |
| 2 | Juan Arango | 23 | 129 | {{#expr:22/129 round 2}} | 1999–2015 |
| 3 | Giancarlo Maldonado | 22 | 65 | {{#expr:22/65 round 2}} | 2003–2011 |
| 4 | Josef Martínez | 15 | 70 | {{#expr:15/70 round 2}} | 2011–present |
| 5 | Ruberth Morán | 14 | 63 | {{#expr:14/63 round 2}} | 1996–2007 |
| 6 | Miku | 11 | 50 | {{#expr:11/50 round 2}} | 2006–2015 |
| Darwin Machís | 11 | 52 | {{#expr:11/52 round 2}} | 2011–present | |
| 8 | Daniel Arismendi | 10 | 30 | {{#expr:10/30 round 2}} | 2006–2011 |
| José Manuel Rey | 10 | 115 | {{#expr:10/115 round 2}} | 1997–2011 | |
| 10 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 9 | 77 | {{#expr:9/77 round 2}} | 1996–2005 |
Competitive record
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
FIFA World Cup
Copa América
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Template:Color box Champions Template:Color box Runners-up Template:Color box Third place Template:Color box Fourth place
Pan American Games
| Pan American Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip |
| Template:Flagicon 1951 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| Template:Flagicon 1955 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 20 |
| Template:Flagicon 1959 | Did not participate | |||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1963 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1967 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1971 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1975 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1979 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1983 | Group stage | 7th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Template:Flagicon 1987 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1991 | ||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1995 | ||||||||
| Since 1999 | See Venezuela national under-23 football team | |||||||
| Total | Fourth place | 3/12 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 37 |
Honours
Regional
- Bolivarian Games
- Template:Silver2 Silver medal (5): 1947–48s, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1977
- Template:Bronze3 Bronze medal (2): 1961, 1981
- Notes
- s Shared titles.
See also
- Venezuela national under-23 football team
- Venezuela national under-20 football team
- Venezuela national under-17 football team
- Venezuela national futsal team
References
External links
Template:Venezuela national football team Template:Navboxes Template:Venezuela national football team managers {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox |name = CONMEBOL teams |title = National football teams of South America (CONMEBOL) |listclass = hlist |groupwidth = 6em |state = autocollapse
|group1= Senior |list1 = {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}}
|group2 = Youth |list2 = {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} }}
Template:National sports teams of Venezuela Template:Football in Venezuela