Venezuela national football team

Venezuela

Nickname(s)	La Vinotinto (The Wine-Red)
Association	Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	Fernando Batista
Captain	Tomás Rincón
Most caps	Tomás Rincón (130)
Top scorer	Salomón Rondón (41)
Home stadium	Estadio Monumental Estadio Olímpico de la UCV Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida
FIFA code	VEN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	50 1 (21 December 2023)
Highest	25 (November 2019)
Lowest	129 (November 1998)
First international
Panama 3–1 Venezuela (Panama City, Panama; 12 February 1938)
Biggest win
Venezuela 7–0 Puerto Rico (Caracas, Venezuela; 16 January 1959)
Biggest defeat
Argentina 11–0 Venezuela (Rosario, Argentina; 10 August 1975)
Copa América
Appearances	19 (first in 1967)
Best result	Fourth place (2011)

The Venezuela national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Venezuela) represents Venezuela in men's international football and is controlled by the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF), the governing body for football in Venezuela. They are nicknamed La Vinotinto ("The Wine-Red"). 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. 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 2022, they are the only CONMEBOL side to have never qualified for the FIFA 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 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.

History

Backstory

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 at that time also managed to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics, it first-ever major international football competition Venezuela participated in.

Richard Páez era

After José Omar Pastoriza's resignation during the 2002 World Cup qualifyings, Richard Páez took the technical direction of the national team. Finishing this process, Venezuela achieved 4 victories in a row against Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay; winning more than 1 game in row, their first away game and not finishing in the last place for the first time in their World Cup qualifying history.

However, the team failed to qualify for both the 2002, and 2006 World Cups, gaining 12 and 18 points respectively. After this, the team advanced to the second round Copa America 2007 in Venezuela, is the first time they could reach it on this competition.

In November 2007, Páez resigned after discrepancies with media and supporters.

César Farías era

With a new coach César Farías, Venezuela national team improved their performances. At the beginning of the 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, 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 FIFA 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. On 5 September 2014, the team lost its first match with Sanvicente under the helm 3–1 against South Korea in Bucheon.

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.

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, and was unofficially eliminated.

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. 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:

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	1	2	0	6	4	+2	5
Venezuela	3	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
Paraguay	3	0	3	0	5	5	0	3
Ecuador	3	0	1	2	2	5	−3	1

Results:

Team image

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. 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.

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.

In 1998 Venezuela adopted a yellow/blue/red scheme, similar to their flag colors, by Mexican manufacturer "ABA Sports". The national team returned to the traditional color in 2000. It has been remaining (with few changes) as the main uniform up to present days.

Kit providers

Source:

Manufacturer	Period
Adidas	1981–1991
Forte	1992–1995
Polmer	1996–1997
Aba Sport	1998–1999
Atlética	2000–2004
Adidas	2005–2018
Givova	2019–2023
Adidas	2024–present

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

2024

Coaching staff

Position	Name
General Manager	Sergio Batista
Head coach	Fernando Batista
Assistant coach	Leandro Cufré
Goalkeeper coach	Vicente Rosales
Fitness coach	Jorge Pidal Cristian Palandella

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Ecuador and Peru on 16 and 21 November 2023, respectively.

Caps and goals are correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Peru.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
22	GK	Rafael Romo	25 February 1990	19	0	Universidad Catolica
12	GK	Alain Baroja	23 October 1989	15	0	Always Ready
1	GK	Joel Graterol	13 February 1997	11	0	América de Cali
14	DF	Roberto Rosales (3rd captain)	20 November 1988	95	1	Sport Recife
21	DF	Alexander González	13 November 1992	67	2	C.S. Emelec
4	DF	Wilker Ángel	18 March 1993	35	2	Unattached
3	DF	Yordan Osorio	10 May 1994	27	0	Parma
2	DF	Nahuel Ferraresi	19 November 1998	23	1	Sao Paulo
	DF	Luis Mago	15 September 1994	19	2	Unattached
5	DF	Christian Makoun	5 March 2000	9	0	Anorthosis Famagusta
15	DF	Miguel Navarro	26 January 1999	9	0	Colorado Rapids
	DF	Jon Aramburu	23 July 2002	1	0	Real Sociedad B
8	MF	Tomás Rincón (captain)	13 January 1988	130	1	Santos
20	MF	Rómulo Otero	9 November 1992	50	6	Santos
11	MF	Darwin Machís	7 February 1993	43	10	Cádiz
	MF	Júnior Moreno	20 July 1993	41	1	FC Cincinnati
10	MF	Yeferson Soteldo	30 June 1997	38	4	Grêmio
7	MF	Jefferson Savarino	11 November 1996	36	3	Real Salt Lake
6	MF	Yangel Herrera	7 January 1998	34	3	Girona
13	MF	José Martínez	7 September 1994	27	0	Philadelphia Union
16	MF	Cristian Cásseres	20 January 2000	26	0	Toulouse
	MF	Eduard Bello	20 August 1995	14	2	Mazatlán
17	MF	Edson Castillo	18 May 1994	8	1	Kaizer Chiefs
19	MF	Samuel Sosa	17 September 1999	7	0	Unattached
23	FW	Salomón Rondón (vice-captain)	16 September 1989	102	41	Pachuca
9	FW	Sergio Córdova	9 August 1997	17	0	Alanyaspor
18	FW	Eric Ramírez	20 November 1998	9	1	Atlético Nacional

Friendlies not recognized by FIFA are not counted.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Alejandro Araque	14 September 1995	0	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
GK	Luis Romero	16 November 1990	0	0	Puerto Cabello	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
GK	Javier Otero	18 November 2002	0	0	Orlando City	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
GK	Jorge Sánchez	30 September 2006	0	0	Deportivo La Guaira	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
GK	Beycker Velásquez	6 October 1996	0	0	Estudiantes de Mérida	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
GK	Cristopher Varela	27 November 1999	0	0	Deportivo La Guaira	v. Uzbekistan, 28 March 2023
DF	Jhon Chancellor	2 January 1992	37	3	Unattached	v. Paraguay, 12 September 2023
DF	Mikel Villanueva	14 April 1993	31	2	Vitória Guimarães	v. Paraguay, 12 September 2023
DF	Jefre Vargas	12 January 1995	3	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Eduardo Fereira	20 September 2000	0	0	Puerto Cabello	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Anthony Graterol	27 February 1995	0	0	Metropolitanos	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Yanniel Hernández	10 June 1997	0	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Steven Pabón	25 July 2001	0	0	Metropolitanos	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Jesús Paz	13 May 2001	0	0	Chrobry Głogów	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Edwin Peraza	11 March 1993	0	0	Puerto Cabello	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Rubén Ramírez	18 October 1995	0	0	Cusco FC	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Rafael Uzcátegui	4 October 2004	0	0	Boyaca Chico	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Carlos Vivas	4 April 2004	0	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF	Moisés Tablante	4 July 2001	0	0	Orlando City	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
DF	Óscar González	25 January 1992	11	0	Monagas	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF	Andrés Ferro	2 August 2001	0	0	Central Córdoba	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF	Rai Hidalgo	14 February 2006	0	0	Puerto Cabello	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF	Ronald Hernández	21 September 1997	33	1	Atlanta United	v. Uzbekistan, 28 March 2023
DF	Yohán Cumana	8 March 1996	9	0	UCV FC	v. Uzbekistan, 28 March 2023
DF	Jean Fuentes	7 February 1997	2	0	Metropolitanos	v. Uzbekistan, 28 March 2023
DF	Teo Quintero	2 March 1999	0	0	Deinze	v. Uzbekistan, 28 March 2023
MF	Jesús Bueno	15 April 1999	0	0	Philadelphia Union	v. Brazil, 12 October 2023 INJ
MF	Andrés Romero	7 March 2003	3	0	Dunajská Streda	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Telasco Segovia	2 April 2003	2	0	Casa Pia	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Yerson Chacón	4 June 2003	1	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	David Martínez	7 February 2006	1	0	Monagas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Edgar Carrión	7 July 2001	0	0	Monagas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Anderson Contreras	30 March 2001	0	0	Caracas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Maurice Cova	11 August 1992	0	0	Deportivo Táchira	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Bryant Ortega	28 February 2003	0	0	Caracas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Wilfredo Peña	3 May 2001	0	0	Estudiantes de Mérida	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Cristhian Rivas	20 January 1997	0	0	Monagas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Emerson Ruiz	1 March 2003	0	0	Metropolitanos	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF	Jhon Murillo	21 November 1995	41	4	Atlético San Luis	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
MF	Daniel Pereira	14 July 2000	2	0	Austin FC	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
MF	Christian Larotonda	26 May 1999	4	0	Metropolitanos	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF	Robinson Flores	14 April 1998	0	0	Técnico Universitario	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF	Edanyilber Navas	14 January 2000	0	0	Monagas	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF	Leandro Rodríguez	11 June 2005	0	0	Clube Atlético Mineiro Youth Squads	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW	Josef Martínez	19 May 1993	66	14	SC Internacional	v. Chile, 17 October 2023
FW	Alejandro Marqués	8 April 2000	3	0	Estoril	v. Paraguay, 12 September 2023
FW	Freddy Vargas	1 April 1999	2	0	Maccabi Bnei Reineh	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW	Fernando Basante	26 July 2003	0	0	Monagas	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW	Luifer Hernández	28 April 2001	0	0	Puerto Cabello	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW	Santiago Rodríguez	29 January 2001	0	0	Zamora F.C.	Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW	Ernesto Torregrossa	28 June 1992	5	2	Pisa	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
FW	Jovanny Bolívar	16 December 2001	0	0	Huesca	v. Guatemala, 18 June 2023
FW	Kevin Kelsy	27 July 2004	0	0	Shakhtar Donetsk	v. Honduras, 15 June 2023 WD
FW	Brayan Alcócer	17 August 2003	2	0	Boston River	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW	Saúl Guarirapa	18 October 2002	0	0	Sochi	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW	Lewuis Peña	7 April 2004	0	0	Śląsk Wrocław	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW	Lucciano Reinoso	10 July 2006	0	0	Caracas	Training module, 15–17 May 2023
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad SUS Suspended WD Withdrew from the squad

Player records

As of 22 November 2023

Players in bold are still active with Venezuela.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Tomás Rincón	130	1	2008–present
2	Juan Arango	129	23	1999–2015
3	José Manuel Rey	115	10	1997–2011
4	Salomón Rondón	102	41	2008–present
5	Roberto Rosales	95	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	Luis Vallenilla	76	0	1996–2007
10	Gabriel Urdaneta	74	9	1996–2005

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Salomón Rondón	41	102	0.4	2008–present
2	Juan Arango	23	129	0.18	1999–2015
3	Giancarlo Maldonado	22	65	0.34	2003–2011
4	Ruberth Morán	16	63	0.25	1996–2007
5	Josef Martínez	14	67	0.21	2011–present
6	Miku	11	51	0.22	2006–2015
7	Daniel Arismendi	10	30	0.33	2006–2011
	Darwin Machís	10	43	0.23	2011–present
	José Manuel Rey	10	115	0.09	1997–2011
10	Gabriel Urdaneta	9	77	0.12	1996–2005

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954	Did not enter									Declined participation
1958	Withdrew									Withdrew
1962	Did not enter									Declined participation
1966	Did not qualify									4	0	0	4	4	15
1970										6	0	1	5	1	18
1974	Withdrew									Withdrew
1978	Did not qualify									4	0	1	3	2	8
1982										4	1	0	3	1	9
1986										6	0	1	5	5	15
1990										4	0	0	4	1	18
1994										8	1	0	7	4	34
1998										16	0	3	13	8	41
2002										18	5	1	12	18	44
2006										18	5	3	10	20	28
2010										18	6	4	8	23	29
2014										16	5	5	6	14	20
2018										18	2	6	10	19	35
2022										18	3	1	14	14	34
2026	Qualification in progress									6	2	3	1	6	3
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total		0/22								164	30	29	105	140	351

Copa América

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1916	Not a CONMEBOL member
1917
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1929
1935
1937
1939
1941
1942
1945
1946
1947
1949
1953	Did not participate
1955
1956
1957
1959
1959
1963
1967	Fifth place	5th	5	1	0	4	7	16	Squad
1975	Group stage	10th	4	0	0	4	1	26	Squad
1979		10th	4	0	2	2	1	12	Squad
1983		10th	4	0	1	3	1	10	Squad
1987		10th	2	0	0	2	1	8	Squad
1989		10th	4	0	1	3	4	11	Squad
1991		10th	4	0	0	4	1	15	Squad
1993		11th	3	0	2	1	6	11	Squad
1995		12th	3	0	0	3	4	10	Squad
1997		12th	3	0	0	3	0	5	Squad
1999		12th	3	0	0	3	1	13	Squad
2001		12th	3	0	0	3	0	7	Squad
2004		11th	3	0	1	2	2	5	Squad
2007	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	5	6	Squad
2011	Fourth place	4th	6	2	3	1	7	8	Squad
2015	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	2	3	Squad
2016	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	1	1	4	5	Squad
2019		7th	4	1	2	1	3	3	Squad
2021	Group stage	9th	4	0	2	2	2	6	Squad
2024	Qualified
Total	Fourth place	19/47	70	8	17	45	52	180	—

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	5	14
1955	Fourth place	4th	6	1	2	3	9	20
1959	Did not participate
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983	Group stage	7th	2	1	0	1	3	3
1987	Did not qualify
1991
1995
Since 1999	See Venezuela national under-23 football team
Total	Fourth place	3/12	12	3	2	7	17	37

See also

• Venezuela national under-23 football team
• Venezuela national under-20 football team
• Venezuela national under-17 football team
• Venezuela national futsal team