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Venezuela national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Venezuela women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Venezuela
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) La Vinotinto (The Wine-Red)
Association Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF)
Confederation CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach Fernando Batista
Captain Salomón Rondón
Most caps Tomás Rincón (132)
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 32 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 25 (November 2019)
Lowest 129 (November 1998)
Elo ranking
Current 32 Steady (3 March 2019)
Highest 18 (June 2019)
Lowest 127 (1993, 1995, 1999)
First international
 Panama 2–1 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 16 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

Galiciavenezuela2
Match between Galicia (in white) and Venezuela (in burgundy).

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:

Main article: 2011 Copa América 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:

Venezuelaadidas2011
Adidas jersey worn during the 2014 World Cup qualifying
Manufacturer Period
Germany Adidas 1981–1991
Venezuela Forte 1992–1995
Peru Polmer 1996–1997
Mexico Aba Sport 1998–1999
Mexico Atlética 2000–2004
Germany Adidas 2005–2018
Italy Givova 2019–2023
Germany Adidas 2024–present

Results and fixtures

Main article: Venezuela national football team results (2020–present)

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 Argentina Sergio Batista
Head coach Argentina Fernando Batista
Assistant coach Venezuela Omar Alarcón
Argentina Leandro Cufre
Goalkeeper coach Venezuela Vicente Rosales
Argentina Damian Albil
Fitness coach Argentina Jorge Pidal
Venezuela Piero Medina

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
  • Italy Vittorio Godigna (1938)
  • Peru Sixto Soler (1944–1946)
  • Venezuela Álvaro Cartea (1947–1948)
  • Brazil Orlando Fantoni (1951, 1955–1959)
  • Argentina Miguel Ángel Gleria (1951)
  • Argentina Rafael Franco (1961–1967)
  • Argentina Gregorio Gómez (1967–1969)
  • Venezuela Rafael Gonzalez (1970-1972)
  • Venezuela José Julián Hernández (1972)
  • Greece Dan Georgiadis (1972–1977)
  • Venezuela Luis Mendoza (1981, 1989)
  • Uruguay Walter Roque (1981–1985)
  • Venezuela Rafael Santana (1985–1986, 1996)
  • Argentina Carlos Horacio Moreno (1989)
  • Uruguay Víctor Pignanelli (1990–1992)
  • Serbia Ratomir Dujković (1992–1995)
  • Colombia Eduardo Borrero (1997–1998)
  • Argentina José Omar Pastoriza (1998–2000)
  • Venezuela Richard Páez (2001–2007)
  • Venezuela César Farías (2007–2013)
  • Spain Manuel Plasencia (2014)
  • Venezuela Noel Sanvicente (2014–2016)
  • Venezuela Rafael Dudamel (2016–2020)
  • Portugal José Peseiro (2020–2021)
  • Venezuela Leonardo González (2021)
  • Argentina José Pékerman (2021–2023)
  • Argentina Fernando Batista (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

  • The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Italy and Guatemala on 21 and 24 March 2024, respectively.
  • Caps and goals are correct as of 24 March 2024, during the match against Guatemala.
  • Friendlies not recognized by FIFA are not counted.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Rafael Romo (1990-02-25) 25 February 1990 (age 34) 20 0 Ecuador Universidad Católica
1GK Alain Baroja (1989-10-23) 23 October 1989 (age 35) 15 0 Bolivia Always Ready
1GK Joel Graterol (1997-02-13) 13 February 1997 (age 27) 12 0 Colombia América de Cali
1GK José Contreras (1994-10-20) 20 October 1994 (age 30) 6 0 Colombia Águilas Doradas
2DF Alexander González (1992-11-13) 13 November 1992 (age 32) 68 2 Ecuador Emelec
2DF Wilker Ángel (1993-03-18) 18 March 1993 (age 31) 36 2 Brazil Criciúma
2DF Yordan Osorio (1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 (age 30) 29 0 Italy Parma
2DF Nahuel Ferraresi (1998-11-19) 19 November 1998 (age 26) 25 1 Brazil São Paulo
2DF Miguel Navarro (1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 25) 11 0 Argentina Talleres
2DF Christian Makoun (2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 24) 10 0 Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta
2DF Jon Aramburu (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Spain Real Sociedad
2DF Teo Quintero (1999-03-02) 2 March 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Belgium Deinze
2DF Renne Rivas (2003-03-21) 21 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Venezuela Caracas
2DF Carlos Vivas (2004-04-04) 4 April 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira
3MF Tomás Rincón (captain) (1988-01-13) 13 January 1988 (age 36) 132 1 Brazil Santos
3MF Rómulo Otero (1992-11-09) 9 November 1992 (age 32) 51 6 Brazil Santos
3MF Darwin Machís (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 31) 45 11 Spain Cádiz
3MF Jhon Murillo (1995-11-21) 21 November 1995 (age 29) 42 4 Mexico Atlas
3MF Jefferson Savarino (1996-11-11) 11 November 1996 (age 28) 38 3 Brazil Botafogo
3MF Cristian Cásseres (2000-01-20) 20 January 2000 (age 24) 28 0 France Toulouse
3MF José Martínez (1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30) 28 0 United States Philadelphia Union
3MF Edson Castillo (1994-05-18) 18 May 1994 (age 30) 9 1 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs
3MF Daniel Pereira (2000-07-14) 14 July 2000 (age 24) 4 0 United States Austin FC
3MF Telasco Segovia (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Portugal Casa Pia
3MF Kervin Andrade (2005-04-13) 13 April 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Brazil Fortaleza
3MF Jesús Bueno (1999-04-15) 15 April 1999 (age 25) 0 0 United States Philadelphia Union
3MF Matías Lacava (2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Portugal Vizela
3MF Bryant Ortega (2003-02-28) 28 February 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Venezuela Caracas
4FW Salomón Rondón (vice-captain) (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 (age 35) 104 41 Mexico Pachuca
4FW Sergio Córdova (1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 27) 18 0 Russia Sochi
4FW Jan Hurtado (2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 24) 10 0 Ecuador LDU Quito
4FW Jhonder Cádiz (1995-07-29) 29 July 1995 (age 29) 7 0 Portugal Famalicão
4FW Jovanny Bolívar (2001-12-16) 16 December 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Spain Huesca

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 (1995-09-14) 14 September 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
GK Luis Romero (1990-11-16) 16 November 1990 (age 34) 0 0 Venezuela Puerto Cabello Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
GK Javier Otero (2002-11-18) 18 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 United States Orlando City v.  Guatemala, 18 June 2023
GK Jorge Sánchez (2006-09-30) 30 September 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Venezuela Deportivo La Guaira Training module, 15–17 May 2023
GK Beycker Velásquez (1996-10-06) 6 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Venezuela Estudiantes de Mérida Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF Roberto Rosales (3rd captain) (1988-11-20) 20 November 1988 (age 36) 95 1 Brazil Sport Recife v.  Peru, 21 November 2023
DF Luis Mago (1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 (age 30) 19 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Najma v.  Peru, 21 November 2023
DF Jhon Chancellor (1992-01-02) 2 January 1992 (age 32) 37 3 Venezuela Metropolitanos v.  Paraguay, 12 September 2023
DF Mikel Villanueva (1993-04-14) 14 April 1993 (age 31) 31 2 Portugal Vitória Guimarães v.  Paraguay, 12 September 2023
DF Jefre Vargas (1995-01-12) 12 January 1995 (age 29) 3 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Eduardo Fereira (2000-09-20) 20 September 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Venezuela Puerto Cabello Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Anthony Graterol (1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Venezuela Metropolitanos Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Yanniel Hernández (1997-06-10) 10 June 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Steven Pabón (2001-07-25) 25 July 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Metropolitanos Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Jesús Paz (2001-05-13) 13 May 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Poland Chrobry Głogów Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Edwin Peraza (1993-03-11) 11 March 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Venezuela Puerto Cabello Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Rubén Ramírez (1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Peru Cusco FC Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Rafael Uzcátegui (2004-10-04) 4 October 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Colombia Boyacá Chicó Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
DF Moisés Tablante (2001-07-04) 4 July 2001 (age 23) 0 0 United States FC Cincinnati 2 v.  Guatemala, 18 June 2023
DF Óscar González (1992-01-25) 25 January 1992 (age 32) 11 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF Andrés Ferro (2001-08-02) 2 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Argentina Central Córdoba Training module, 15–17 May 2023
DF Rai Hidalgo (2006-02-14) 14 February 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Venezuela Puerto Cabello Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF Júnior Moreno (1993-07-20) 20 July 1993 (age 31) 41 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hazem v.  Peru, 21 November 2023
MF Yeferson Soteldo (1997-06-30) 30 June 1997 (age 27) 38 4 Brazil Grêmio v.  Peru, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF Yangel Herrera (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 26) 34 3 Spain Girona v.  Peru, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF Eduard Bello (1995-08-20) 20 August 1995 (age 29) 14 2 Mexico Mazatlán v.  Peru, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF Samuel Sosa (1999-09-17) 17 September 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Mexico Querétaro v.  Peru, 21 November 2023
MF Andrés Romero (2003-03-07) 7 March 2003 (age 21) 3 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Yerson Chacón (2003-06-04) 4 June 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF David Martínez (2006-02-07) 7 February 2006 (age 18) 1 0 United States Los Angeles FC Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Edgar Carrión (2001-07-07) 7 July 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Anderson Contreras (2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Caracas Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Maurice Cova (1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 32) 0 0 Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Wilfredo Peña (2001-05-03) 3 May 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Estudiantes de Mérida Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Cristhian Rivas (1997-01-20) 20 January 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Venezuela Estudiantes de Merida Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Emerson Ruiz (2003-03-01) 1 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Venezuela Metropolitanos Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
MF Christian Larotonda (1999-05-26) 26 May 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF Robinson Flores (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Venezuela Metropolitanos Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF Edanyilber Navas (2000-01-14) 14 January 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 15–17 May 2023
MF Leandro Rodríguez (2005-06-11) 11 June 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Brazil Atlético Mineiro U20 Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW Eric Ramírez (1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 26) 9 1 Colombia Atlético Nacional v.  Peru, 21 November 2023
FW Josef Martínez (1993-05-19) 19 May 1993 (age 31) 66 14 Canada CF Montréal v.  Chile, 17 October 2023
FW Alejandro Marqués (2000-04-08) 8 April 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Portugal Estoril v.  Paraguay, 12 September 2023
FW Freddy Vargas (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Israel Maccabi Bnei Reineh Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW Fernando Basante (2003-07-26) 26 July 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Venezuela Monagas Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW Luifer Hernández (2001-04-28) 28 April 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Puerto Cabello Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW Santiago Rodríguez (2001-01-29) 29 January 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Venezuela Zamora Training module, 31 July–2 August 2023
FW Ernesto Torregrossa (1992-06-28) 28 June 1992 (age 32) 5 2 Italy Pisa v.  Guatemala, 18 June 2023
FW Kevin Kelsy (2004-07-27) 27 July 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v.  Honduras, 15 June 2023 WD
FW Brayan Alcócer (2003-08-17) 17 August 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Venezuela Universidad Central Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW Saúl Guarirapa (2002-10-18) 18 October 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Russia Sochi Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW Lewuis Peña (2004-04-07) 7 April 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Poland Śląsk Wrocław Training module, 15–17 May 2023
FW Lucciano Reinoso (2006-07-10) 10 July 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Venezuela Caracas Training module, 15–17 May 2023
  • INJ Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE Preliminary squad
  • SUS Suspended
  • WD Withdrew from the squad

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Venezuela.

Most appearances

USAvVEN 2019-06-09 - Tomás Rincón (51169629847) (cropped)
Midfielder Tomás Rincón is the most capped player with 132 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Tomás Rincón 132 1 2008–present
2 Juan Arango 129 23 1999–2015
3 José Manuel Rey 115 10 1997–2011
4 Salomón Rondón 104 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

Salomón Rondón 2021
Salomón Rondón is the nation's all-time top goalscorer.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Salomón Rondón 41 104 0.39 2008–Present
2 Juan Arango 23 129 0.17 1999–2015
3 Giancarlo Maldonado 22 65 0.34 2003-2011
4 Ruberth Morán 14 63 0.22 1996–2007
5 Josef Martínez 14 67 0.21 2011–Present
6 Miku 11 50 0.22 2006–2015
Darwin Machís 11 45 0.24 2011–present
8 Daniel Arismendi 10 30 0.33 2006–2011
José Manuel Rey 10 115 0.09 1997–2011
10 Gabriel Urdaneta 9 77 0.12 1996–2005

Competitive record

Main article: Venezuela national football team records and statistics

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954 Did not enter Declined participation
Sweden 1958 Withdrew Withdrew
Chile 1962 Did not enter Declined participation
England 1966 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 4 15
Mexico 1970 6 0 1 5 1 18
West Germany 1974 Withdrew Withdrew
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 0 1 3 2 8
Spain 1982 4 1 0 3 1 9
Mexico 1986 6 0 1 5 5 15
Italy 1990 4 0 0 4 1 18
United States 1994 8 1 0 7 4 34
France 1998 16 0 3 13 8 41
South Korea Japan 2002 18 5 1 12 18 44
Germany 2006 18 5 3 10 20 28
South Africa 2010 18 6 4 8 23 29
Brazil 2014 16 5 5 6 14 20
Russia 2018 18 2 6 10 19 35
Qatar 2022 18 3 1 14 14 34
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in progress 6 2 3 1 6 3
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/18 164 30 29 105 140 351

Copa América

Main article: Venezuela at the 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
Argentina 1916 Not a CONMEBOL member
Uruguay 1917
Brazil 1919
Chile 1920
Argentina 1921
Brazil 1922
Uruguay 1923
Uruguay 1924
Argentina 1925
Chile 1926
Peru 1927
Argentina 1929
Peru 1935
Argentina 1937
Peru 1939
Chile 1941
Uruguay 1942
Chile 1945
Argentina 1946
Ecuador 1947
Brazil 1949
Peru 1953 Did not participate
Chile 1955
Uruguay 1956
Peru 1957
Argentina 1959
Ecuador 1959
Bolivia 1963
Uruguay 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
Argentina 1987 10th 2 0 0 2 1 8 Squad
Brazil 1989 10th 4 0 1 3 4 11 Squad
Chile 1991 10th 4 0 0 4 1 15 Squad
Ecuador 1993 11th 3 0 2 1 6 11 Squad
Uruguay 1995 12th 3 0 0 3 4 10 Squad
Bolivia 1997 12th 3 0 0 3 0 5 Squad
Paraguay 1999 12th 3 0 0 3 1 13 Squad
Colombia 2001 12th 3 0 0 3 0 7 Squad
Peru 2004 11th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad
Venezuela 2007 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 5 6 Squad
Argentina 2011 Fourth place 4th 6 2 3 1 7 8 Squad
Chile 2015 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad
United States 2016 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 4 5 Squad
Brazil 2019 7th 4 1 2 1 3 3 Squad
Brazil 2021 Group stage 9th 4 0 2 2 2 6 Squad
United States 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
Argentina 1951 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 5 14
Mexico 1955 Fourth place 4th 6 1 2 3 9 20
United States 1959 Did not participate
Brazil 1963
Canada 1967
Colombia 1971
Mexico 1975
Puerto Rico 1979
Venezuela 1983 Group stage 7th 2 1 0 1 3 3
United States 1987 Did not qualify
Cuba 1991
Argentina 1995
Since 1999 See Venezuela national under-23 football team
Total Fourth place 3/12 12 3 2 7 17 37

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Venezuela para niños

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