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Venezuela national football team

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Venezuela national football team
Venezuela national football team
Federación Venezolana de Fútbol · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
NameVenezuela
NicknameLa Vinotinto
AssociationFederación Venezolana de Fútbol
ConfederationCONMEBOL (South America)
CoachFernando Batista
CaptainSalomón Rondón
Most capsJuan Arango (129)
Top scorerSalomón Rondón (41)
Home stadiumEstadio Olímpico de la UCV
Fifa trigrammeVEN
Fifa max25
Fifa max dateJuly 2013
Fifa min129
Fifa min dateNovember 1998
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Pattern ra1_ven20h
Leftarm18B0000
Body18B0000
Rightarm18B0000
Shorts18B0000
Socks18B0000
Pattern la2_ven20a
Pattern b2_ven20a
Pattern ra2_ven20a
Leftarm2FFFFFF
Body2FFFFFF
Rightarm2FFFFFF
Shorts2FFFFFF
Socks2FFFFFF

Venezuela national football team represents Venezuela in international association football and is administered by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. Traditionally known as La Vinotinto for its burgundy kit, the team competes in CONMEBOL tournaments including the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Copa América. Historically the weakest side in South America, Venezuela has improved since the late 1990s, achieving competitive results against Argentina national football team, Brazil national football team, Uruguay national football team, and Colombia national football team.

History

Venezuela's earliest international fixtures date to matches against Colombia national football team and Cuba national football team in the 1930s and 1940s, with intermittent participation in early editions of the South American Championship and the Copa América. The establishment of the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol and regular participation in CONMEBOL qualifying from the 1970s coincided with domestic developments such as the professionalization of the Primera División Venezolana and clubs like Caracas FC, Deportivo Táchira, and Zamora Fútbol Club supplying players. The team suffered heavy defeats to sides including Argentina national football team and Brazil national football team through the 1980s and 1990s, prompting structural reforms, youth development programs influenced by partnerships with Real Madrid Castilla-adjacent academies and coaching exchanges with Spain national football team staff. The arrival of players such as Juan Arango and coaches like Richard Páez and César Farías helped Venezuela reach its highest competitive levels, culminating in top-four finishes in the 2007 and 2011 Copa América cycles and near qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup (narrowly missing out in final qualifying rounds). Recent campaigns under managers including Rafael Dudamel and José Pékerman have focused on tactical modernization and integration of diaspora talent from Europe national football leagues.

Home stadium and kit

Venezuela has used several venues for home matches, notably the Estadio Olímpico de la UCV in Caracas, the Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida, the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto La Cruz, and the Estadio Agustín Tovar in Barinas. Flooding, altitude and pitch condition issues have driven venue rotation across states such as Zulia, Táchira, and Anzoátegui. The national kit is traditionally burgundy, inspired by national colors and adopted widely since the 1970s; kit manufacturers have included Adidas, Puma, Umbro, and Joma while sponsors have varied with commercial links to PDVSA-era branding and private corporations.

Coaching staff and notable players

Coaching appointments have included domestic and foreign managers: Rafael Dudamel, José Pékerman, César Farías, Richard Páez, and Manuel Plasencia. Technical staff often draw from Venezuelan clubs such as Deportivo Táchira and Caracas FC and international networks including Argentina national football team coaching circles. Notable players include Juan Arango, an influential attacking midfielder who starred for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Maccabi Haifa; Salomón Rondón, a target forward with spells at West Bromwich Albion and CSKA Moscow; Tomás Rincón, a captain and midfielder at Juventus F.C. and Torino F.C.; Josef Martínez, a prolific striker for Atlanta United FC; Yeferson Soteldo, a winger linked with Santos FC and Toronto FC; Rolf Feltscher, Rafael Dudamel (player), Fernando Amorebieta, Mikel Villanueva, Adalberto Peñaranda, Darwin Machís, Ángelo Peña, and Roberto Rosales. These players have also featured in competitions such as the UEFA Europa League and Major League Soccer.

Competitive record

In FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Venezuela historically finished at lower table positions but achieved notable results: draws and wins against Argentina national football team and Brazil national football team in modern cycles. Copa América participations include group-stage exits and deeper runs during the 2007 and 2011 tournaments; the team reached the quarter-finals in recent editions and produced upsets versus Chile national football team and Paraguay national football team. Venezuela has participated in regional competitions such as the Bolivarian Games and faced CONCACAF opposition in friendlies against Mexico national football team and United States national soccer team.

Player records

Most capped players and top scorers feature prominently: Juan Arango holds the caps record; Salomón Rondón is the all-time leading scorer. Other record holders include Tomás Rincón for captaincy appearances and Josef Martínez for single-season scoring records at club level while representing the country. Youth tournament standouts emerged from Venezuela U-20 national team squads that achieved high placements in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the South American Youth Football Championship, producing players who graduated to the senior side.

Rankings and statistics

FIFA ranking milestones include a high of 25th in July 2013 and a low near 129th in November 1998. Elo ratings, match-winning percentages, and head-to-head records show progressive improvement versus Uruguay national football team, Chile national football team, Colombia national football team, and Peru national football team. Statistical trends highlight increased goal production by forwards in European football and defensive stability from players active in La Liga and Serie A.

Youth and women's programs

Venezuelan youth development has been bolstered by successes of the Venezuela national under-20 football team and the Venezuela national under-17 football team in CONMEBOL youth tournaments, with notable performances at the FIFA U-20 World Cup that elevated players like Juan Arango-era successors. The women's program, administered by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol, fields the Venezuela women's national football team in the Copa América Femenina and CONMEBOL qualifiers, producing talents who play in Spanish women's football and United States women's soccer leagues. Development partnerships involve domestic clubs, educational institutions such as the Central University of Venezuela, and international federations from CONMEBOL and FIFA initiatives.

Category:South American national association football teams Category:Football in Venezuela