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For current information on this topic, see Venezuela fixtures and results. |
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| Nickname(s) | La Vinotinto (The Burgundy) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federación Venezolana de Fútbol |
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| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach |  César Farías |
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| Captain | Juan Arango | ||
| Most caps | José Manuel Rey (108) | ||
| Top scorer | Giancarlo Maldonado (17) | ||
| Home stadium | Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Polideportivo Cachamay | ||
| FIFA code | VEN | ||
| FIFA ranking | 50 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 48 (April 2004) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 129 (November 1998) | ||
| Elo ranking | 37 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 37 (November 2009) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 127 (1993, 1995, 1999) | ||
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| First international | |||
 Panama 3 - 1 Venezuela  (Panama City, Panama; 12 February 1938) |
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| Biggest win | |||
Venezuela 6 - 0 Puerto Rico  (Barranquilla, Colombia; 26 December 1946) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Argentina 11 - 0 Venezuela (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 10 August 1975) |
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| Copa América | |||
| Appearances | 14 (First in 1967) | ||
| Best result | 5º 1967 | ||
The Venezuela National Football Team is the national football team of Venezuela and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed 'La Vinotinto' (The Burgundy), because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts.
Venezuela is the only national team in CONMEBOL which has never qualified for a World Cup. Often Venezuela would go through entire qualification tournaments without recording a single win, although this has changed in the last two qualifying rounds. Their best finish in Copa América was fifth in their first entry, in 1967.
When playing at home in official games they usually rotate between two stadiums: the Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, in San Cristóbal; the Estadio José Encarnación "Pachencho" Romero, in Maracaibo. In friendly matches they tend to rotate between the rest of the stadiums in the country.
The Unofficial Football World Championship, and the related Nasazzi's baton title, was briefly held by Venezuela in 2006.
Unlike other South American nations, baseball is extremely popular in Venezuela, which diverts athletic talent away from football, contributing to its historic lack of success in CONMEBOL competitions. It is only recently with the spread of the World Cup's popularity in nations where football was not the primary sport (Japan, the United States, Australia, etc.) that the national team found incentives to increase player development and fan support.
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History
World Cup
Venezuela did not participate in World Cup qualifying 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.
The 2002 and 2006 qualifiers have seen a tremendous improvement in Venezuela's fortunes, and they are now regarded as a competitive team. They started the 2010 qualifying round by historically beating Ecuador in Quito where the Ecuadorians had previously held a long unbeaten record.
Despite poor results during the 60s and 70s, outstanding players like not true Luis Mendoza and Rafael Santana achieved recognition.
Copa America
Venezuela first participated in the Copas America in 1967, and finished 5th 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 4 goals. In the 1993 series, Venezuela drew with Uruguay and the United States.
The team's overall Copa América record has been pretty poor, but the "Auge Vinotinto" (Vinotinto Rise) period in the early 2000s 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 Perú during the competition was its first Copa América victory since 1967.
In June 6, 2008, Venezuela achieved its first-ever triumph over Brazil, winning the Seleção with a 2-0 score in a friendly match in Boston, USA.
Current team status
Venezuela is currently participating in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
2010 FIFA World Cup
Qualification Standings
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Recent, last and next games
- Recent games: see National team 2008–09 results and 2009–10
- Last game: Venezuela 1 - 2
Paraguay - Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela October 10, 2009 - WCQ2010. - Next game: Venezuela 0 - 0
Brazil - Campo Grande, Brazil October 14, 2009 - WCQ2010.
KEY: F = Friendly match; WCQ2010 = 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Current Team
Squad for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification games with Paraguay and Brazil
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Recent Call Ups
The following players have been recently called up in the 12 months.
- Goalkeepers
| Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardo Morales | July 7, 1978 | Deportivo Anzoátegui |
9 (0) | v. Bolivia, June 6, 2009 |
- Defenders
| Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Salazar | May 15, 1989 | Deportivo Anzoategui |
3 (0) | v. Uruguay, June 10, 2009 |
| José Manuel Velásquez | September 8, 1990 | Deportivo Anzoátegui |
7 (1) | v. Uruguay, June 10, 2009 |
| Gabriel Cichero | April 25, 1984 | Caracas FC |
14 (1) | v. Colombia, March 31, 2009 |
- Midfielders
| Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Fernández | September 1, 1990 | Deportivo Anzoátegui |
2 (0) | v. Costa Rica, May 13, 2009 |
| Louis Angelo Peña | December 25, 1989 |  S.C. Braga |
5 (0) | v. Colombia, March 31, 2009 |
| Jorge Alberto Rojas | January 10, 1977 |  New York Red Bulls |
90 (3) | v. Colombia, March 31, 2009 |
| Rafael Acosta | February 13, 1989 |  Cagliari Calcio |
4 (0) | v. Colombia, March 31, 2009 |
- Strikers
| Name | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Rondón | August 30, 1977 | Deportivo Anzoátegui |
43 (4) | v. Guatemala, February 11, 2009 |
| Emilio Rentería | October 9, 1984 | Columbus Crew |
3 (0) | v. Colombia, August 12, 2009 |
Competitive record
World Cup record
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 to 1954 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1958 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| 1962 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1966 to 1970 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1974 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| 1978 to 2010 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
Copa América record
1916 to 1963 - Did not enter- 1967 - 5th
- 1975 - Round 1
- 1979 - Round 1
- 1983 - Round 1
- 1987 - Round 1
- 1989 - Round 1
- 1991 - Round 1
- 1993 - Round 1 (overall 11th place)
- 1995 - Round 1 (overall 12th place)
- 1997 - Round 1 (overall 12th place)
- 1999 - Round 1 (overall 12th place)
- 2001 - Round 1 (overall 12th place)
- 2004 - Round 1 (overall 11th place)
- 2007 - Quarterfinals (overall 6th place)
Pan American Games record
- 1951 - Fourth place
- 1955 - Fourth place
- 1959 to 1979 - Did not compete
- 1983 - Round 1
- 1987 to 2003 - Did not compete
Head to head
Most Venezuela caps
| Player | National team career | Caps (Goals) |
|---|---|---|
| José Manuel Rey | 1997-present | 108 (11) |
| Jorge Alberto Rojas | 1999-present | 91 (3) |
| Juan Arango | 1999-present | 85 (17) |
| Miguel Ángel Mea Vitali | 1999-present | 81 (1) |
| Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996-2005 | 77 (9) |
| Luis José Vallenilla | 1996-2007 | 77 (1) |
| Ruberth Morán | 1996-present | 65 (14) |
| Leopoldo Jiménez | 1999-2005 | 64 (0) |
| Ricardo David Páez | 2000-2007 | 64 (7) |
| Rafael Dudamel | 1993-2007 | 56 (1) |
| Leonel Vielma | 2000-2007 | 56 (4) |
Top Venezuela goalscorers
| Player | National team career | Goals (Caps) |
|---|---|---|
| Giancarlo Maldonado | 2003-present | 19 (48) |
| Juan Arango | 1999-present | 17 (85) |
| Ruberth Morán | 1996-2007 | 14 (65) |
| José Manuel Rey | 1997-present | 11 (108) |
| Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996-2005 | 9 (77) |
| Daniel Arismendi | 2006-present | 9 (24) |
| Juan Garcia | 1993-2004 | 7 (47) |
| Ricardo David Páez | 2000-2007 | 7 (64) |
| José Luis Dolgetta | 1993-1997 | 6 (21) |
External links
- (Spanish) Federacion Venezolana De Fútbol The Venezuelan soccer federation website.
- (Spanish) La Vinotinto - The last news about Venezuelan professional soccer and more.
- (Spanish) Vinotintos en el exterior The last news about Venezuelan players abroad.
- (Spanish) ForoVinotinto The Unofficial Forum.
- RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
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