The Colombian national team is exciting the whole country, looking forward to a great achievement in the 2026 World Cup, but the team is currently in a critical health situation.

Spanish newspaper AS reported, citing Colombian media, that in recent days a virus has spread inside Colombia's dressing room and infected a number of players.

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said that some players were suffering from body aches before the match against Ghana in the round of 32 of the World Cup.

Colombia captain James Rodríguez later confirmed this and commented: "There is a virus spreading strongly, and many of us feel it."

Despite these setbacks, James wanted to give his teammates a boost of optimism by stating that the team managed to overcome that round despite this problem.

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Colombia won in the round of 32 against Ghana (1-0), and is preparing to face Switzerland next Tuesday evening in the round of 16 of the World Cup.

This is not the first time this has happened in a World Cup; during the previous tournament in Qatar, the so-called "camel flu" gained widespread notoriety, especially among French national team players.

Neither Dayot Upamecano nor Adrien Rabiot were able to play a single minute in the 2022 semi-final against Morocco.

The French team was not the only one affected; players from the Netherlands, Brazil and Switzerland also suffered from flu-like symptoms during their time in Qatar.