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Chile national football team facts for kids

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Chile
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) La Roja (The Red One)
Association Federación de Fútbol de Chile (FFCh)
Confederation CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach Ricardo Gareca
Captain Alexis Sánchez
Most caps Alexis Sánchez (166)
Top scorer Alexis Sánchez (51)
Home stadium Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
FIFA code CHI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 13 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 3 (April–May 2016)
Lowest 84 (December 2002)
Elo ranking
Current 17 Decrease 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest 2 (7 July 2016)
Lowest 59 (8 June 2003)
First international
 Argentina 3–1 Chile 
(Buenos Aires, Argentina; 27 May 1910)
Biggest win
 Chile 7–0 Venezuela 
(Santiago, Chile; 29 August 1979)
Chile  7–0  Armenia
(Viña del mar, Chile; 4 January 1997)
 Mexico 0–7 Chile 
(Santa Clara, United States; 18 June 2016)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 7–0 Chile 
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 17 September 1959)
World Cup
Appearances 9 (first in 1930)
Best result Third place (1962)
Copa América
Appearances 41 (first in 1916)
Best result Champions (2015, 2016)
Panamerican Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 1952)
Best result Runners-up (1952)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2017)
Best result Runners-up (2017)
Medal record
Men's football
FIFA World Cup
Bronze 1962 Chile Team
Copa América
Gold 2015 Chile 2016 United States
Gold 2016 United States Team
Silver 1955 Chile Team
Silver 1956 Uruguay Team
Silver 1979 South America Team
Silver 1987 Argentina Team
Bronze 1926 Chile Team
Bronze 1941 Chile Team
Bronze 1945 Chile Team
Bronze 1967 Uruguay Team
Bronze 1991 Chile Team
FIFA Confederations Cup
Silver 2017 Russia Team
Panamerican Championship
Silver 1952 Chile Team

The Chile national football team, often called La Roja (which means "The Red One" in Spanish), represents Chile in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile, which started in 1895. Chile has played in nine World Cup tournaments. They hosted the 1962 FIFA World Cup and finished in third place, which is their best World Cup result ever.

Chile won their first Copa América title in 2015 on their home ground, beating Argentina in the final. The next year, they won the Copa América Centenario in the United States, again defeating Argentina in a penalty shootout. Before these wins, Chile had been runners-up in the Copa América four times. Because they won the 2015 Copa América, they got to play in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. They finished second in that tournament, losing to Germany in their first time playing in the event.

The History of La Roja

Chile mexico 1930
The Chile national team playing at the 1930 FIFA World Cup against Mexico.

The Football Federation of Chile is one of the oldest football groups in South America, founded in Valparaíso on June 19, 1895. Chile was one of the four founding countries of CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation. Along with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, they played in the first South American Championship (now called the Copa América) in 1916.

Chile was one of the 13 teams that played in the very first World Cup in 1930. They started strong, winning against Mexico and France without letting in any goals. However, a 3-1 loss to Argentina meant they finished second in their group and were out of the tournament. In the 1950 World Cup, Chile beat the United States 5-2, but they were still eliminated in the first round.

Chile's best performance in the World Cup was third place in 1962, when they were the host country. They lost 4-2 to Brazil in the semi-final, but then beat Yugoslavia 1-0 to secure third place. Chilean players also made some World Cup firsts: Guillermo Subiabre was the first player to miss a penalty kick in a World Cup match in 1930, and Carlos Caszely was the first player to get a red card in a World Cup game in 1974.

A famous event called "El Maracanazo" happened on September 3, 1989. During a World Cup qualifying match against Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was leading 1-0. Chile's goalkeeper, Roberto Rojas, fell to the ground with an injury. A firework had landed nearby. The Chilean team said it wasn't safe to play, and the game stopped. However, videos showed that the firework did not hit Rojas. FIFA decided that Brazil won the game, and Chile was banned from the next World Cup qualifiers. Rojas was also banned from football for life, though he was later allowed to return in 2001.

After some changes in coaches, Marcelo Bielsa became Chile's manager. On October 16, 2008, Chile made history by beating Argentina 1-0 in a qualifying match for the first time ever. This was a big achievement for the team.

Chile finished second in the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and reached the Round of 16 in the tournament. Marcelo Bielsa then left his coaching role in 2011. Claudio Borghi took over, but after some difficult games, Jorge Sampaoli became the new manager in December 2012. Sampaoli, who was inspired by Bielsa, helped La Roja achieve great results.

Brazil vs. Chile in Mineirão 01
Chile (red and blue) playing against tournament hosts Brazil (yellow and white), in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

With Sampaoli as coach, Chile qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They reached the Round of 16, where they lost to the host nation, Brazil, in a penalty shootout.

In the 2015 Copa América, Chile won their first game 2-0 against Ecuador. They drew against Mexico and moved to the knockout stage as group winners. They then beat Uruguay and Peru. In the final, Chile defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout (4-1) after a 0-0 draw, winning their first Copa América title!

In January 2016, Jorge Sampaoli left his role as manager. Juan Antonio Pizzi took over and led La Roja to win the Copa América Centenario in 2016, again beating Argentina in the final.

Chile played in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia because they won the Copa América. They won their first game against Cameroon 2-0. They drew 1-1 with Germany and also drew with Australia. They made it to the semi-finals, where they beat Portugal in a penalty shootout (3-0). In their first ever final in a FIFA tournament, Chile lost 1-0 to Germany.

On October 10, 2017, Chile lost 3-0 to Brazil and did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This was a tough moment for what many called their "golden generation" of players.

Team Colors and Sponsors

The team's home uniform is a red jersey, blue shorts, and either red or white socks. The away uniform is a white jersey, white shorts, and blue socks. These red, white, and blue colors have been used since 1947. In 2016, red shorts became an option for the first time.

Different companies have made Chile's uniforms over the years. From 2011 to 2015, Puma was the official kit supplier. After that, Nike took over from 2015 to 2021. Since 2021, Adidas has been the national team's kit supplier, and they will continue until 2026.

Kit Sponsors Over Time

Kit supplier Period
Germany Adidas 1979–1983
Brazil Penalty 1984
Germany Puma 1985
United Kingdom Umbro 1986
Switzerland Power 1987
Germany Puma 1987–1988
Germany Adidas 1988–1990
United Kingdom Umbro 1990–1991
United States Avia 1992
Germany Adidas 1993–1994
Brazil Rhumell 1995
United States Reebok 1996–2000
United Kingdom Umbro 2000–2002
United States Brooks 2003–2010
Germany Puma 2010–2015
United States Nike 2015–2021
Germany Adidas 2021–present

Home Stadium

Estadio Nacional de Chile
Estadio Nacional at night.

The Chile national team plays its home qualifying matches at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos. This stadium is in Santiago, Chile. It was built starting in February 1937 and opened on December 3, 1938. The stadium can officially hold 49,000 fans, but it has held over 75,000 people for very popular matches, like the 1962 FIFA World Cup semi-final between Chile and Brazil. The highest number of people ever at the stadium was 85,262 in 1962.

The Estadio Nacional has hosted four Copa América finals, the final of the 1962 FIFA World Cup, and the final of the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Big Rivalries

Chile doesn't have one main rival, but games against Argentina and Peru are always very important.

Argentina

Chile and Argentina have played 96 games against each other, making it the most common opponent for Chile. Their first game was in Buenos Aires on May 27, 1910. Matches between these two teams always attract large crowds in Chile. Out of 90 games, Chile had only won 1 official match until their victories in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals, which they won in penalty shootouts.

Peru

The football rivalry between Chile and Peru is known as the Clásico del Pacífico ("Pacific Derby"). This rivalry is considered one of the most intense in the world. It comes from historical events and border disputes between the two countries. The rivalry has led to some very exciting matches in South American football history. Chile first played Peru in 1935 and lost 1-0.

Brazil

While Brazil has a strong record against Chile, these two teams have met in the knockout stages of the last three World Cups Chile played in: 1998, 2010, and 2014. In the 2014 World Cup, their match ended 1-1 after extra time. Brazil won 3-2 in a penalty shootout, with their goalkeeper saving two penalties. They also met in the semi-finals of the 1962 World Cup, where Brazil won and went on to win the tournament.

Brazil also defeated Chile in important qualifying games for the 1990, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups, which meant Chile did not qualify for those tournaments. The 1990 qualifier included the famous "Maracanazo" incident, where Chile's goalkeeper was involved in a controversy that led to Chile being disqualified from that World Cup and banned from the next one.

Sponsors

The Chile national football team has several important sponsors who support them. These include:

  • ACHS (2023–2026)
  • Adidas (since 2021)
  • BCI (2023–2026)
  • Chilevisión (TV broadcaster of Chile's qualifying and friendly matches) (2023–2026)
  • Cristal (since 2007)
  • Gatorade (2023–2026)
  • McDonald's (2023–2026)
  • MG Motor (2023–2026)
  • PedidosYa (2023–2026)
  • SꓘY (2023–2026)

Coaching Staff

The team is led by a group of coaches and support staff:

Position Name
Manager Argentina Ricardo Gareca
Assistant Manager 1 Uruguay Sergio Santin
Fitness Coach Argentina Nestor Bonillo
Goalkeeping Coach Chile Bruno Vasquez
Doctor Chile Fernando Yáñez
Kinesiologist Chile Pedro Oñate
Props Assistant Chile Wilson Vásquez
Physicist's assistant Chile Sebastian Rojas

Team Players

Current Squad

The players listed below were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are updated as of November 19, 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Lawrence Vigouroux (1993-11-19) 19 November 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Wales Swansea City
12 1GK Vicente Reyes (2003-11-19) 19 November 2003 (age 21) 0 0 England Cambridge United
23 1GK Brayan Cortés (1995-03-11) 11 March 1995 (age 30) 20 0 Chile Colo-Colo

2 2DF Erick Wiemberg (1994-06-20) 20 June 1994 (age 31) 1 0 Chile Colo-Colo
3 2DF Guillermo Maripán (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 31) 52 2 Italy Torino
4 2DF Mauricio Isla (1988-06-12) 12 June 1988 (age 37) 144 5 Chile Colo-Colo
5 2DF Paulo Díaz (1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 30) 52 1 Argentina River Plate
6 2DF Francisco Sierralta (1997-05-06) 6 May 1997 (age 28) 15 0 England Watford
13 2DF Benjamín Kuscevic (1996-05-02) 2 May 1996 (age 29) 10 0 Brazil Fortaleza
14 2DF Fabián Hormazábal (1996-04-26) 26 April 1996 (age 29) 1 0 Chile Universidad de Chile
17 2DF Gabriel Suazo (1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 27) 31 0 France Toulouse

8 3MF Arturo Vidal (vice-captain) (1987-05-22) 22 May 1987 (age 38) 144 34 Chile Colo-Colo
10 3MF Luciano Cabral (1995-04-26) 26 April 1995 (age 30) 1 0 Mexico León
15 3MF Diego Valdés (1994-01-30) 30 January 1994 (age 31) 35 2 Mexico América
16 3MF Vicente Pizarro (2002-11-05) 5 November 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Chile Colo-Colo
18 3MF Rodrigo Echeverría (1995-04-17) 17 April 1995 (age 30) 19 1 Argentina Huracán
21 3MF Esteban Pavez (1990-05-01) 1 May 1990 (age 35) 16 0 Chile Colo-Colo

7 4FW Gonzalo Tapia (2002-02-18) 18 February 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Chile Universidad Católica
9 4FW Felipe Mora (1993-08-02) 2 August 1993 (age 31) 11 1 United States Portland Timbers
11 4FW Eduardo Vargas (1989-11-20) 20 November 1989 (age 35) 118 45 Brazil Atlético Mineiro
19 4FW Maximiliano Guerrero (2000-01-15) 15 January 2000 (age 25) 3 0 Chile Universidad de Chile
20 4FW Lucas Cepeda (2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 (age 22) 3 2 Chile Colo-Colo
22 4FW Alexander Aravena (2002-09-06) 6 September 2002 (age 22) 11 0 Brazil Grêmio

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Chile. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the national team.

Most Games Played

Alexis Sanchez - Spain vs. Chile, 10th September 2013 (cropped)
Alexis Sánchez is Chile's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alexis Sánchez 166 51 2006–present
2 Gary Medel 161 7 2007–2023
3 Claudio Bravo 150 0 2004–2024
4 Arturo Vidal 144 34 2007–present
Mauricio Isla 144 5 2007–present
6 Eduardo Vargas 118 45 2009–present
7 Gonzalo Jara 115 3 2006–2019
8 Jean Beausejour 109 6 2004–2021
9 Charles Aránguiz 101 7 2009–2023
10 Leonel Sánchez 85 24 1955–1968

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Alexis Sánchez (list) 51 166 0.31 2006–present
2 Eduardo Vargas 45 118 0.38 2009–present
3 Marcelo Salas 37 70 0.53 1994–2007
4 Iván Zamorano 34 69 0.49 1987–2001
Arturo Vidal 34 144 0.24 2007–present
6 Carlos Caszely 29 49 0.59 1969–1985
7 Leonel Sánchez 24 85 0.28 1955–1968
8 Jorge Aravena 22 37 0.59 1983–1990
9 Humberto Suazo 21 60 0.35 2005–2013
10 Juan Carlos Letelier 18 57 0.32 1979–1989

Team Captains

Here are some of the players who have been captains for the Chile national football team:

How Chile Has Played in Big Tournaments

FIFA World Cup

     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 5 3 Squad Qualified as invitees
Italy 1934 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 5 6 Squad Qualified automatically
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 1 10
Sweden 1958 4 1 0 3 2 10
Chile 1962 Third place 3rd 6 4 0 2 10 8 Squad Qualified as hosts
England 1966 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad 5 3 1 1 14 8
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 5 4
West Germany 1974 Group stage 11th 3 0 2 1 1 2 Squad 5 3 1 1 6 3
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 5 3
Spain 1982 Group stage 22nd 3 0 0 3 3 8 Squad 4 3 1 0 6 0
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 8 4 2 2 17 12
Italy 1990 4 2 1 1 9 4
United States 1994 Banned Banned
France 1998 Round of 16 16th 4 0 3 1 5 8 Squad 16 7 4 5 32 18
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 18 3 3 12 15 27
Germany 2006 18 5 7 6 18 22
South Africa 2010 Round of 16 10th 4 2 0 2 3 5 Squad 18 10 3 5 32 22
Brazil 2014 9th 4 2 1 1 6 4 Squad 16 9 1 6 29 25
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 18 8 2 8 26 27
Qatar 2022 18 5 4 9 19 26
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in progress 12 2 3 7 9 20
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Third place 9/22 33 11 7 15 40 49 177 68 36 73 245 243

Copa América

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Argentina 1916 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 2 11 Squad
Uruguay 1917 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 0 10 Squad
Brazil 1919 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 12 Squad
Chile 1920 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 2 4 Squad
Argentina 1921 Withdrew
Brazil 1922 Fifth place 5th 4 0 1 3 1 10 Squad
Uruguay 1923 Withdrew
Uruguay 1924 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 10 Squad
Argentina 1925 Withdrew
Chile 1926 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 14 6 Squad
Peru 1927 Withdrew
Argentina 1929 Did not participate
Peru 1935 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad
Argentina 1937 Fifth place 5th 5 1 1 3 12 13 Squad
Peru 1939 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 8 12 Squad
Chile 1941 Third place 3rd 4 2 0 2 6 3 Squad
Uruguay 1942 Sixth place 6th 6 1 1 4 4 15 Squad
Chile 1945 Third place 3rd 6 4 1 1 15 5 Squad
Argentina 1946 Fifth place 5th 5 2 0 3 8 11 Squad
Ecuador 1947 Fourth place 4th 7 4 1 2 14 13 Squad
Brazil 1949 Fifth place 5th 7 2 1 4 10 14 Squad
Peru 1953 Fourth place 4th 6 3 1 2 10 10 Squad
Chile 1955 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 19 8 Squad
Uruguay 1956 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 0 2 11 8 Squad
Peru 1957 Sixth place 6th 6 1 1 4 9 17 Squad
Argentina 1959 Fifth place 5th 6 2 1 3 9 14 Squad
Ecuador 1959 Did not participate
Bolivia 1963
Uruguay 1967 Third place 3rd 5 2 2 1 8 6 Squad
1975 Group stage 6th 4 1 1 2 7 6 Squad
1979 Runners-up 2nd 9 4 3 2 13 6 Squad
1983 Group stage 5th 4 2 1 1 8 2 Squad
Argentina 1987 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 3 Squad
Brazil 1989 Group stage 5th 4 2 0 2 7 5 Squad
Chile 1991 Third place 3rd 7 3 2 2 11 6 Squad
Ecuador 1993 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 3 4 Squad
Uruguay 1995 Group stage 11th 3 0 1 2 3 8 Squad
Bolivia 1997 Group stage 11th 3 0 0 3 1 5 Squad
Paraguay 1999 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 8 7 Squad
Colombia 2001 Quarter-finals 7th 4 2 0 2 5 5 Squad
Peru 2004 Group stage 10th 3 0 1 2 2 4 Squad
Venezuela 2007 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 4 11 Squad
Argentina 2011 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 5 4 Squad
Chile 2015 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 13 4 Squad
United States 2016 Champions 1st 6 4 1 1 16 5 Squad
Brazil 2019 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 7 7 Squad
Brazil 2021 Quarter-finals 7th 5 1 2 2 3 5 Squad
United States 2024 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 0 1 Squad
Total 2 Titles 41/48 191 67 35 89 291 317

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017 Runners-up 2nd 5 1 3 1 4 3 Squad
Total Runners-up 1/10 5 1 3 1 4 3

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Greece 1896 No football tournament
France 1900 Only club teams participated
United States 1904
United Kingdom 1908 Did not participate
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928 Preliminary round 17th 3 1 1 1 7 7 Squad
United States 1932 No football tournament
Nazi Germany 1936 Withdrew
United Kingdom 1948 Did not participate
Finland 1952 Preliminary round 17th 1 0 0 1 4 5 Squad
Australia 1956 Did not participate
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 2 2 Squad
South Korea 1988 Did not qualify
Since 1992 See Chile national under-23 football team
Total Quarter-finals 3/19 8 6 3 5 27 20

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Argentina 1951 Bronze medal 3rd 4 1 2 1 8 6
Mexico 1955 Did not participate
United States 1959
Brazil 1963 Bronze medal 3rd 4 2 1 1 12 6
Canada 1967 Did not participate
Colombia 1971
Mexico 1975
Puerto Rico 1979
Venezuela 1983 Round 1 4th 3 1 2 0 3 2
United States 1987 Silver medal 2nd 5 2 2 1 6 6
Cuba 1991 Did not participate
Argentina 1995 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 3 6
Since 1999 See Chile national under-23 football team
Total Silver medal 5/12 20 7 8 5 32 26

Awards and Trophies

Major Competitions

Worldwide Tournaments

Continental Tournaments

Friendly Competitions

Chile has also won several friendly tournaments:

  • Copa Bernardo O'Higgins (vs  Brazil)
    • Champions (2): 1957, 1966 (shared)
  • Copa Teixeira (vs  Brazil)
    • Champions (1): 1990 (shared)
  • Copa Carlos Dittborn (vs  Argentina)
    • Champions (1): 1973
  • Copa Juan Pinto Durán (vs  Uruguay)
    • Champions (2): 1971, 1979
  • Copa del Pacífico (vs  Peru)
    • Champions (7) 1965, 1968, 1971 (shared), 1983, 1988, 2006, 2012
  • Copa Leoncio Provoste (vs  Bolivia)
    • Champions (1): 1973
  • Copa Acosta Ñu (vs  Paraguay)
    • Champions (1): 1974
  • Canada Cup
    • Champions (1): 1995
  • Copa Ciudad de Valparaíso
    • Champions (1): 2000
  • China Cup
    • Champions (1): 2017
  • Indonesian Independence Cup
    • Champions (1): 1985

Summary of Titles

Senior competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 0 0 1 1
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 0 1
Copa América 2 4 5 11
Panamerican Championship 0 1 0 1
Total 2 6 6 14

Images for kids

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

  • Chile national under-23 football team
  • Chile national under-20 football team
  • Chile national under-17 football team
  • Chile national futsal team
  • South American Footballer of the Year
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