Qualification: Finished fourth in the South American Youth Championship, behind Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, to reach the World Youth Cup finals. Two 0-0 draws (against Egypt and England) and a 4-1 win over Japan gave them a second place finish in their group, behind Japan

World Youth Cup record: Failed to qualify for the past 10 years, this is the fifth time they have reached the finals (after 1985, 1987, 1989 and 1993).

Coach: Reinaldo Rueda. Having led the team to the 1993 finals Rueda was asked to return to the under-20 post after his successors enjoyed little success. A modest playing career was followed by his first major coaching role at Cologne, before he returned to Colombia where he has since managed three club sides. Has introduced a more cautious playing style to the team (as evidenced by two 0-0 draws in the group stage here), one that worked for his under-21 team at the Toulon tournament which they won in 2000 and finished runners-up the following year.