Women’s Soccer in Colombia: the Process of a New Competition

The women's soccer league in Colombia has gone through ups and downs since its inception in April 2016, when 16 clubs affiliated with the Major Division of Colombian soccer (Dimayor) met and decided to be part of the creation of a professional women's tournament in the country. The first game that was played was on February 17, 2017, between Deportivo Pasto and Cortuluá. In addition, it was Marcy Cogollos who had the honor of scoring the first goal in the history of the championship and thus taking the victory that day for the Valle del Cauca team, beating the Pastusas 2-1 at the Departamental Libertad de Nariño stadium.

The start of this championship left good feelings and great figures, one of them is the renowned soccer player Leicy Santos, who is currently part of the Atlético de Madrid squad in Spain and managed to position himself in the world elite thanks to his transcendental pass through Independiente Santa Faith. With his goal in the grand final, he crowned the capital team as the first champion of Colombian professional soccer.

You can also read: Great Olympic Appearances Led by Latin American Women

The Teams and Players that Have Stood Out

In 2018, Lady Andrade reached the final of that tournament with her Atlético Nacional team against Atlético Huila. Despite not getting the championship, Lady showed good football and character. Given this, she got AC Milan from Italy to notice her. Currently, this soccer player is demonstrating her talent in Brazil with her Real Brasília team. That same year, Atlético Huila defeated the famous Santos from Brazil in the Copa Libertadores final and became the first Colombian women's team to obtain the highest club competition at the South American level. There we were able to see a great team led by Yoreli Rincón, who currently plays for Sampdoria in Italy.

One of the clubs that has made the most difference at the female level is América de Cali, since it has two Colombian league titles and in 2019 and 2022 it has been a semifinalist in the Copa Libertadores Femenina. It should be noted that in 2020 they were runners-up in this tournament. In addition, they have a historical record for women's sports in the country, since the best attendance for a women's match in Colombia was at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium with more than 37,000 people who framed what would be a historic day for the country's sport. 

Also, great professionals have passed through their squads such as Linda Caicedo, who is currently the brand-new addition of Real Madrid from Spain ; Catalina Usme, its current captain, is the historic goalscorer of the Women's Libertadores Cup; and also Gisela Robledo, a great promise of our soccer who is currently part of Tenerife in Spain. Likewise, Daniela Arias, Natalia Giraldo, Diana Ospina and Elexa Marie Bahr are some of the names that are not only part of the red team, but are also pillars in the Colombian National Team.

It is no secret to anyone that women's soccer in Colombia has social support that has increased significantly in recent years. This, accompanied by its results at the international level with the senior teams, sub 20 and sub 17, are samples of the economic and cultural contribution it needs from its top leaders, so that better sporting goals are achieved every day.