Cucho Hernández eyes World Cup debut against Uzbekistan
Cucho Hernández has the chance to make his World Cup debut when Colombia opens against Uzbekistan at the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City. The Betis forward reached the tournament after a 15-goal season and a long stretch in which a muscle injury briefly interrupted his run.
Colombia and Néstor Lorenzo
Colombia was scheduled to begin its campaign against Uzbekistan at the Azteca Stadium, and Néstor Lorenzo is still sorting the attacking mix around Hernández, Luis Díaz, Luis Suárez, Jhon Córdoba and Carlos Gómez. That leaves Hernández in contention rather than locked in, even after a season that put him back in view.
He played 90 minutes across Colombia’s two preparation matches, splitting the load evenly with 45 minutes in each. Hernández started against Costa Rica and was replaced at halftime by Suárez, then took the second half against Jordan in Suárez’s place.
Betis and the injury setback
Before that, Hernández’s club season had already gone through a sharp swing. He finished with 40 matches for Betis, including 32 LaLiga appearances, and scored 15 goals overall, with 11 in the league. At the start of 2026, a muscle injury in Oviedo during the last match of the first half of the league season kept him out for one month and a half.
That layoff cost him five league matches, two Europa League matches and two Copa del Rey matches. He returned by scoring two goals against Panathinaikos in the Europa League round of 16 second leg at the Cartuja, a 4-0 win, and earlier had scored from a penalty against Braga in a 1-1 draw.
Hernández’s scoring run
His form kept building after the injury break. Hernández ended his LaLiga scoring drought with a brace against Oviedo in a 3-0 win, then scored the opening goal against Elche in a 2-1 victory on the night Betis clinched qualification for the 2026-27 Champions League.
The opening match against Uzbekistan now offers the cleanest next step in his international season. With Colombia’s attacking options crowded and Suárez and Díaz said to be likely starters, Hernández’s role points to a direct battle for minutes rather than a guaranteed place in the first eleven.
