Football in Venezuela has always been a bit of an uphill battle. While the rest of South America was breathing and sleeping football, Venezuela was usually swinging a baseball bat. But things have changed. If you’ve been tracking the venezuela national under 20 football team standings, you know this isn't the "easy win" team of twenty years ago. They’ve become a gritty, tactical thorn in the side of the continent's giants.
Honestly, the 2025 South American U-20 Championship was a roller coaster. Hosting the tournament brought a massive amount of pressure to cities like Barquisimeto and Valencia. Everyone expected a repeat of the 2017 magic where they reached the World Cup final, but football is rarely that kind.
The 2025 CONMEBOL Sub-20 Breakdown
Venezuela entered the 2025 tournament as the host nation, placed in Group A. It was a brutal group. They had to face off against Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Peru. When you look at the final group stage numbers, it’s a bittersweet sight for the Vinotinto faithful.
They finished in fourth place in Group A.
Basically, they ended with 6 points from 4 matches. They won two games and lost two. On paper, it looks decent. They actually had a positive goal difference of +3, scoring 6 times and only conceding 3. But in this tournament, "decent" isn't enough to advance. They missed the Final Stage by the thinnest of margins.
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The tiebreaker was the killer. Chile also finished with 6 points, but because Chile beat Venezuela 2-1 in their head-to-head match, Chile took the third-place spot and moved on. Venezuela was left out in the cold despite having a better overall goal difference than the teams above them.
Why the Standings Don't Show the Whole Picture
Statistics are kinda clinical. They don't tell you about the 89th-minute heartbreaks or the tactical shifts under coach Oswaldo Vizcarrondo.
Take the match against Peru, for instance. Venezuela absolutely dominated, walking away with a 4-0 victory. It was a masterclass. Then they followed it up by beating the eventual group leaders, Uruguay, 1-0. You'd think a team that beats the top seed would be a lock for the next round, right?
But then came the Chile game.
Two goals from Chile's Rossel turned the stadium silent.
And just like that, the math stopped working in Venezuela's favor.
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The COTIF Tournament and Recent Form
After the disappointment of the South American Championship, the team didn't just go home and sulk. They headed to Spain for the COTIF Tournament in L'Alcudia. This is where things get interesting for the 2026 outlook.
In the COTIF 2025 standings, Venezuela's U-20s showed real resilience. They managed to grab a 2-1 win over Chile—a bit of revenge for the January heartbreak—and held their own against diverse international competition like Saudi Arabia and Mauritania.
Currently, the squad is in a transition phase. Vizcarrondo is cycling through new talent, looking for the next Yeferson Soteldo or Wuilker Faríñez. The "Vinotinto Rise" isn't a straight line upward; it's a jagged path of developmental modules and international friendlies.
Key Players Currently Influencing the Standings
You can't talk about the standings without looking at the guys actually putting points on the board.
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- David Martinez: The kid is a spark plug. His ability to create something out of nothing is why scouts from Europe are constantly hanging around the training camps.
- Yiandro Raap: Solid as a rock in the back. He’s part of that new generation of Venezuelan defenders who are as comfortable with the ball at their feet as they are making a sliding tackle.
- Nicola Profeta: He’s the engine in the midfield. When he plays well, the team's transition from defense to attack looks seamless.
What’s Next for the U-20s?
Right now, the focus is on 2026 preparation. The FVF (Venezuelan Football Federation) has been aggressive about scheduling "modulos"—short, intensive training camps—to keep the domestic talent sharp. They are also leaning heavily into the diaspora, scouting young players with Venezuelan roots playing in academies across Spain, Italy, and the US.
The goal is simple: stop being the team that "almost" qualifies and start being the team that dictates the standings.
If you're following this team, keep an eye on the friendly results coming out of the early 2026 window. That's where the real chemistry is being built. The standings from the last tournament might show a fourth-place finish, but the performance against Uruguay proves that the ceiling for this group is much, much higher.
To get the most out of tracking this team, stop looking at just the wins and losses. Look at the goal distribution. Look at how many "foreign-based" players are being integrated. That is the true metric of where Venezuelan youth football is headed.
Actionable Insights for Following the Team:
- Monitor the COTIF and Maurice Revello Tournaments: These off-season tournaments are where Venezuela often tests their most experimental and exciting lineups.
- Watch the Head-to-Head: In CONMEBOL, points are often tied; the "standings" are almost always decided by the result between the two tied teams, not total goals.
- Follow Individual Career Paths: Many U-20 players are moving to the MLS or Brazilian leagues. Their progress there is a direct indicator of how the national team will perform in the next cycle.