When Nicolás Córdova stepped up as head coach of Chile’s men’s youth teams in August 2023, little did he know that two and a half years later, he would find himself in New Zealand, gearing up to lead the senior team in their FIFA Series™ debut.

Córdova was brought in to map out an ambitious long-term development plan, which remains the guiding principle to this day. However, Chile’s failure to qualify for their third consecutive FIFA World Cup™ in July last year prompted the departure of former coach Ricardo Gareca, and the Football Federation of Chile (FFCh) appointed Córdova to take role until mid-2026.

La Roja's impressive performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, as well as their Copa América titles in 2015 and 2016, seem like a distant memory now. Back then, the team was powered by a golden generation including Alexis Sánchez, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel and Claudio Bravo, to name a few.

“We’re in the middle of a transition period. For years, this group of players kept on giving us so much joy, but sadly, we never managed to fill their shoes while still competing at the very highest level,” Córdova explained. “At some point, this kind of transition had to happen, and now we’re in the thick of it. It’s going to take time.

“That's why it's so important for Chile to take part in the FIFA Series and play against teams that have qualified for the upcoming World Cup,” added Córdova, who is set to face Cabo Verde on Friday 27 March and host nation New Zealand on Monday 30.

“Having the chance to participate in international tournaments like this, away from home, is crucial at a time when the average age of our squad has dropped from 30 to 24. We’ve brought six 19- to 21-year-olds here, so it’s going to be a really valuable experience for them.”

Four of those players represented La Roja at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™, led by Córdova at the time: goalkeeper Sebastián Mella, defenders Ian Garguez and Felipe Faúndez, and midfielder Lautaro Millán.

“From a footballing point of view, the team performed well, but we struggled emotionally,” Córdova explained of last year’s tournament. “Playing at home in front of 40,000 people was amazing, but we weren’t mentally prepared for the occasion. Even though it's tough to replicate this feeling in friendly matches, the more we can get our players to compete, starting from a young age, the better prepared they'll be to handle whatever comes their way, both football-wise and emotionally.”

That is why Córdova described FIFA's decision to stage the FIFA U-17 World Cup annually from 2025 onwards as “wonderful”, with Chile having qualified for that tournament. “We’ve crunched the numbers and found that a player can now play between 30 and 35 matches at U-17 level. That means we can develop programmes to get a player from the U-15 squad to the senior team,” he explained.

“Although this structure is a work in progress, that is our aim. We want to nurture as many players as possible through each stage of the process so that they can reach the senior team at a younger age and be better prepared.”

Córdova is keen to highlight the role played by the FIFA Talent Development Scheme in the FFCh’s project. “Three months into the job, I took part in a FIFA seminar in Uruguay, together with the 10 CONMEBOL member nations. From these discussions, we came up with ideas to add to our existing plans, which enabled us to submit our plans to FIFA,” he explained.

“We've already completed 10 microcycles so far this year, including the most recent one last week. We've been to places like Iquique, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Calera, Rancagua, Chillán and Concepción. Everything is done in collaboration with clubs in the first and second divisions. That’s another key factor because we also need clubs for sustainable development.

“The best example is probably Sebastián Mella, who was scouted in March 2024, played in every match at the U-20 World Cup in 2025 and is now part of the senior national team. From the nine previous cycles, 15 players have been selected to represent the national team in South American competitions.”

The coach is also full of praise for the infrastructure improvements made by the FFCh. Last year, on the same day as the U-20 World Cup final, Chilean football development took a major step forward with the inauguration of the José Sulantay Silva High-Performance Centre. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended the event.

FIFA's Forward Programme was a major contributor to the renovation project, which ran from November 2022 to September 2025. “We’ve got everything we need to get the job done now. It’s a real privilege. It makes us set high standards for ourselves and for our players too,” the manager added.

Córdova is delighted that the training facility is named after Sulantay, a coach renowned for his commitment to nurturing young talent: “It’s a well-deserved honour because he really pushed the ‘golden generation’ forward. The journey began with the first call-up in 2006 of players born in 1987, but it was not until nine years later, after integrating players from other age groups as well, that the team finally won the title. It wasn't something that happened overnight.

“Top national teams take around 12 years to develop... You just need to look at the likes of Morocco, Japan, Qatar and Uzbekistan. For players to reach their full potential, they need to play in major competitions such as the U-20 World Cup, the Copa América or World Cup qualifiers. That is the path we should be following today.”