Radamel Falcao to miss World Cup

Colombia striker Radamel Falcao will miss this summer's World Cup after being left out of Jose Pekerman's 23-man squad.

Falcao has been out of action since January with knee ligament damage, and the AS Monaco hitman has subsequently failed to recover in time to make the trip to Brazil later this month.

The 28-year-old was instrumental in helping his country reach the finals, scoring nine times in 13 qualification fixtures as Colombia finished second behind Argentina.

James Rodriguez, Fredy Guarin, Carlos Bacca, Juan Quintero and Jackson Martinez are among those Europe-based players to have been included in the squad.

Pekerman's side kick off their campaign with a clash with Greece on June 14, before facing Cote d'Ivorie and Japan respectively.