On 29 September 2011, James received his first call-up to the Colombia senior side for a match against Bolivia on 11 October 2011.
He was selected as the man of match due to his incredible performance including the initiation of the goal scored in the last minute by his former Porto teammate Radamel Falcao which gave Colombia a 2–1 win.
Under the new manager José Pékerman, he played a crucial part in setting up both goals in a 2–0 victory over Mexico.
He scored his first goal for Colombia against Peru.
Colombia went on to win the match and boosted its place in the World Cup qualifying table from sixth to fifth.

James assisted two goals in a row from 1–0 to 3–0 In the World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay that eventually ended 4–0.
James scored a stunning volley from a 30-yard free kick against Chile, leveling the game to an eventual 3–1 away victory boosting Colombia to the second place in the qualifying stages.
In the match against Paraguay, James set up the plays leading towards both goals in a 2–0 victory.
In Colombia's last international friendly of the year, James assisted the sole goal allowing Colombia to tie with 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil 1–1.

James played his first match of 2013 in the second half of the CONMEBOL qualifiers against Bolivia where he gave a man of the match performance.
He set up the second goal thanks to a free kick that he took.
The game ended 5–0 eventually.

Playing against South American leaders Argentina, James suffered an injury in the 30th minute forcing him to be substituted.
While the injury was not serious, James was rested and therefore missed the game against Peru days later.
James made a good comeback when he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Ecuador during the final stages of the world cup qualifiers.
In a tough match against Chile, James drew both penalties that equalized Colombia from a 1–3 to a 3–3.
This drew allowed Colombia to return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
Days later, James assisted the first goal with a free-kick while setting up the second in a 2–1 away victory over Paraguay.

James continued his play-making form by assisting the first goal and setting up the second against Belgium in a 2–0 victory.
He was later voted man of the match.
A few days later, James was praised once more as the man of the match in a 0–0 draw against the Netherlands.
James started in Colombia's 2014 opening match and scored a penalty against Tunisia in a 1–1 draw.
In the last friendly before the World Cup, James scored yet another penalty against Jordan in a 3–0 victory.
On 29 September 2011, James received his first call-up to the Colombia senior side for a match against Bolivia on 11 October 2011. He was selected as the man of match due to his incredible performance including the initiation of the goal scored in the last minute by his former Porto teammate Radamel Falcao which gave Colombia a 2–1 win. Under the new manager José Pékerman, he played a crucial part in setting up both goals in a 2–0 victory over Mexico. He scored his first goal for Colombia against Peru. Colombia went on to win the match and boosted its place in the World Cup qualifying table from sixth to fifth.
James assisted two goals in a row from 1–0 to 3–0 In the World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay that eventually ended 4–0. James scored a stunning volley from a 30-yard free kick against Chile, leveling the game to an eventual 3–1 away victory boosting Colombia to the second place in the qualifying stages. In the match against Paraguay, James set up the plays leading towards both goals in a 2–0 victory. In Colombia's last international friendly of the year, James assisted the sole goal allowing Colombia to tie with 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil 1–1.
James played his first match of 2013 in the second half of the CONMEBOL qualifiers against Bolivia where he gave a man of the match performance. He set up the second goal thanks to a free kick that he took. The game ended 5–0 eventually.
Playing against South American leaders Argentina, James suffered an injury in the 30th minute forcing him to be substituted. While the injury was not serious, James was rested and therefore missed the game against Peru days later. James made a good comeback when he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Ecuador during the final stages of the world cup qualifiers. In a tough match against Chile, James drew both penalties that equalized Colombia from a 1–3 to a 3–3. This drew allowed Colombia to return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Days later, James assisted the first goal with a free-kick while setting up the second in a 2–1 away victory over Paraguay.
James continued his play-making form by assisting the first goal and setting up the second against Belgium in a 2–0 victory. He was later voted man of the match. A few days later, James was praised once more as the man of the match in a 0–0 draw against the Netherlands. James started in Colombia's 2014 opening match and scored a penalty against Tunisia in a 1–1 draw. In the last friendly before the World Cup, James scored yet another penalty against Jordan in a 3–0 victory.
James Rodríguez