Argentina became the first team in the CONMEBOL region to officially qualify for World Cup 2026. Lionel Scaloni’s side tacked on six points this international break to improve their total to 31 points – at least eight points ahead of everybody in the chasing pack.
Ecuador improved to second in the table with 23 points after a positive stretch of World Cup 2026 results. On the other hand, we have a three-way tie for third place, as Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay have 21 points each – with La Celeste having the best goal difference among the three. Colombia are in sixth place with 20 points.
Per the World Cup 2026 odds, Peru and Chile are unlikely to qualify since they only have 10 points each, but the same can’t be said for Venezuela and Bolivia, who are looking to sneak in via a more complicated path.
Learn more about the latest from South America, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Teamwork makes the dream work for Argentina
Argentina qualified for World Cup 2026 by winning their matches against Uruguay and Brazil despite not having Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala, and Lautaro Martinez.
Thiago Almada was the unlikely hero for La Albiceleste. The Lyon winger fired a 25-yard strike to stun the home crowd in the 68th minute, and that was enough for Argentina to come away with a 1-0 win over Uruguay despite being reduced to 10 men late when Nicolas Gonzalez was sent off.
Argentina followed it up with a dominant 4-1 victory against Brazil, stretching their unbeaten run against their archrivals to five games.
Julian Alvarez kickstarted the scoring binge by converting on Thiago Almada’s dime in the fourth minute, and Enzo Fernandez made it 2-0 eight minutes later. Matheus Cunha pulled one back for Brazil in the 26th minute after a Cristian Romero mistake, but Argentina replied with two more goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone. This was Brazil’s heaviest defeat in the qualifiers.
Before the game, Argentina booked their World Cup 2026 berth via a goalless draw between Bolivia and Uruguay earlier today, so they weren’t under pressure to perform in front of their fans in Buenos Aires.
With four matchdays to spare, head coach Lionel Scaloni can use this time to integrate the newer and younger national team members since he can afford to rest some of his key players.
Ecuador suddenly in second place
As mentioned, Ecuador moved to second place after they stretched their undefeated run to seven games with a 2-1 win against Venezuela and a goalless draw against Chile.
Enner Valencia reminded everyone he still has it by scoring a brace against Venezuela. The 35-year-old forward scored off an acute angle in the 39th minute. Moments after the restart, Valencia raced through on goal and chipped the ball over Venezuela’s Rafael Romo to make it 2-0. The Internacional star almost had a hat-trick when he won a penalty. However, his spot-kick was blocked by the Venezuela goalkeeper. Still, Valencia received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he left the match in the 84th minute.
Chile held Ecuador earlier today, as La Roja were aggressive in the final third. However, Ricardo Gareca’s men weren’t clinical enough to beat Ecuador at home.
Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay are level at 21 points each. Before losing to Argentina, Brazil secured a 2-1 win over Colombia, as Raphinha and Vinicius Junior found the back of the net. Meanwhile, Paraguay extended their undefeated run to eight matches after a 1-0 win over Chile and a 2-2 draw against Colombia. Omar Alderete scored the match-winner against Chile, and Junior Alonso and Julio Enciso rallied for La Albirroja against Los Cafeteros.
Venezuela’s path got more complicated
La Vinotinto looked on course to qualify for their first-ever World Cup, but they couldn’t sustain their momentum since the fourth matchday of the qualifiers. Before their 1-0 win over Peru earlier today, Venezuela were winless in 10 straight qualifying matches, with their worst defeat being an embarrassing 4-0 loss against Bolivia last September.
After losing 2-1 to Ecuador last Saturday, Fernando Batista’s side bounced back against Peru, as Salomon Rondon converted his penalty before the half-time break. Peru aggressively searched for an equaliser, but they miffed their chances in the final third.
Venezuela’s path to World Cup 2026 just got harder, as they will likely have to go through the inter-confederation play-offs to book their tickets to North America. La Vinotinto are seventh in the table with 15 points, and they must fend off Bolivia, who have 14 points.
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