Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match … [+]
This was a tricky encounter for the World Cup champions in the end. Not only were they missing their star goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but their hosts Venezuela were both buoyed by promising form and aided by some atrocious playing conditions.
With respect to the ‘vino tinto’ a water-logged pitch did even out the playing field on the night and the likes of Lionel Messi and company really struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.
This result means Venezuela now have 11 points from the opening half of their campaign and sit in seventh in a play-off position, whilst Argentina remain top of the table, now holding a three point lead over second place Colombia.
El Alto has another victim. Second place Colombia join the list of teams that have failed to conquer the dizzy heights of this Bolivian city. Despite receiving a red card in the first half the hosts had enough to get over the line and seal a third successive qualifying victory, the likes of which Bolivia haven’t done since 1993.
For Colombia, it was a tough defeat in tough conditions, and as mentioned it is a normal occurrence for fine teams to falter in Bolivia. They quite literally didn’t have enough oxygen in the tank, but return to more familiar conditions in Barranquilla for their next fixture with their World Cup 2026 birth still looking very much in tact.
This battle of sides in terrible form saw quality reign and the five-time World Cup winners Brazil get a vital three points under their belt after what has been a tumultuous first half of the campaign. Domestic talents Luis Henrique and Igor Jesus, both of Botafogo, scored goals in a late comeback victory that has helped Brazil avoid complete panic.
Still unconvincing, and a goal down after just two minutes, Brazil are still scraping their way through qualifying, but unless they can sort the balance of their team out and work out who their Best XI actually consists of , then they will not be considered anything like favourites for the tournament that is now less than two years away. For Chile, the bad run continues and they sit at the bottom of the table with five points.
Brazil’s forward Luiz Henrique celebrates after scoring during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South … [+]
As mentioned, both of these sides find themselves in a decent qualifying league position and would have seen each other as direct rivals for a spot at the 2026 World Cup before this game started. With that in mind it’s no big surprise that both settled for a point instead of really taking this game by the scruff of the neck and risking a painful loss against a contender.
Despite Ecuador dominating the game they only forced the Paraguay goalkeeper into five saves, and all of those shots came from distance.
A spirited performance from hosts Peru was the greatest shock of this round. They defeated Uruguay 1-0 in Lima to secure the first victory of their entire qualifying campaign. Peru’s first win and third goal in nine games has also lifted them off the very bottom of the table, as they jump ahead of Chile and go into ninth place.
Miguel Araujo’s late header means Uruguay are now three qualifiers without either a victory or a goal. With that, what seemed like certain qualification for Uruguay now is not so sure and there are only four points separating them with the non-automatic qualification place below.
Luis Ramos of Peru celebrates after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 South American Qualifier match … [+]
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