World Cup qualifying is underway in one of the world's toughest regions, CONMEBOL. Containing World Cup winners Argentia and a Brazil side that are unbeatable at home, South America has one of the toughest roads to the World Cup and each team can turn their home stadium into a fortress. Due to the World Cup expansion ahead of 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. there will be six teams that directly qualify for the World Cup and then the seventh team will take part in an playoff between another federation. South America is the first confederation to begin their qualifying process due to the entire thing taking a total of 18 matchdays.
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Peru took part in that continental qualifier prior to the 2022 World Cup losing to Australia on penalties. It's an exciting time for South American soccer with Marcelo Bielsa in charge of Uruguay now but everyone is trying to reach a pace set by Brazil and Argentina. Due to Lionel Messi's injury causing him to miss time for Inter Miami, he could be limited for Argentina making the team more vulnerable than normal but he isn't the only star in the side.
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After a win over Uruguay, Ecuador are finally back to zero points after a deduction for fielding Byron Castillo during the 2022 qualification cycle but La Tri will need more during this round of matches in order to avoid missing the World Cup due to the points penalty.
Current standings
| Place | Country | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Argentina |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
9 |
2 |
Brazil |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
3 |
Colombia |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
Uruguay |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
Chile |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
Venezuela |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
Ecuador |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
Paraguay |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
1 |
9 |
Peru |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
-3 |
1 |
10 |
Bolivia |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
-8 |
0 |
Qualification schedule
All times Eastern
Thursday, Oct. 12
Colombia 2, Uruguay 2
Bolivia 1, Ecuador 2
Argentina 1, Paraguay 0
Chile 2, Peru 0
Brazil 1, Venezuela 0
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Venezuela vs. Chile, 5 p.m. (Fanatiz)
Paraguay vs. Bolivia, 6:30 p.m. (Fanatiz)
Ecuador vs. Colombia, 7:30 p.m. (Fanatiz)
Uruguay vs. Brazil, 8 p.m. (Fanatiz)
Peru vs. Argentina, 10 p.m. (Fanatiz)
Storylines
1. Can anyone stop Argentina?
Unbeaten in World Cup qualifying since Lionel Scaloni took over the squad, this process is like clockwork for La Albiceleste. While Messi's fitness is a concern as he missed time with Inter Miami due to fatigue and a knock, this is still a supremely talented team. Messi was able to come off the bench during Argentina's victory over Paraguay, raising hopes that he may start in their trip to face Peru, but even without him, Argentina had no issues creating chances. The finishing will need to improve though.
2. Chile needs to turn it around now
After missing the 2022 World Cup, Chile are now winless in their last six matches against South American opposition, since defeating Bolivia in February of 2022. An aging squad, all of Chile's hopes are on Ben Brereton putting the ball in the back of the net. It doesn't feel like enough has been done to bring along the next generation in Chilean soccer. While it's easier to qualify for the World Cup thanks to expansion, that doesn't mean that sliding teams like Chile will walk into the tournament without improving. They're off to a good start after blanking Peru, but with three teams now on four points, it would be a good time for Chile to separate themselves.
3. Who is the third best team in South America?
Behind Argentina and Brazil, there is a void to fill for who the next power is in South American soccer. Currently, Colombia occupies the spot behind the duo in the table, but it's something that Ecuador were pushing for before getting hit with a points deduction. Early signs are even positive for Uruguay under Bielsa but not knowing which version of Liverpool's Darwin Nunez will show up during each game leaves a lot up to chance. By the end of this window, four games will have been played so sample sizes will get larger as teams look to separate themselves.