The top six places in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualification table have been confirmed. On a busy Thursday night of South American football, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia all booked their flights to the finals next year.
All three nations were very close to qualification before the latest round of matches, and they all delivered to give their fans a trip to North America to look forward to. Uruguay were impressive in a 3-0 win over lowly Peru, while Colombia saw off play-off-chasing Bolivia by the same scoreline. Meanwhile, Paraguay, who just needed a point, collected their place thanks to a goalless draw against already qualified Ecuador.
Uruguay’s meeting with Peru gave Marcelo Bielsa’s side a chance to grab their qualification spot in a packed-out 60,000 capacity Estadio Centenario de Montevideo, and they certainly didn’t choke. Club America striker Rodrigo Aguirre settled any nerves when he climbed high to head home a 14th minute opener, and the two-time World Champions were home and dry when Giorgian de Arrascaeta doubled the lead on the hour.
Federico Vinas made it three on 80 minutes, and the party started as Uruguay qualified for a fifth successive tournament, and that without key players Darwin Nunez and Federico Valverde.
Paraguay’s remarkable climb up the table was halted in a 1-0 loss to Brazil last time out, a first defeat under new manager Gustavo Alfaro, but they only needed a point to confirm their qualification, and they picked that up in a 0-0 home draw against Ecuador. With stars Tony Sanabria and Miguel Almiron in their ranks, Paraguay are a dangerous side. But with 24 points and fifth place already in their possession, they made sure they were hard to beat against the impressive Ecuadorians.
The draw ensured Paraguay made the finals for the first time since 2010, though they dropped to sixth place, the final qualification berth, seven points above Venezuela. Meanwhile, Ecuador slipped to fourth.
Elsewhere, Colombia, who have endured a mixed campaign, knew that while a draw may be enough, they needed a win over Bolivia to ensure qualification. With a squad packed with the quality of Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Jhon Arias, and Jhon Duran, it should not have come down to the final weekend. But now, Los Cafeteros can breathe easy.
It turned out to be a comfortable night for Colombia as former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez opened the scoring on the half hour. Cordoba and Juan Fernando Quintero added two more late goals to lift Los Cafeteros to fifth place, ahead of Paraguay on goal difference. Meanwhile, Bolivia must win their last home game to Brazil and hope that Venezuela lose to Colombia to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Messi stars as Argentina and Brazil both win
The latest World Cup 2026 betting odds make Argentina and Brazil the South American representation in the group of genuine title contenders, and the reigning champions Argentina, currently at the top of the FIFA World Rankings, stamped their authority on the CONMEBOL table with a 3-0 win over Venezuela.
The big World Cup 2026 news in the run-up to this round of fixtures was Lionel Messi’s announcement that this would be his last home World Cup qualifier. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner showed the fans just what they will miss as he scored a brilliant brace to ensure his nation stayed 10 points clear at the top of the table.
The 38-year-old latched onto a pass from Julian Alvarez to smash the ball into the top right corner and give Argentina a halftime lead. The hosts piled on the pressure in the second half, and it was game over when Lautaro Martinez met a Nico Gonzalez cross with a spectacular diving header. Messi rounded off the night when he took a pass from Thiago Almada and finished with his customary style.
In my SBOTOP preview of the Brazil vs. Chile clash, I said this would be a stroll for the Selecao, and so it was, as they swept away an inexperienced La Roja side with a 3-0 win, a popular scoreline on the night.
Chelsea’s young star Estevao scored his first international goal, and substitutes Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes were also on target to take Brazil up to second place in the table, leapfrogging Ecuador and keeping the gap at the top to 10 points.
Meanwhile, Chile, who were already eliminated after losing 11 of their 17 qualification matches, remain rock bottom, two points behind Peru in ninth.
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