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World Cup enlargement has taken the sting off many South American qualifiers. With 14 of 18 rounds performed, all the massive boys appear to be secure. Argentina clinched qualification Tuesday. Brazil and others might comply with in June.
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However their locations on the 2026 social gathering aren’t fairly locked up. And beneath them, two nations who’ve by no means gained a males’s World Cup recreation, Venezuela and Bolivia, are combating for an opportunity to make historical past.
CONMEBOL World Cup berths: 6 (plus 1 intercontinental playoff berth)
World Cup qualifying format: Easy. Ten groups, in a single desk, play each other house and away. The highest six qualify for the World Cup. Seventh place earns a journey to the intercontinental playoff.
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South America 2026 World Cup qualifying bubble
Certified: ArgentinaConfident: Uruguay, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, ParaguayBubble: Venezuela, BoliviaLong pictures: Chile, PeruEliminated: None
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports activities illustration)
Winners, losers of the March qualifiers in South America
Winner: Paraguay — What a window for La Albirroja! Paraguay took 4 factors, together with one on the street in Colombia, and leapt into fifth place. Now, solely a calamitous closing stretch — and an unforeseeable cost from Bolivia or Venezuela — might deny Paraguay a spot in 2026.
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Loser: Colombia — They will most likely nonetheless qualify. However a heartbreaking loss in Brazil — to a 99th-minute Vinicius Jr. winner — and a blown lead at house to Paraguay have left Los Cafeteros solely 5 factors away from the intercontinental playoff spot.
Winner: Venezuela — A good, tense 1-0 win over Peru was sufficient to elevate La Vinotinto into seventh place. In the event that they beat Bolivia on Matchday 15 at house — which they’re going to be favored to do — they’re going to have a four-point cushion.
