While Argentina has already secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the qualifying campaign across South America is proving to be highly competitive. A mere three points separate Ecuador, currently in second place, from Colombia, sitting in sixth. This qualifying cycle has been notably more open than in previous years, with footballing giants Brazil and Uruguay experiencing challenges and not establishing their usual dominance behind Argentina.
The landscape could potentially shift with the debut of Carlo Ancelotti as the new head coach for the Brazilian national team. Ancelotti faces the task of finding the right balance within the squad, which was evident in their goalless opening draw against Ecuador. Nevertheless, unlocking the full potential of key players like Raphinha and Vinicius Junior will be vital for Brazil to improve their position.
Venezuela is also actively pursuing its first-ever appearance at the World Cup finals. Currently ranked seventh in the standings, they are in a position to potentially enter an intercontinental playoff to earn a World Cup spot. Their lead over Bolivia is narrow, just one point. Bolivia`s last participation in the World Cup was back in 1994, which was also hosted in the United States.
Upcoming Qualifying Schedule
Here is the schedule for the next series of matches in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers:
- Thursday, June 5
- Ecuador 0, Brazil 0
- Paraguay 2, Uruguay 0
- Chile 0, Argentina 1
- Friday, June 6
- Colombia vs. Peru, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Venezuela vs. Bolivia, 6 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, June 10
- Bolivia vs. Chile, 4 p.m. ET
- Uruguay vs. Venezuela, 7 p.m. ET
- Argentina vs. Colombia, 8 p.m. ET
- Brazil vs. Paraguay, 8:45 p.m. ET
- Peru vs. Ecuador, 9:30 p.m. ET
