FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying – The CONMEBOL Story So Far

Just when we were all getting in the swing of things EPL and FPL (Fantasy Premier League) wise, the International break comes and throws a spanner in the works. If friendly encounters like Mauritius vs Syria or UEFA Nations League clashes like Lithuania vs Cyprus don’t quite whet your football appetite, why not set your soccer sights a bit further afield to South America?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 CONMEBOL qualifiers continue in earnest this week (and next). While UEFA’s World Cup qualifying draw has not yet been made, we’ve already reached Matchday 7 of the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

How FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL Qualifying Works

All ten national teams from the CONMEBOL confederation entered the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying process. They are set to play each other twice in a home-and-away round-robin format, so each side is locked into a gruelling 18-game schedule. Eight of the ten CONMEBOL sides were ranked in FIFA’s world top 50 as of 2023, which is evidence of the highly competitive nature of the South American qualifying campaign.

The CONMEBOL sides are scrapping for a top-6 spot in the qualifying standings, which earns them an automatic berth in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Finals in Canada/USA/Mexico. The team finishing 7^th in the CONMEBOL ladder will take part in the Inter-Confederation play-offs, where two further sides win places in the World Cup Finals tournament.

With so many matches to be completed, it’s no surprise that the CONMEBOL sides kicked off their qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup before any other region/confederation. Before the start of CONMEBOL qualifying (Matchday 1 – September 2023), Ecuador were deducted 3 points for previously supplying false information regarding defender Byron Castillo.

FIFA World Cup 2026 CONMEBOL Qualifying – The Story So Far

The early 2026 FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL qualifying skirmishes (Matchdays 1 & 2) went to script back in early September 2023. Defending World Cup champions Argentina clinched a tight 1-0 victory over Ecuador, thanks to Lionel Messi and followed that up with a 3-0 stroll against Bolivia in La Paz.

Brazil, the most successful World Cup side in history, kicked off their qualifying campaign confidently, brushing aside Bolivia 5-1, with braces from Rodrygo and Neymar. The Samba Boys needed a last-minute header from PSG legend Marquinhos, though, to maintain their 100% start versus Peru in Lima four days later. The only slight shock during those September encounters came in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, where the ‘La Tricolor’ came from behind with goals from Felix Torres to grab a 2-1 victory against Uruguay.

Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina Maintain Their Winning Streak

2022 FIFA World Cup winners, Argentina, kept their foot on the gas a month later, in October 2023, when winning both of their Matchday 3 & 4 games. Nicolas Otamendi’s 3rd-minute strike proved enough to see off Paraguay in Buenos Aires, and a double on the road from the Argentine mercurial maestro, Lionel Messi, despatched Peru 2-0 the following week. That victory meant that Argentina had won eight games on the bounce without conceding a single goal.

While all was rosy in the Albiceleste’s garden, cracks were starting to appear in Brazil’s qualifying campaign. At the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, Eduard Bello stunned the locals when snatching a late equaliser for Venezuela versus Fernando Diniz’s Selecao. In Matchday 4 it went from bad to worse for Brazil, as Uruguay struck them down in Montevideo with second-half goals from Darwin Nunez and Nicolas de la Cruz. It was Brazil’s first World Cup qualifying loss since Chile beat them 2-0 in Santiago in 2015. Elsewhere, Colombia maintained its unbeaten start in CONMEBOL qualifying with draws against Uruguay and Ecuador.

Brazil’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying Woes Intensify

Brazil fans had thought (and hoped) that the defeat in Montevideo was just a minor blip, but further heartache awaited the Verde-Amarelas in November 2023. Despite a fast start and strike by Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli in Barranquilla during Matchday 5, Colombia hit back emphatically late with two goals from Luis Diaz. It was a highly emotional moment for the Liverpool winger, whose father had been kidnapped only a few weeks earlier. Colombia maintained their amazing undefeated run five days later, with a 1-0 victory against Paraguay in Asuncion.

Following back-to-back World Cup qualifying defeats, a wary Brazil entertained Argentina at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro for their Matchday 6 clash on November 21st. Argentina had suffered a setback the previous week, conceding its first goal since the 2022 World Cup Final in a 2-0 loss on home turf to Uruguay. In a tight affair, Benfica’s centre-back, Otamendi, proved to be Argentina’s saviour, not for the first time during the qualifying campaign, as he grabbed the game’s only goal in the second half.

Brazil’s third loss on the trot and their first-ever home defeat in a World Cup qualifier amazingly saw them drop to sixth in the qualifying standings. It was the first time the country had lost three successive matches since 2001. Not surprisingly, it brought to an end Fernando Diniz’s caretaker reign in the Brazilian hot seat, with Sao Paulo boss Dorival Junior taking over the reins.

FIFA World Cup 2026 CONMEBOL Qualifying – Latest Standings