FIFA World Cup 2026

Paraguay improve, Brazil breathe a sigh of relief and Messi... well, is still Messi. FIFA takes a look back at the latest round of South American qualifiers.

CONMEBOL qualification has passed the halfway point

Argentina continue to lead the way, Colombia also in a strong position

Concerns deepen for Chile and Peru

CONMEBOL qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ is gradually edging closer to its finale. With the first half of the qualification campaign complete, South American nations come away from the October international window with a clearer idea of their chances of qualification.

FIFA takes a look at some of the takeaways from these last two qualification match days, including Gustavo Alfaro’s Paraguay coming into form and Dorival Junior’s Brazil breathing a sigh of relief.

Brazil get back on track

The Selecao can breathe a sigh of relief after this latest round of fixtures. The Brazilians won twice in a single international window for the first time since September of last year. The hard-fought 2-1 win over Chile and the4-0 demolition of Peru left Dorival Junior’s side in a much more comfortable position, now up to fourth, heading into the second half of the qualification campaign. The stand-out performers for the Selecao were Botafogo stars Luiz Henrique and Igor Jesus, who scored their first goals for the national team, as well as Raphinha, who netted twice against Peru.

Paraguay believe they can qualify

If we go back four games, Paraguay had just five points on the board and World Cup qualification seemed a distant dream. The arrival of head coach Gustavo Alfaro, however, has changed everything for La Albirroja. The Argentinian coach’s tenure got off to a flying start as his Paraguay side held Uruguay to a draw and beat Brazil in September. Another goalless draw away from home, this time in Ecuador, was followed by an important win as they beat Venezuela 2-1 – a win that lifted Paraguay into sixth place and into the automatic qualification places.

Colombia march on, but Uruguay’s woes continue

Having been at the top end of the qualification table since the start of the campaign, Colombia and Uruguay come away from this international window with contrasting feelings. La Sele did lose to Bolivia in the first of their two games, however their 4-0 win over Chile reinforced the view that their qualification for 2026 is simply a matter of time.

The Uruguayans, on the other hand, continue their poor form which stretches back to the Copa America. The Celeste have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last four World Cup qualifiers, including the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Peru and the goalless draw with Ecuador this time round.

Is there a way out for Chile?

Winless since the third round of qualification, Chile suffered two more defeats during the October window. Languishing at the bottom of the table with just five points from ten games, La Roja are desperate to put an end to an extremely tough period dating back to the Copa America – they could not even manage a single goal in the group stages of that tournament. The Chileans’ hopes of qualifying will not have been helped by their showing in the 4-0 defeat to Colombia.

Messi continues to do Messi things

We have said all there is to say about Lionel Messi, but the Argentine magician leaves us with no choice but to keep repeating ourselves. Making his return to the Albiceleste team following his injury in the Copa America final, the iconic no10 wasted no time in grabbing the headlines once again. In the emphatic 6-0 home win over Bolivia, Messi bagged a hat-trick and provided assists for another two of the goals, helping Argentina to stretch their lead at the top of the qualification table. The Argentinian hero’s hat-trick took him back to the top of the goal-scoring chart for this qualification campaign, currently leading the way on six goals.

Visit fifa.com for more details.