Brazil, Ecuador Secure Spots in FIFA World Cup 2026; Uruguay, Colombia & Paraguay Close In

New Delhi – Brazil and Ecuador have officially qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay are on the verge of joining them.

At the Neo Química Arena, Vinicius Jr. scored the only goal in Brazil’s 1-0 win over Paraguay, earning new head coach Carlo Ancelotti his first victory in charge of the national team. The goal followed a brilliant setup by Matheus Cunha.

Despite the loss, Paraguay remain close to qualifying, holding a six-point lead over Venezuela with just two rounds remaining. The win was especially significant as it came on Ancelotti’s 66th birthday, with Brazilian fans honouring him with a giant mosaic that read “Congratulations, Carletto” in green and yellow.

This win ended Paraguay’s nine-match unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying and marked the first time they’ve been beaten in ten games. Brazil extended their impressive home record, having now lost just once in their last 70 World Cup qualifiers. It was also the third time Brazil secured World Cup qualification at the Neo Química Arena, previously doing so against Paraguay in 2017 and Colombia in 2021.

Elsewhere, Ecuador clinched their fifth World Cup appearance since 2002 after a goalless draw against Peru in Lima. Peru needed a win to stay in the race but were unable to break through Ecuador’s solid defense, anchored by Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho. Even after Ecuador went down to 10 men following Alan Franco’s red card in the 75th minute, the hosts couldn’t capitalize. At the final whistle, coach Sebastian Beccacece and his team celebrated wildly.

Uruguay are also on the brink of qualification. Rodrigo Aguirre opened the scoring, and Giorgian de Arrascaeta followed up with a stunning strike to seal a crucial win. Marcelo Bielsa’s side now sit six points ahead of seventh-place Venezuela with a vastly superior goal difference, virtually assuring them a spot in their fifth straight World Cup.

Colombia, too, moved closer to qualification thanks to a spectacular goal from Luis Díaz, who dribbled past three defenders and scored against Argentina. It was the first time a Colombian had scored in Argentina in World Cup qualifying since Carlos Valderrama in 1997. Despite Enzo Fernández’s red card in the 70th minute, Argentina salvaged a 1-1 draw with a goal from Thiago Almada. Colombia now sit four points ahead of Venezuela and are well-positioned to qualify. Díaz, with 19 goals, is now just one away from joining Colombia’s elite 20-goal club.

Meanwhile, Bolivia kept their qualification hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Chile in El Alto. Miguel Terceros opened the scoring after a Diego Medina assist. Though Bolivia went down to 10 men after Lucas Chávez was sent off, they regained numerical balance when Francisco Sierralta of Chile was also shown red. Enzo Monteiro sealed the victory by scoring on the rebound from a Terceros shot. Bolivia now trail Venezuela by just one point for the intercontinental play-off spot.

With inputs from IANS