The eighteenth and last day of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup has as its main attraction which team, between Venezuela and Bolivia, will win a place in next March’s intercontinental play-offs, because the six direct tickets are already in place.
Venezuela, with 18 points and in seventh place, and Bolivia, in eighth place with 17, will be simultaneously attentive to what happens not only in their match, but also in the match of their opponents for this last ticket, since a slip could mean elimination.
The date, which will be played this Tuesday, also offers other interesting facts such as knowing the order in which the qualified teams will finish, from second to sixth place, so far held by Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia and Paraguay, since Argentina secured the first place well in advance.
Messi absent in the fight for top scorer
Another eye-catching aspect of the South American qualifiers is to see if any of the strikers in action will be able to snatch the top scorer’s trophy from Lionel Messi, who has eight goals but will be absent for the Albiceleste’s match against Ecuador.
He is followed by Colombia’s Luis Diaz, with 7, and Bolivia’s Miguel Terceros, with 6, followed by four players who have scored 5 times each.
This is the outlook for the closing day of the South American qualifiers:
Venezuela, for the play-offs against a quiet Colombia
Venezuela is depending on itself for the seventh place, which is the access to the play-offs, and will play against Colombia in Maturín with the first option to obtain that place, as it has one more point than Bolivia.
Colombia to judge Venezuela’s World Cup dream
Colombia, which will be able to count on Daniel Muñoz and Kevin Castaño, will be the judge of the Vinotinto, which needs a win or, in the worst case, a draw and a draw or loss against the Canarinha.
A defeat is out of the question if they are to secure a place in the March 2026 play-offs, which will include five other teams: one from Africa, one from Asia, one from Oceania and two from CONCACAF.
In the South American qualifiers, Venezuela and Colombia have met 19 times:
The Cafetera won ten matches, the Vinotinto three and there were six ties. The last time they met, on September 7, 2023 in Barranquilla, Colombia won 1-0.
Bolivia-Brazil: Mission Possible, Goal Distant
La Verde wants to return to a World Cup after 1994, but it will not be easy, as they have to beat Brazil and hope that Venezuela gives up at least a draw at home to Colombia in Maturin to reach seventh place, which entitles them to play a continental play-off in March against five other rivals:
One from Africa, one from Asia, one from Oceania and two from CONCACAF.
If history and statistics were to weigh in the outcome of the next result, La Verde would have reason to celebrate, as playing at the 3,650-meter altitude of La Paz has given the Canarinha serious headaches.
Tuesday could be worse, as Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team will be 500 meters higher, at the El Alto stadium, at 4,150 meters above sea level.
Bolivia’s first victory in La Paz took place on July 25, 1993, in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup in the United States.
Marco ‘el Diablo’ Etcheverry and Álvaro Peña sealed the victory, which was repeated in 2001 with a 3-1 win on the road to the South Korea and Japan finals, and in 2009 with a 2-1 win.
However, the final match on the heights was settled by the green-and-green team with a 4-0 win.
Ecuador to break tie streak
Despite qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on the sixteenth matchday, the Ecuadorian national team is motivated to bid farewell to this phase, and in front of its home fans, in the best possible way:
To beat Argentina, which would break their streak of four consecutive 0-0 draws.
Ecuador is fourth in the standings with 26 points and is undefeated in 10 matches, the longest in its history.
The Argentine Sebastián Beccacece, who has already earned the respect of the fans and has awakened the illusions of a country that expects its national team to shine in the fifth World Cup in its history.
In front will be an Argentina without Lionel Messi, who asked not to play in order to give priority to the American league (MLS) with Inter Miami.
However, this Albiceleste team, the leader with 38 points and unreachable, has already learned to play without its top player and will try to take advantage of it to start projecting Franco Mastantuono, a recent signing from Real Madrid, who is already being tipped as the successor to the 10 shirt.
The match between Ecuador and Argentina will be played at the Isidro Romero Carbo stadium in Guayaquil.
Peru-Paraguay: Not to lose
More than a match to fulfill the schedule between an eliminated team and another that still has the hangover of the qualification, this Tuesday’s match in Lima is the last opportunity in 2025 for the local team to show defiance against an opponent that wants to bring the curtain down on its campaign with a good result at the Estadio Nacional.
This Tuesday, two nostalgic rivals will meet:
A visitor that returns to the World Cup 16 years later and a home team that in 2026 will complete 8 years without attending the event.
Throughout the history of the South American qualifiers, Peru has never lost to Paraguay.
The history is summarized with 6 wins and 2 draws. In fact, the team with the red stripe has 3 victories.
Another win does not seem to guarantee the continuity of Argentine-born goalkeeper Oscar Ibanez, but the Bicolor needs to build solid foundations to give credibility to a new project.
And so as not to repeat the stumbles of the qualifying rounds, which left Juan Reynoso and Uruguayan Jorge Fossati without a job.
Chile for honor against Uruguay
Chile, last with only 10 points, will host Uruguay, which has 27 points and is in third place, with the sole objective of getting out of that sorry position if it beats La Celeste, but it also needs Peru, second last with 12, to slip up against Paraguay.
The Reds, coached by Nicolás Córdova and who last Thursday lost 3-0 against Brazil without any representative of the Golden Generation that led them to win the Copa América in 2015 and 2016, will be without midfielder César Pérez due to a torn ligament suffered in training last Saturday.
Meanwhile, according to EFE, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa will have striker Darwin Núñez, who has already served the suspension imposed by CONMEBOL following the altercations in the semifinals of the Copa América 2024, but not Mathías Olivera due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
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