Checking in on CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying |
04/09/2025 14:00 -
The September 2025 international window is upon us and it's time to start thinking about who will book their places this fall for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Currently, 10 teams have qualified alongside co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States. We now see who will fill out the rest of the 48 spots in next summer's tournament.
CONMEBOL is the confederation that normally starts their qualification process the earliest, and it's arguably the most grueling. The first World Cup qualfier in CONMEBOL was in September 2023, and each team has 18 matches to determine who from the region will make it to the World Cup. Six teams qualify directly, with the 7th place finisher moving on to compete in the inter-confederation playoffs in March.
Table
With 2 matches left in World Cup qualfiying, this is how the table looks for CONMEBOL:
Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador have already booked their places in the field of 48, while Uruguay and Paraguay have clinched at least a place in the inter-confederation playoff and just need to gain 1 point from their final two matches to clinch a World Cup spot. Chile is the only team that has been eliminated from contention, while Peru needs a miracle just to qualify for the inter-confederation playoff.
That leaves Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia to fight for the final outright spot and the inter-confederation playoff spot in the table.
Key matches left
Colombia is currently in 6th place with a 4 point lead over Venezuela and a 5 point lead over Bolivia. And, they face their competitors in each match, hosting Bolivia on September 4th and traveling to Venezuela on September 9th. If Colombia can get points against Bolivia, Bolivia will not be able to qualify directly. Venezuela faces Argentina, who have already qualified, on September 4th in Buenos Aires, while Bolivia hosts an already qualified Brazil on September 9th. Should Colombia qualify for the World Cup, those two matches will be the biggest deciders in who makes the inter-confederation playoff.
Remaining teams with best chance to qualify
Uruguay and Paraguay just need to get a point from their final two matches or have Venezuela drop points to clinch direct places in the 2026 World Cup. Colombia has the best chance to get the 6th and final direct spot for CONMEBOL, needing just a draw over Venezuela in their first match and Bolivia to drop points to clinch.
Big teams in trouble
Peru is in the most trouble of failing to qualify at all for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They need to win on the road against Uruguay and at home against Paraguay and hope that Venezuela loses both matches and Bolivia only gets 1 point from their two matches to make the inter-confederation playoff spot. For a team that qualified for the World Cup in 2018 and were runners-up at the 2019 Copa América, they will be left with a lot of questions to answer if they're forced to once again watch the World Cup from home.
