After 11 rounds of matches in CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying, the race to reach the finals being held across the USA, Mexico and Canada is getting seriously competitive.
Some of South America's finest have shown their class with most of the usual suspects performing well, and after a very slow start, Brazil now look set to join favourites Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia at the finals in 2026.
The two usual whipping boys in Bolivia and Venezuela are also proving more competitive than in recent campaigns, with the latter aiming to reach the finals for the first time, and the Bolivians now proving a real problem at their new venue high in mountains at El Alto.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the current state of play in South America, looking at the standings, some of the most notable results so far, and a look ahead to November's most important matches.
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings
1. Argentina - 22pts (P11 W7 D1 L3 GD+13)
2. Uruguay - 19pts (P11 W5 D4 L2 GD+8)
3. Colombia - 19pts (P11 W5 D4 L2 GD+6)
4. Brazil - 17pts (P11 W5 D2 L4 GD+6)
5. Ecuador - 16pts (P11 W5 D4 L2 GD+6)
6. Paraguay - 16pts (P11 W4 D4 L3 GD+1)
7. Venezuela - 12pts (P11 W2 D6 L3 GD-2)
8. Bolivia - 12pts (P11 1W4 D0 L7 GD-14)
9. Peru - 7pts (P11 W1 D4 L6 GD-11)
10. Chile - 6pts (P11 W1 D3 L7 GD-13)
UPCOMING FIXTURES
(all kickoffs in UK time)
Bolivia vs. Paraguay (19 November, 9:30pm | El Alto)
Colombia vs. Ecuador (19 November, 12am | Barranquilla)
Argentina vs. Peru (20 November, 12am | Buenos Aires)
Chile vs. Venezuela (20 November, 12am | Santiago)
Brazil vs. Uruguay (20 November, 12:45am | Salvador)
The story of CONMEBOL qualifying so far
The big headline from October's fixtures was the resurgence of Brazil, as under-fire manager Dorival Junior needed two wins, and that is what his team got, getting the better of the bottom two nations in the section, Chile and Peru.
A very late winner from Luiz Henrique was needed to spare their blushes in Chile, but the Selecao were on form in beating the Peruvians 4-0 a few days later, moving them up to fourth, four points clear of the chasing pack.
Uruguay will face Brazil this month, as well as Colombia, in what could be another slog for a nation that is rapidly faltering in this qualifying campaign, as the fallout from their Copa America exit, which resulted in numerous suspensions, and the comments from Luis Suarez towards manager Marcelo Bielsa not helping matters.
La Celeste have not won any of their qualifiers in the autumn, and they have failed to score a single goal, registering three 0-0 draws and a 1-0 loss to lowly Peru.
There are no such problems for Argentina, with Lionel Scaloni's World Champions cruising to the finals with ease, as their tally of 22 points is already close to assuring them of a spot at the World Cup based on previous campaigns, and if they can beat Peru at home this month, they may well start planning for the summer of 2026.
Colombia remain the closest challengers to the Albiceleste despite losing in the suffocating altitude away in Bolivia on matchday nine, responding in fine fashion by thrashing Chile 4-0 in their last outing, keeping them just three points off the summit.
Bolivia's venue change could have huge implications in this section, because the win over Colombia came despite playing with 10 men for 70 minutes, and also beating Venezuela 4-0 there in September suggests Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil could encounter great difficulty when they make the trip later in qualifying.
La Verde are currently seventh in the playoff position, but hypothetically, four home wins would take them to 24 points, a tally that will have a huge chance of being enough to progress automatically.
Ecuador and Paraguay will be seeking to avoid that happening, as they currently occupy the final two automatic places, while also being among the dullest international teams anywhere in the world.
It was no surprise their encounter ended 0-0 last month, because both have only conceded four goals each in their opening 10 qualifiers, but not much goes in at the other end either, as the two nations have scored just 10 goals between them so far, but it is working a treat as they enter matchday 11 in the driving seat.
Venezuela's dreams of reaching a first ever World Cup are dwindling slightly after a poor run in the autumn schedule, losing away in vital qualifiers to Bolivia and Paraguay, meaning they now find themselves outside of the top seven entirely, after starting October in an automatic qualifying spot.
As for the bottom two, they look dead and buried, because Peru failed to build on their surprise win over Uruguay, while Chile have now lost five straight qualifiers and sit bottom of the section, with a monumental turnaround now needed to change their fortunes with eight qualifiers remaining.
Key CONMEBOL qualifying results so far
Brazil 1-1 Venezuela (October 2023, Matchday 3)
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Brazil's early precarious situation was a home draw with Venezuela, a team they had only failed to beat once in their history, while it also kick-started a good run of form for Venezuela, who may look back at the end of the campaign at the significance of that point if they are able to reach the finals for the first time.
Argentina 0-2 Uruguay (November 2023, Matchday 5)
The first indication that Bielsa's side could be a huge threat at the finals in 2026 should they qualify as expected, beating the World Champions on their home patch, moving them clear in the automatic qualifying positions.
Brazil 0-1 Argentina (November 2023, Matchday 6)
Brazil's campaign went from bad to worse as they suffered their first ever home World Cup qualifying defeat, and it was against their arch rivals, as Argentina recovered from that slip-up against Uruguay to keep a hold of top spot in the standings.
Colombia 2-1 Argentina (September 2024, Matchday 8)
Argentina are still expected to qualify with a canter, but this result was huge for Colombia, who moved into second place, seven points clear in the auto-qualifying spots, and avenged their Copa America final loss from the summer.
Bolivia 1-0 Colombia (October 2024, Matchday 9)
After a 4-0 win over Venezuela in their first game at their new home ground in El Alto, Bolivia proved that every away side will have difficulty at the suffocating altitude here, instantly boosting their chances of a first finals appearance in 32 years, as they were able to beat second-placed Colombia 1-0 despite playing with 10 men for 70 minutes, with some of the visiting players requiring oxygen to continue midway through the game.
Key CONMEBOL qualifying games in October
Venezuela vs. Brazil (14 November, 9pm)
The first game of the window is arguably one of the most important, because another win for Brazil will certainly calm the nerves much more after their woeful start, while Venezuela will know that a historic victory of their own will boost their chances of reaching the finals for the first time.
Uruguay vs. Colombia (16 November, 12am)
Uruguay have been very poor since the summer and they now face their hardest game in the autumn schedule with fears they could slip even further down the standings, while Colombia can move to the brink of qualification with a win.
Peru vs. Chile (16 November, 1:30am)
Combining the point tallies of these two still would not be enough to place them in the top seven, but both will see this as an opportunity to rejuvenate their qualifying campaigns, as a win for either could move them back to within touching distance of Bolivia in the playoff spot.
Bolivia vs. Paraguay (19 November, 8pm)
Will El Alto show its teeth again when Paraguay make the trip on matchday 12? Sitting just ahead of Bolivia heading into this month's games, the visitors will be slightly wary after seeing how Venezuela and Colombia failed to cope at this venue.
Brazil vs. Uruguay (20 November, 12:45am)
Regardless of the results on matchday 11, this game will be pivotal for both, as another good month for Brazil could take them to the cusp of the finals, but if Uruguay's struggles continue they could be in trouble of missing out.
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