The first round of the Conmebol qualifiers
The first round of the Conmebol qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup yielded several conclusions.
At the start of the Conmebol qualifiers, Brazil confirmed its leadership, but the champions played two great matches, especially in their presentation in Bolivia, even without Lionel Messi.
In the first match, Argentina faced the tough Ecuador at home, and just when it seemed like a draw was on the horizon, Lionel Messi stepped in to unlock the game.
Messi, in his debut in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, scored the winning goal with a perfect free-kick.
For the second match, at the high altitude of La Paz, Lionel Scaloni’s tactics paid off as the Argentinians managed to win 3-0.
It was Argentina’s biggest victory in La Paz, confirming the national team’s good form, and they achieved this without Messi on the field.
The goals were scored by Enzo Fernandez, Nicolás Tagliafico, and Nico González, while Bolivia was the only team that failed to earn points in these two matches.
On the other hand, Brazil, in the beginning of the Conmebol qualifiers, defeated Bolivia, although they struggled in the first half, managing to go ahead with just one goal.
But in the second half, the Brazilians gained control, though Bolivia scored their first goal of the qualifiers.
Conmebol Qualifiers: Balanced
Another team performing well is Colombia, which faced the tough Venezuela in their first match. Despite a strong first half from the Colombians, Venezuela stepped up in the second half, with the only difference being a goal from Rafael Santos Borré.
In the second round, they secured a valuable draw, leaving them with four points, keeping in mind that Colombia did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Moving on to the rest of the Conmebol qualifiers, Uruguay had a strong start with a win over Chile but stumbled in Quito, losing 2-1.
The Uruguayan team took the lead initially, but Félix Torres emerged as the star, scoring two goals.
Meanwhile, Venezuela achieved a valuable victory against Paraguay, confirming their aspiration to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.
Among the 10 nations, only Bolivia failed to earn points, while Ecuador, despite their win, remains without points due to a penalty carried over from the previous qualifiers.
Chile secured only one point after their draw against Colombia.
The Conmebol qualifiers are highly competitive, to the extent that FIFA granted six direct qualification spots and a playoff, a format unlike the rest of the confederations worldwide.
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