Brazil secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Paraguay on Tuesday, marking Carlo Ancelotti’s first victory as head coach of the five-time world champions.
The only goal of the match came in the 44th minute in São Paulo, as Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. tapped in from close range following a low cross by Manchester United’s new signing, Matheus Cunha. It was a much-needed breakthrough for Brazil, who had struggled to generate clear-cut chances for much of the game.
The result, combined with Uruguay’s 2-0 victory over Venezuela, meant Brazil claimed one of South America’s six automatic qualifying spots with two games remaining. The win lifts Brazil to third in the CONMEBOL standings with 25 points from 16 matches.
Ancelotti, celebrating his 66th birthday, praised his team’s effort after a goalless draw with Ecuador in his debut match last week. “It was a good match with a very good first half, although obviously we suffered a bit because Paraguay are very solid opponents and we slowed down a bit in the second,” the Italian manager noted. He also lauded the players for their “commitment” and “attitude.”
Paraguay, meanwhile, missed their own chance to qualify. Needing just a point to book their ticket to the tournament, they now remain on 24 points—still one point shy of qualification. They’ll need at least a draw in one of their final two matches to seal their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
Cunha, despite missing a clear header earlier in the game, played a crucial role in the winning goal, linking well with Raphinha before delivering the decisive assist to Vinicius Jr.
In other qualifiers, Ecuador also punched their ticket to the World Cup after a 0-0 draw with Peru in Lima. The result sees Ecuador qualify with 26 points.
Uruguay moved a step closer to joining them with a comfortable 2-0 win over Venezuela in Montevideo. Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta found the net for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who now need just one point from their last two matches to qualify.
Venezuela, still chasing their first-ever World Cup appearance, sit in seventh place with 18 points—just outside the automatic spots and currently in line for an intercontinental playoff.
Elsewhere, defending champions Argentina, who have already qualified, played to a 1-1 draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires. Luis Diaz gave Colombia the lead in the 24th minute, and the visitors gained a numerical advantage after Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the second half. However, Thiago Almada salvaged a draw for Argentina with an equalizer nine minutes from time.
Chile’s qualification hopes were officially dashed following a 2-0 defeat to Bolivia. The result confirms Chile’s absence from a third consecutive World Cup, a far cry from their dominant run in mid-2010s when they won back-to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016.
As South America’s qualifiers draw to a close, the race for the final World Cup spots remains intense, with Paraguay, Venezuela, and Uruguay still in contention for the remaining berths.
What you should know
Brazil secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a narrow win over Paraguay, thanks to a goal from Vinicius Jr.
The victory also marked Carlo Ancelotti’s first win as Brazil’s coach. With Ecuador joining Brazil in qualification and Uruguay on the brink, the race is now heating up for the final spots, as Chile bows out of contention yet again.
