Dates 9 and 10 of the South American Qualifiers will begin this Thursday and will end on Tuesday of next week. The teams will seek to achieve good results and get closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
How each team arrives at the double qualifying date
Argentina: Those led by Lionel Scaloni lead the standings with 18 points and in this double date they could add important points to be in the positions of a new World Cup classification.
The National Team, which in its last appearance lost to Colombia as a visitor, will have the stellar return of captain Lionel Messi, already recovered from the ligament injury he suffered in the final of the Copa América.
Brazil: Those led by Dorival Júnior are going through a difficult time and are sixth with only 10 points.
They lost 4 of the last 5 games and, although they are still in the direct qualification zone, they must achieve better results because otherwise it could start to get complicated.
Bolivia: They won their two games in the last double date of the Qualifiers, which allowed them to reach nine points and be very close to the Repechage zone. They are looking for their first World Cup qualification since 1994.
Colombia: The “Coffee Maker” selection is having a great moment. They have just reached the final of the Copa América, second in the Qualifiers with 16 points. In their last presentation they defeated the Argentine National Team at home.
Chile: The trans-Andean team is really complicated, since they only added five points and are far from the playoff zone. In addition, they will have a real challenge ahead of them on the next date, as they will face Brazil.
Ecuador: The “Tricolor”, led by the Argentine Sebastián Beccacece, is in fourth place, although it should not be neglected since a defeat could make it fall to eighth place.
Paraguay: They come from achieving a historic victory against Brazil, which allowed them to climb to seventh position and be in the Repechage zone. The last time they played in a World Cup was in South Africa 2010, when they reached the quarterfinals.
Peru: Those led by the Uruguayan Jorge Fossati have been the worst team in these Qualifiers, in which they are last with only three points. They still haven’t achieved any victory.
Uruguay: is going through a tremendous internal crisis, with several players against the technical director Marcelo Bielsa, who was even accused of mistreatment and neglect. It remains to be seen if this situation is reflected in the game. They are third in the Qualifiers, with 15 points.
Venezuela: “Vinotinto” wants to make history and qualify for the World Cup for the first time. They are sixth in the table, achieving direct qualification, although they must maintain their level to continue with good results.
Double date schedules
Date 9: Bolivia – Colombia: Thursday at 5 p.m.; Venezuela – Argentina: Thursday at 6 p.m.; Ecuador – Paraguay: Thursday at 6 p.m.; Chile – Brazil: Thursday at 9 p.m.; Peru – Uruguay: Friday at 10:30 p.m.
Date 10: (all games are played on Tuesday, October 15); Colombia – Chile at 5:30 p.m.; Paraguay – Venezuela at 8pm; Uruguay – Ecuador at 8:30 p.m.; Argentina – Bolivia at 9 p.m.; Brazil – Peru at 9:45 p.m.
Chile receives Brazil in a duel of the needy
The Chilean team will receive its counterpart from Brazil this Thursday, in a duel of the needy, for the ninth date of the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico 2026.
The match will take place starting at 9 p.m. at the Julio Martínez Prádanos National Stadium. The referee will be the Argentine Darío Herrera, who will be supported from the VAR by his compatriot Héctor Paletta.
Chile, led by Argentine Ricardo Gareca, had a very weak start to the Qualifiers, where they are ninth with only five points and are four points away from the Repechage zone.
Brazil, for its part, had a good start in the Qualifiers in its first two appearances, but from then on it lost four games, tied one and only beat Ecuador. This is why it has only 10 units and, although it is fifth and in the direct classification zone, those led by Dorival Junior cannot continue leaving points along the way.
In another match of the day, Bolivia will host Colombia at 5 p.m. at the El Alto Municipal Stadium, 4,150 meters above sea level.
The team from the neighboring country had a perfect last double qualifying round, in which it defeated Venezuela and Chile, to be very close to the Repechage zone.
On the other hand, Colombia established itself as one of the best teams in America, demonstrating great consistency. In the classification for the 2026 World Cup, they are second with 16 points and are only two points behind Argentina, whom they defeated 2-1 on the last date.
The referee of the match will be the Brazilian Wilton Sampaio and his compatriot Daniel Nobre will be on the VAR.
Finally, at 6:00 p.m., Ecuador will host Paraguay at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in the city of Quito.
Ecuador has just achieved an important 1-0 victory over Peru, which allowed it to climb to fourth position. Paraguay, for its part, made history by beating Brazil at home, to be in the Repechage zone.
The referee appointed by Conmebol was the Brazilian Raphael Claus. He will be accompanied on the VAR by his compatriot Rodolpho Toski.