Bolivia secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Brazil in their final 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, a result that propelled them into the intercontinental playoffs and marked a stunning conclusion to the South American qualifying campaign. The win in La Paz, courtesy of a first-half stoppage-time penalty from Miguel Terceros, saw Brazil drop to fifth place in the final standings.
The South American qualifiers concluded with a series of surprising results. While Argentina and Ecuador had already secured their places at the World Cup, their match in Guayaquil was still a fiery affair. Argentina, who finished as CONMEBOL’s top team with 39 points, were defeated 1-0 by Ecuador after a first-half penalty from Enner Valencia. The match saw both teams reduced to 10 men, with Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi and Ecuador’s Moises Caicedo receiving red cards.
Elsewhere, Colombia secured a decisive 6-3 victory over Venezuela, with Luis Suárez scoring four goals to extinguish Venezuela’s hopes of clinching the playoff spot. The result secured third place for Colombia in the final standings. Uruguay finished fourth after a 0-0 draw with Chile, while Paraguay’s 1-0 victory over Peru in Lima left them in sixth place.
The CONMEBOL qualifying campaign’s top six teams—Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay—all secured automatic berths at the expanded 48-team World Cup. Bolivia, finishing seventh, will now proceed to the intercontinental playoffs, where they will compete for one of two remaining spots in the tournament. The playoffs are scheduled to take place in March 2026, featuring six teams from five confederations: one each from AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC, plus two from CONCACAF.
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