South America completes guest list for the 2026 World Cup

South America has completed its guest list for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the start of FIFA World Cup activities in September.

Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay secured their spot after going unbeaten in their respective matches this Thursday. They thus joined Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador to complete the six direct spots in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

Uruguay thrashed Peru 3-0 at Montevideo's iconic Centenario Stadium, with goals from Giorgian De Arrascaeta and two well-known Mexican footballers: Rodrigo "Búfalo" Aguirre, current América striker, and Federico Viñas, formerly of the Águilas and León.

With this, Uruguay secured its 15th World Cup appearance, recalling its victories in the 1930 and 1950 editions.

This will be their fifth consecutive appearance, as they haven't missed the top football competition since Germany 2006, when they lost the intercontinental playoff against Australia.

Colombia also secured its place in the 2026 World Cup with a 3-0 home win. They defeated Bolivia at the Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Stadium with goals from James Rodríguez, Jhon Córdoba, and Juan Fernando Quintero. In fact, that goal made James his country's top scorer in South American qualifying with 14 goals, surpassing Radamel Falcao García.

For Colombia, this will be only its seventh appearance in the FIFA World Cup, a journey that began in Chile 1962 and most recently ended in Russia 2018. The coffee growers failed to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Paraguay finally secured the sixth CONMEBOL spot for 2026 after drawing 0-0 with Ecuador at the Defensores del Chaco stadium. Although they didn't win, the Paraguayan team reached 25 points, which Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru cannot surpass (Chile was eliminated in this round).

The Paraguayans celebrated this draw with great enthusiasm, as they hadn't qualified for a World Cup since South Africa 2010. After 16 years, they will be back with their ninth participation.

Paraguay was among the invited guests to the first World Cup in history, in 1930, but reached its peak in 2010, when it advanced to the quarterfinals. That is its best record, although until today it had also been its last record in the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup will be unprecedented, with 48 participants. This allowed all confederations to increase their number of spots. In the case of CONMEBOL, it received its direct tickets and one for the intercontinental playoff.

This Thursday, the 17th of 18 matches in the South American qualifiers concluded. Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador arrived with their tickets secured, while Chile, on the other hand, no longer has any chance of qualifying.

But Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay took advantage of the opportunity to secure their tickets, which will allow them to play the final round of qualifying without any major concerns.

The only thing left to be decided in CONMEBOL, specifically for Matchday 18 (Tuesday, September 9), is which team will participate in the intercontinental playoff in March 2026, along with one from Oceania, one from Africa, one from Asia, and two from the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CONCACAF).

Mathematically, there are only two options left: Venezuela and Bolivia. The Venezuelans are the ones who hold the ticket.

If Venezuela defeats Colombia at home, it will secure a spot in the playoffs. If it draws or loses, it will have to hope Bolivia doesn't beat Brazil. Otherwise, Bolivia will advance to the intercontinental playoff.

Venezuela has never qualified for a World Cup, while Bolivia's last appearance was at the 1994 United States Cup. In any case, reaching the playoffs doesn't guarantee anything, as they will have to compete against five other teams for two spots.

South America's table for the 2026 World Cup

1. Argentina – 38 points (QUALIFIED)

2. Brazil – 28 points (QUALIFIED)

3. Uruguay – 27 points (QUALIFIED)

4. Ecuador – 26 points (QUALIFIED)

5. Colombia – 25 points (QUALIFIED)

6. Paraguay – 25 points (QUALIFIED)

7. Venezuela – 18 points (can still go to the intercontinental playoff)

8. Bolivia - 17 points (can still go to the intercontinental playoff)

9. Peru – 12 points (ELIMINATED)

10. Chile – 10 points (ELIMINATED)

*The last matchday will be played on Tuesday, September 9th

HOW MANY TEAMS HAVE ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP?

1. Mexico (host)

2. United States (host)

3. Canada (host)

4. Japan

5. New Zealand

6. Iran

7. Argentina

8. Uzbekistan

9. South Korea

10. Jordan

11. Australia

12. Brazil

13. Ecuador

14. Uruguay

15. Colombia

16. Paraguay

*The 2026 World Cup will have 48 participants. There are 32 teams yet to be determined.