Montevideo (AP) – Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay secured place in the next round of South American qualifying at the 2026 World Cup.
The Uruguayans and Colombians won 3-0 on Thursday, with the Paraguayans already having scoreless draws to advance to the global tournament along with the eligible Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador.
“It’s a great way to qualify. The team’s offensive play was strong, and there were many highlights in their individual performances,” Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa said.
Needing a victory in the final two rounds to advance, Peru is out of the fight following his defeat to Uruguay.
“It hurts to lose, it hurts because of the efforts the players put in, but today’s opponents outweigh us,” Peruvian coach Oscar Ibanez said.
James Rodriguez opened the score for Colombia in the 31st minute, with John Cordoba and Juan Fernando Quintero adding second-half goals to secure a victory in Bolivia.
The Colombians will return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This will mark the seventh appearance of the Columbia team at the World Cup. After debuting in Chile in 1962, Colombia appeared three times in a row between 1990 and 1998, repeating it in 2014 and 2018.
“This jersey has given me a lot and I’m grateful for everything I’m doing,” said James, who is aiming to play in his third World Cup. “I always give everything and I will keep things good for myself.”
World Cup champion Argentina remained overflowing at the top of South America’s standings, beating Venezuela 3-0 with two goals by Lionel Messi.
Also on Thursday, Brazil went up to second place in the rankings by beating Chile 3-0 on Thursday, with Estevan, Lucas Paketa and Bruno Guimarès scoring.
Estevan, 18, who played for Chelsea, scored his first goal for the national team on the 38th, with Paketa taking a strike on the 72nd, and Guimarès adding on the 76th.
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