After eight rounds of matches in CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying, the race to reach the finals being held across the USA, Mexico and Canada is getting seriously competitive.
Some of South America's finest have shown their class with most of the usual suspects performing well, but the big story so far is the struggles of Brazil, for whom a first ever unsuccessful qualifying campaign is still a real possibility.
The two usual whipping boys in Bolivia and Venezuela are also proving more competitive than in recent campaigns, with the latter aiming to reach the finals for the first time.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the current state of play in South America, looking at the standings, some of the most notable results so far, and a look ahead to October's most important matches.
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings
1. Argentina - 18pts (P8 W6 D0 L2 GD+8)
2. Colombia - 16pts (P8 W4 D4 L0 GD+4)
3. Uruguay - 15pts (P8 W4 D3 L1 GD+8)
4. Ecuador - 11pts (P8 W4 D2 L2 GD+2)
5. Brazil - 10pts (P8 W3 D1 L4 GD+1)
6. Venezuela - 10pts (P8 W2 D4 L2 GD-1)
7. Paraguay - 9pts (P8 W2 D3 L3 GD-1)
8. Bolivia - 9pts (P8 W3 D0 L5 GD-5)
9. Chile - 5pts (P8 W1 D2 L5 GD-8)
10. Peru - 3pts (P8 W0 D3 L5 GD-8)
UPCOMING FIXTURES
(all kickoffs in UK time)
Bolivia vs. Colombia (10 October, 9pm | El Alto)
Venezuela vs. Argentina (10 October, 10pm | Maturin)
Ecuador vs. Paraguay (10 October, 10pm | Quito)
Chile vs. Brazil (11 October, 1am | Santiago)
Peru vs. Uruguay (12 October, 2:30am | Lima)
Colombia vs. Chile (15 October, 9:30pm | Barranquilla)
Paraguay vs. Venezuela (16 October, 12am | Asuncion)
Uruguay vs. Ecuador (16 October, 12:30am | Montevideo)
Argentina vs. Bolivia (16 October, 1am | Buenos Aires)
Brazil vs. Peru (16 October, 1:45am | Brasilia)
The story of CONMEBOL qualifying so far
© Imago
There is only one place to start and that is with Brazil, who continue to struggle after a few difficult years for the world's most famous national team.
The five-time World Cup winners face the incredible prospect of missing out on the finals for the first time after a very disappointing start, so the Selecao will be glad the expansion to a 48-team finals means two additional automatic qualification spots have been granted to CONMEBOL.
Brazil are currently in the top six, enough to see them progress, but they are just one point above Bolivia in eighth, which would see them miss out, even on the playoffs.
With two kind fixtures against Chile and Peru, the bottom two in the standings, this month, Brazil will either be breathing more easily or Dorival Junior could be out of a job by the end of the week.
There has been little to worry about in the Argentina camp, who managed to fit in another Copa America win in the middle of this qualifying campaign, which sees them top of the standings with six wins from eight.
Lionel Scaloni's men did lose their previous qualifier to Colombia last month though, and also suffered defeat to Uruguay late last year, and it is those two countries that join them in the top three, both looking set to qualify after strong starts of their own.
© Imago
Colombia's win over the Albiceleste strengthens their chances of reaching the finals after missing out on Qatar 2022, as Nestor Lorenzo's in-form side are now seven points clear inside the auto-qualifying spots, and 30 games unbeaten within 90 minutes.
There is much excitement around Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay team, and even though they recorded two uncharacteristic 0-0 draws last month, they are still in a strong position just one point behind Colombia.
Arguably the biggest overachievers so far are Ecuador, who have put a three-point deduction behind them and got on with the job, currently sitting above Brazil, having technically won 14 points from a possible 24, without the punishment applied.
Ecuador appear good value to progress, but it is astonishingly tight just below them, with only two points separating five nations at present.
At their 15th attempt, could this be the time where Venezuela finally reach the finals for the first time?
© Imago
Historically CONMEBOL's weakest nation, Venezuela currently occupy the final automatic qualifying spot despite a 4-0 defeat in Bolivia's new high-altitude arena last month, and it gets tougher with clashes against Argentina and away to Paraguay this month.
Paraguay and Bolivia will be the nations looking to take advantage of Venezuela's very tricky upcoming outing, with the two countries hoping to end long waits for a return to the big stage.
It will be 16 years since Paraguay became a neutral's favourite at the 2010 World Cup, while Bolivia's last appearance came in 1994 - ironically the last time it was held in the USA.
The two teams are taking a very different approach on the field, as only Argentina and Colombia have scored more than Bolivia, while nobody has scored fewer than Paraguay, but they both have nine points, and sit just outside the auto-qualifying places.
Slipping out of contention is Chile, who have had an absolutely torrid time since their back-to-back Copa America wins in 2015 and 2016.
La Roja have not reached the World Cup since 2014, exited the Copa America at the group stage over the summer, and have now lost three qualifiers in a row, sitting on just five points with the team in complete crisis after handing Bolivia their first away qualifying win in over three decades last month.
Chile's only victory in this campaign came against Peru, who look a shadow of the side that reached the 2018 finals in Russia, and only failed to reach Qatar after losing on penalties in an intercontinental playoff with Australia.
With just three points and two goals scored in eight qualifiers, Peru look destined to finish bottom, especially with Uruguay and a trip to Brazil on the calendar this month.
Key CONMEBOL qualifying results so far
© Imago
Brazil 1-1 Venezuela (October 2023, Matchday 3)
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Brazil's current precarious situation was a home draw with Venezuela, a team they had only failed to beat once in their history, while it also kick-started a good run of form for Venezuela, who may look back at the end of the campaign at the significance of that point if they are able to reach the finals for the first time.
Argentina 0-2 Uruguay (November 2023, Matchday 5)
The first indication that Bielsa's side could be a huge threat at the finals in 2026 should they qualify as expected, beating the World Champions on their home patch, moving them clear in the automatic qualifying positions.
Brazil 0-1 Argentina (November 2023, Matchday 6)
Brazil's campaign went from bad to worse as they suffered their first ever home World Cup qualifying defeat, and it was against their arch rivals, as Argentina recovered from that slip-up against Uruguay to keep a hold of top spot in the standings.
Bolivia 4-0 Venezuela (September 2024, Matchday 7)
This was Bolivia's first match at their new home ground in El Alto, at an even higher altitude than their previous infamous venue in La Paz, and the result against an in-form Venezuela side suggests any visiting team could have serious problems against Oscar Villegas's side, who are chasing a first qualification in 32 years.
Colombia 2-1 Argentina (September 2024, Matchday 8)
Argentina are still expected to qualify with a canter, but this result was huge for Colombia, who moved into second place, seven points clear in the auto-qualifying spots, and avenged their Copa America final loss from the summer.
Key CONMEBOL qualifying games in October
© Imago
Chile vs. Brazil (11 October, 1am)
In what would appear to many as a tricky encounter, Chile are nowhere near the force they were a few years ago, and did the unthinkable by losing at home to Bolivia last month, so Brazil have to ensure they take three points here and avoid any further embarrassment.
Venezuela vs. Argentina (10 October, 10pm)
Argentina are in a very strong position, so this will be a much bigger game for Venezuela who can now truly start believing this may be the time to end their wait for a World Cup finals appearance, and there would be no better team to make a statement against than the reigning world champions.
Uruguay vs. Ecuador (16 October, 12:30am)
Ecuador have sprung a few surprises in this section and would only be one point behind Uruguay in third without their points deduction, so after two 0-0 draws in September, La Celeste must ensure they get back on the winning trail soon, with those below them likely to start making up ground.
Brazil vs. Peru (16 October, 1:45am)
Simply put, a must-win game for Brazil and Dorival Junior against the continent's whipping boys so far, as the section will look much better for the Selecao if they end October's window sitting on 16 points.
