Brazil and Argentina Fail to Qualify for 2026 World Cup

In the latest 2026 World Cup qualifying rounds, both Brazil and Argentina faced defeats. Brazil succumbed to their fourth loss in five games, with a 1-0 defeat against Paraguay. Diego Gomez, playing for Inter Miami, netted the winner for Paraguay in Asuncion after 20 minutes, while Brazil struggled with no shots on target in the first half. This is prepared by SSP.

The Brazilian side featured key players such as Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, and West Ham playmaker Lucas Paqueta. The Real Madrid trio of Rodrygo, Endrick, and Vinicius Jr also started but could not avert the loss. Brazil, currently managed by Dorival Jr who was appointed in January, now sits fifth in the standings with three wins in eight games.

Argentina, reigning World Cup champions, were beaten 2-1 by Colombia. Colombia's victory was highlighted by former Real Madrid and Everton midfielder James Rodriguez, who scored the winning penalty. Rodriguez also assisted Wolves' Yerson Mosquera for the opening goal in the 25th minute. Argentina's Nicolas Gonzalez equalized shortly after halftime, but Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz won the decisive penalty for Colombia. Argentina played without Lionel Messi, currently with Inter Miami, and dropped points yet remained top of the South American qualifying table with a two-point lead over Colombia.

Elsewhere in South American qualifiers, Manuel Ugarte from Manchester United made his debut for Uruguay in their 0-0 draw with Venezuela.

In Asian qualifiers, Australia ended in a 0-0 draw against Indonesia and previously lost 1-0 to Bahrain. Japan, in the same group as Australia, defeated Bahrain 5-0 with Premier League stars Wataru Endo of Liverpool, Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton, and Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace contributing significantly. Meanwhile, South Korea, led by Tottenham’s captain Son Heung-min and Wolves' forward Hwang Hee-chan, celebrated their first win, beating Oman 3-1.

The top six teams from the South American qualifiers will automatically secure a spot in the World Cup after 18 rounds, which will conclude in September 2025, while the seventh-placed team will enter an intercontinental playoff.