The 2026 World Cup qualifiers arrived this Tuesday, March 25 at their key phase with the five games of date 14, in which Argentina secured its classification, while in the lower part of the table the dispute continues for the repechage.
With a 4-1 win over Brazil, Argentina celebrated its classification to the 2026 World Cup, on a date 14 that saw Venezuela position itself as a new tenant of the repechage zone.
The world champions, who faced the double date of March without their captain and star, Lionel Messi – anusant for injury – played the game against their historic archirrival with the WELCOME TO NORTH AMERICA still fresh in the passport, thanks to 0-0 between Bolivia and Uruguay in El Alto (4,150 meters of altitude).
The Monumental Stadium of Buenos Aires, dyed celestial and white for about 85,000 souls, received the albiceleste at the rhythm of the emblematic Boys, now we excited ourselvesthe song that went viral by the Argentine fans during the 2022 World Cup.
And if the tribune celebrated in unison the early classification of the albiceleste to its nineteenth World Cup – with four dates still to be played in the year – on the grass, the men of Lionel Scaloni responded to each ovation with a very high quality football, causing the Brazil of Júnior to look much more discreet than usual.
The rest of the dance
The 0-0 against Bolivia, added to the defeat of Brazil, allowed Uruguay to become the new third of the Regional Premundial with 21 points, while the Canarinha descended a position and stayed with the same number of units.
“Today practically the only thing we achieved was that the first half was better than the second. We had many opportunities to create danger and we did not do it,” said the technical director of La Celeste, Marcelo Bielsa.
In Barranquilla, Paraguay traced a 2-0 and rescued a valuable 2-2 draw against Colombia, which does not win from its 4-0 win over Chile in October and accumulates three losses since then.
With this result, Gustavo Alfaro’s albirroja remains in the fifth position with 21 points and extended his undefeated to eight games – four victories and four draws – since the arrival of the Argentine coach last August.
“The team did not lose the idea beyond the result. We insisted until the end, although we were losing 2-0,” Alfaro told the press.
For Venezuela, who defeated Peru 1-0 in Maturín with a goal from Solomon Rondón (minute 41), date 14 represented an oasis in the middle of a nine-day panorama without winning, which caused his collapse until eighth place.
The three points return to the Vinotinto to the intercontinental repechage zone, with 15 units, while the Incas remain in the penultimate box with 10.
Position table
- Argentina | 31 points
- Ecuador | 23 points
- Uruguay | 21 points
- Brazil | 21 points
- Paraguay | 21 points
- Colombia | 20 points
- Venezuela | 15 points
- Bolivia | 14 points
- Peru | 10 points
- Chile | 10 points