Brazil and Ecuador have secured their places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the second and third South American nations to qualify, following Argentina’s earlier confirmation in March.
Brazil clinched a 1–0 victory over Paraguay, while Ecuador held Peru to a goalless draw. Both teams now sit on 25 points with two matches remaining beyond the reach of seventh-placed Venezuela.
Uruguay (24 points), Paraguay (24), and Colombia (22) currently occupy the remaining three automatic qualifying spots, with the final two rounds set for September.
Venezuela (18 points) still have a chance to claim the inter-confederation play-off spot reserved for the seventh-place finisher.
In São Paulo, Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior scored the decisive goal on the stroke of half-time, handing Brazil a vital win on home soil and marking a successful debut for new manager Carlo Ancelotti.
“I’m very happy with today’s result. We needed to win at home for our fans and secure World Cup qualification, which was our objective,” said Vinícius. “Now [Ancelotti] will have more time to work and see what can be improved. It wasn’t our best performance, but in qualifying, the key thing is to win and prepare well.”
The five-time world champions extended their remarkable record as the only nation to appear in every World Cup. The 2026 edition, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will mark Brazil’s 23rd tournament appearance.
Ecuador booked back-to-back World Cup appearances by earning a hard-fought draw in Lima, despite playing the final 20 minutes with ten men following Alan Franco’s dismissal for a second yellow card. The result effectively ends Peru’s hopes of qualifying, as they remain on 12 points six behind Venezuela.
Earlier on Tuesday, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with a 2–0 home win over Venezuela at the Estadio Centenario, snapping a four-match winless run in the qualifiers.
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Rodrigo Aguirre opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a header from Maxi Araujo’s corner, while Giorgian De Arrascaeta doubled the lead shortly after the break with a stunning shot into the top-left corner. The result ensures at least a play-off place for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who now require just one point from their remaining fixtures against Peru and Chile to guarantee qualification.
Elsewhere, Argentina needed a late equaliser from Thiago Almada to salvage a 1–1 draw with Colombia, cancelling out Luis Díaz’s opener and avoiding back-to-back defeats to Néstor Lorenzo’s men.
Meanwhile, Chile’s hopes of qualifying were extinguished by a 2–0 defeat to Bolivia. Following the loss, Chile’s head coach Ricardo Gareca announced his resignation.
