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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
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The South American section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States for national teams who are members of CONMEBOL. A total of 6 direct slots in the final tournament and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot were available for CONMEBOL teams.[1][2]
CONMEBOL was the first confederation to begin its qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Paraguay–Peru being the first match of the global qualification process.[3][4]
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Format
On 22 August 2022, CONMEBOL sent a request to FIFA asking to keep the current qualification format that had been used since the 1998 World Cup qualification in South America.[5][6][7] This was confirmed, with the first games of the qualifiers tentatively to be played in March or June 2023.[8][9][10]
On 27 February 2023, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez announced that the qualifiers would start in September 2023,[11][12] which was ratified by the CONMEBOL Council in the run-up to the 73rd FIFA Congress held on 16 March in Kigali, Rwanda.[13][14]
The qualification structure remained the same as in previous editions (despite the increase of slots available to CONMEBOL teams), wherein each team played each other team twice in a home-and-away round-robin format.[15]
Prior to the commencement of the qualification competition, Ecuador were deducted 3 points for the use of a document containing false information for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.[16]
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Schedule
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The qualifying matches were held on a total of 18 matchdays on dates that fall within the FIFA International Match Calendar.[17] The match schedule was same that was used in the previous edition of the competition. Six matchdays were played in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025.[15]
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Entrants
All 10 national teams from CONMEBOL entered qualification.
Standings
- Ecuador were penalized 3 points for the use of false birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.[41]
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Matches
Matchday 1
Attendance: 43,084
Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Matchday 4
Matchday 5
Attendance: 44,604
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)
Attendance: 30,076
Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)
Matchday 6
Matchday 7
Matchday 8
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay)
Matchday 9
Attendance: 43,059
Referee: Darío Herrera (Argentina)
Matchday 10
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)
Matchday 11
Attendance: 30,758
Referee: Maximiliano Ramírez (Argentina)
Matchday 12
Attendance: 37,316
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (Uruguay)
Attendance: 31,906
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Matchday 13
Matchday 14
Attendance: 42,262
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Attendance: 38,996
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
Matchday 15
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)
Attendance: 43,933
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Matchday 16
Matchday 17
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Matchday 18
Referee: Maximiliano Ramírez (Argentina)
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Referee: Cristian Garay (Chile)
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Inter-confederation play-offs
The seventh-place team, Bolivia, will join DR Congo (from CAF), Iraq (from AFC), Jamaica and Suriname (both from CONCACAF), and New Caledonia (from OFC) in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The teams were ranked according to the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[55]
| Semi-final | Final | |||||
| 31 March 2026 – Zapopan | ||||||
 DR Congo | ||||||
| 26 March 2026 – Zapopan | ||||||
| Winner match 1 | ||||||
 New Caledonia | ||||||
 Jamaica | ||||||
| Semi-final | Final | |||||
| 31 March 2026 – Guadalupe | ||||||
 Iraq | ||||||
| 26 March 2026 – Guadalupe | ||||||
| Winner match 2 | ||||||
 Bolivia | ||||||
 Suriname | ||||||
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Qualified teams
Qualified for the World Cup
Can qualify
Failed to qualify
Not a CONMEBOL member
The following teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
- Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
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Goalscorers
There were 183 goals scored in 90 matches, for an average of 2.03 goals per match.
8 goals
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
Enzo Fernández- Nicolás González
- Alexis Mac Allister
Carmelo Algarañaz- Enzo Monteiro
- Ramiro Vaca
Luiz Henrique- Neymar
- Vinícius Júnior
Lucas Cepeda
Jhon Córdoba- Jhon Durán
- Juan Fernando Quintero
- Rafael Santos Borré
Gonzalo Plata- Félix Torres
Omar Alderete- Matías Galarza
Giorgian de Arrascaeta- Federico Valverde
Jefferson Savarino- Telasco Segovia
1 goal
- Paulo Dybala
- Giuliano Simeone
- Nicolás Tagliafico
- Víctor Ábrego
- Rodrigo Ramallo
- Ervin Vaca
- Henry Vaca
- Matheus Cunha
- Estêvão
- Gerson
- Bruno Guimarães
- Igor Jesus
- Gabriel Magalhães
- Marquinhos
- Gabriel Martinelli
- Lucas Paquetá
- Andreas Pereira
- Marcelino Núñez
- Diego Valdés
- Arturo Vidal
- Andrés Gómez
- Yerry Mina
- Yerson Mosquera
- Davinson Sánchez
- Luis Sinisterra
- Mateus Uribe
- Ángel Mena
- Alan Minda
- Kendry Páez
- Kevin Rodríguez
- Miguel Almirón
- Júnior Alonso
- Diego Gómez
Miguel Araujo- Alexander Callens
- Edison Flores
- Paolo Guerrero
- Andy Polo
- Yoshimar Yotún
- Ronald Araújo
- Agustín Canobbio
- Mathías Olivera
- Manuel Ugarte
- Federico Viñas
- Jon Aramburu
- Eduard Bello
- Jhonder Cádiz
- Darwin Machís
- Salomón Rondón
- Josef Martínez
- Yeferson Soteldo
1 own goal
- Gabriel Villamíl (against Uruguay)
- Héctor Cuéllar (against Venezuela)
- Davinson Sánchez (against Uruguay)
- Tomás Rincón (against Chile)
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Discipline
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A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following infractions:[56]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious infractions)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions are carried forward to further qualification rounds, but not the finals or any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during qualification:
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Notes
- The Bolivia v Ecuador match, originally scheduled at 16:00 local time,[21] was rescheduled to 19:00 local time by decision of the Bolivian Football Federation.[42][43]
- The Paraguay v Bolivia match, originally scheduled at Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este,[21] was rescheduled at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción by decision of the Paraguayan Football Association.[42][43]
- The Peru v Colombia match, originally scheduled to be played at Estadio Monumental, Lima,[25] was relocated to Estadio Nacional, Lima due to the possibility that the pitch at the Estadio Monumental would not be fit for the date of the match.[45][46]
- The Peru v Chile match, originally scheduled to be played at Estadio Nacional, Lima,[25] was relocated to Estadio Monumental, Lima due to security reasons concerning the APEC Peru 2024 meeting.[49][50]
- The Argentina v Peru match, originally scheduled to be played at Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires,[32] was relocated to La Bombonera, Buenos Aires due to the Estadio Monumental, which had previously been chosen to host the 2024 Copa Libertadores final, had to be reserved by CONMEBOL for preparations 15 days before the match.[51][52]
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References
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