2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7 September 2023 – September 2025 |
| Teams | 10 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 55 (1.83 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,276,150 (42,538 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Darwin Núñez(5 goals) |
The South American section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico 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 are available for CONMEBOL teams.[1][2]
CONMEBOL is 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]
Contents
Format
On 22 August 2022, the CONMEBOL sent a request to FIFA asking to keep the current qualification format that has 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 will remain the same as in previous editions, despite the increase of slots available to CONMEBOL teams. The ten teams play in a league of home-and-away round-robin format.[15]
Prior to the commencement of the qualification competition, Ecuador were deducted 3 points for falsifying birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.[16]
Schedule
The qualifying matches are being held in a total of 18 matchdays on dates that fall within the FIFA International Match Calendar.[17] The match schedule is the same that was used in the previous edition of the competition. Six matchdays will be played in 2023, six in 2024 and also six in 2025.[15]
|
|
|
Entrants
All 10 national teams from CONMEBOL entered qualification.
| Team | FIFA World Rankings as at July 2023[24] |
|---|---|
 Argentina |
1 |
 Brazil |
3 |
| Uruguay |
16 |
 Colombia |
17 |
 Peru |
21 |
 Chile |
32 |
 Ecuador |
40 |
 Paraguay |
49 |
 Venezuela |
57 |
 Bolivia |
83 |
Standings
Template:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONMEBOL table
Matches
Matchday 1
| Colombia |
1–0 | Venezuela |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
|
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 43,084 Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil) |
Matchday 2
| Chile |
0–0 | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
|
Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago
Attendance: 22,153 Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela) |
Matchday 3
Matchday 4
Matchday 5
| Colombia |
2–1 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
|
|
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 44,604 Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay) |
| Chile |
0–0 | Paraguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
|
Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago
Attendance: 30,076 Referee: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina) |
Matchday 6
Matchday 7
Matchday 8
Matchday 9
Matchday 10
Matchday 11
Matchday 12
Matchday 13
Matchday 14
Matchday 15
Matchday 16
Matchday 17
Matchday 18
Inter-confederation play-offs
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The seventh-placed team will join one team each from AFC, CAF, and OFC and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the 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 World Cup in United States, Canada, and Mexico.[27]
Goalscorers
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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.[25][26]
- ↑ 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.[25][26]
References
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