In the most recent World Cup 2026 qualifiers match, Argentina was defeated 2-1 by Colombia, while Brazil, who played with Neymar, lost 1-0 to Paraguay, their fourth loss in five games.
Brazil’s starting lineup for the game included West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, Alisson, the goalkeeper for Liverpool, Bruno Guimaraes, the midfielder for Newcastle, and Rodrygo, Endrick, and Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid.
After 20 minutes, Diego Gomez of Inter Miami scored the game’s winning goal for Paraguay in Asuncion, while Brazil failed to muster a shot on goal during the first half.
With just three victories from eight games, the outcome places five-time world champions Brazil in fifth place in the qualifying table. Following his appointment in January, manager Dorival Jr.’s team was eliminated from the Copa America quarterfinals in the summer.
In the 25th minute in Barranquilla, Rayo Vallecano Rodriguez crossed for Yerson Mosquera of the Wolves, who scored the first goal with a header. Three minutes after the half, Nicolas Gonzalez pulled one back for Argentina, but a video assistant referee review later revealed that Nicolas Otamendi had fouled Daniel Munoz of Crystal Palace, leading to a penalty kick.
The 33-year-old Captain James Rodriguez, a former midfielder for Real Madrid and Everton, saved the day for Colombia by scoring the game-winning penalty in the 60th minute to defeat the defending world champions, Argentina. The loss shows the Argentines were missing Lionel Messi. After Colombia was defeated by Argentina in the Copa America finals two months prior, this served as payback.
After 18 rounds of matches that last until September 2025, the top six teams automatically advance. A team from another confederation will face the seventh-place team in an intercontinental play-off.
After eight matches played, Argentina currently leads the competition with 18 points, two points ahead of Colombia. Ecuador is in second place with 14 points, followed by Uruguay in third place with 15. Brazil now has 10 points, dropping them to fifth place. Argentina is still very much on track to qualify for the World Cup 2026, which the United States, Canada, and Mexico are co-hosting.
Image Credit: Selección Argentina via X
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