One of the most eventful rounds in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers had just transpired. CONMEBOL is arguably the most talented football region in the world, and they showcased it in this round of the qualifiers.
After today, Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia have emerged as the top-three nations in the CONMEBOL standings, and coincidentally, they headline this SBOTOP wrap-up.
Football is the most popular sport in the world, so it is expected to have the most passionate fans of all sports. Who could blame them? It’s called the beautiful game, after all. But unfortunately, sometimes passion takes over sound judgment, and if you saw what happened in Rio de Janeiro today, you would understand why that would be a bad thing.
Argentina have the last laugh
Argentina were quick to bounce back from a stunning defeat against Uruguay. It was a clash between two South American giants as the Argentines visited Maracanã Stadium to face off against Brazil.
Football is coined as the beautiful game, but there wasn’t anything beautiful about what transpired minutes before kickoff. The rivalry between the two sides is well known. Emotions got the better of the fans in attendance at Maracanã Stadium, as they started clashing and rioting against one another.
When the scene started to get uglier and uglier, police started to boast their presence in hopes of subduing the fray, but they didn’t seem to do a good job given that they started to get involved in the riot not as peacekeepers but as insurgents.
The local law enforcement officers, who were dressed in full riot gear, were seen attacking and beating Argentina fans to the ground with batons. This might be the most disappointing World Cup 2026 news to date. Multiple fans suffered severe injuries from the riot, which caused Argentina captain Leo Messi to lead his team off the pitch.
“We’re not playing, we’re leaving,” Messi appeared to say as he walks off the pitch with his teammates. The clash delayed the game for about 30 minutes as the Argentine players re-emerged onto the field with heavy hearts and fiery spirits.
It was a very competitive matchup, as both teams were toe to toe in possessions, passes, and even shots at the goal. Besides battling for control and pace, nothing much happened in the first half. First blood was struck in the 63rd minute, when Nicolas Otamendi scored the first and only goal of the match.
When the smoke cleared, it was Argentina who got the last laugh as they handed Brazil their first World Cup qualifier defeat at home. And with this win, Messi and the rest of the Argentines remain in the top spot in the CONMEBOL standings.
Uruguay get the job done
Marcelo Bielsa’s squad took care of business when they hosted Bolivia at Estadio Centenario. Uruguay, who were coming into the match with a statement victory over Argentina, demolished helpless Bolivia in a 3-0 clean sheet victory.
The home team was the World Cup 2026 odds favourite for this match, and they certainly showed why. Uruguay dominated in all facets of the game, and they did it in spectacular fashion. The main catalyst for their victory is the brilliance of Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez.
Not only did Núñez score the goal that closed the door for Argentina during their last match, he also had his footprints all over Bolivia today as he scored one goal in each half against Bolivia today.
Uruguay had multiple convincing chances, and multiple players had a crack at the goal, but it was the Liverpool star who was successful in finding the back of the net. The first goal was created from an athletic cross by right winger Facundo Pellistri, which was accurately delivered to a cutting Núñez.
The 24-year-old calmly struck it past the Bolivian keeper to give the Uruguayans a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, a Bolivia own goal quickly doubled Uruguay’s advantage to 2-0. It was all the same in the second half, as Núñez picked up where he left off and delivered another goal to close out their opponents.
The Liverpool striker closed the door shut on Bolivia with a close-range header at the 70-minute mark, giving his team the 3-0 lead.
This win cements Uruguay as one of the top-three teams in the CONMEBOL standings with 13 points, while Bolivia quickly came back to Earth after winning their first match in the qualifying. The Bolivians stay in the ninth spot at the table with three points and will continue to aim for better results as they face Venezuela next week.
Colombia in the top three
After three draws in a row, Colombia went back to their winning ways, as they now ride on a two-game winning streak with their victory over Paraguay at Estadio Defensores del Chaco.
David Ospina and the rest of the Colombians bagged much-needed away game points in Paraguay thanks to a Rafael Santos Borré penalty kick. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward scored the only goal of the match in the 11th minute of play.
It was a competitive bout, as both teams looked pretty evenly matched. It was an action-packed game as both squads took turns controlling the midfield and made threatening advances at the goal.
Colombia now sit in the third spot of the table with 12 points, just one point behind Uruguay. Meanwhile, with this loss, Paraguay find themselves in the 7th spot in the standings, just outside direct qualification. Daniel Garnero’s squad needs to get quick points to place themselves safely in the top six, but it will be a difficult road ahead of them.
Arguably, Paraguay might have the toughest slate in the next five matches in CONMEBOL. They will face Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina in that order. Garnero’s team will basically face the top-five teams in the region in their next five matches.
It will be a tall order, but Paraguay are resilient and are very capable of making a late push in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
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