Brazil, Argentina stumble as CONMEBOL's World Cup race heats up

It’s the end of yet another topsy-turvy round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers in South America.

Brazil coach Dorival Junior poured fuel on the fire by promising that his team would reach the 2026 World Cup final, before promptly losing 1-0 to Paraguay on Tuesday. Argentina, meanwhile, is transitioning from the Lionel Messi era and struggled in a 2-1 defeat to Colombia.

Those losses, combined with some surprise victories elsewhere, have ensured that the CONMEBOL table is looking mouth-wateringly tight across the board. Tim Vickery takes a look at the major talking points from the international window.

---

Brazil are miles away from living up to a bold promise

Perhaps it was the reaction of a man under pressure after last Friday night’s thoroughly undistinguished 1-0 win over Ecuador, but Brazil coach Dorival Junior abandoned his normally cautious profile in the build-up to round eight of South America’s marathon World Cup qualification campaign. He guaranteed that his team will be in the 2026 World Cup final — and then his team went out and showed just how much work he has in front of him if this is to come true. Brazil lost 1-0 to a Paraguay side that had managed just one goal in the previous seven rounds, and which Brazil hammered 4-1 in the recent Copa America.

And the problem, just as it was against Ecuador, just as it was in the Copa America matches against Colombia and Uruguay, is that the team is creating next to nothing. There is no collective groove. Bruno Guimarães is a symbol of an underperforming midfield, but much of the problem appears more structural than individual. The full-backs are not working as extra midfielders, helping in the build-up, or as auxiliary wingers, coming up with a supply of crosses.

And it is proving hard to play without a No. 9 — Brighton’s Joao Pedro improved matters slightly when he came on at half-time, giving the team some sort of platform. But the lack of collective connections is a huge worry, especially as Dorival Junior had a prolonged period with his players during the Copa America. He raved about the quality of the training sessions. None of this can be seen when it matters.

The good news is that next month Brazil play Chile and Peru — the bottom two teams in the table — and so they should be able to build up some momentum. In the meantime, there is a growing urgency to see a fit Neymar back on the field.

Argentina looking at life beyond Messi

Ángel Di María retired from international football after the Copa America and received a special tribute before last Thursday’s 3-0 win over Chile. And with Lionel Messi still recovering from injury, there was a youthful look about the Argentina attack over the course of these FIFA dates. Responsibility is passing to a new generation.

Julián Álvarez in the Messi role makes room for Lautaro Martínez to play at centre-forward. And extra responsibility has been handed to Nico Gonzalez on the left wing, a player who missed the World Cup through injury but whose versatility is highly rated by coach Lionel Scaloni.

This has worked reasonably well. Two late goals against Chile gave the scoreline an extra shine last week but Argentina, amid constant stoppages and in the searing afternoon heat of Barranquilla, were unable to come up with a second equaliser in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Colombia. There were some sweet passing movements linking the midfield to the attack but, in the absence of Messi and Di Maria, there was a lack of the kind of individual talent that can undress defences in one-on-one situations.

With Messi, regrettably, nearing the end, there is a need to develop this type of player to add extra variety to the team. This, then, is an important season for Alejandro Garnacho. The Manchester United winger came on for the last 15 minutes of the match against Chile and looked sharp, but was not used against Colombia even when Argentina were chasing the game. His club form will be monitored closely, and it will be interesting to see how much time he is given next month against Venezuela and Bolivia.

Suarez ends Uruguay career on strange note

In two ways, last week’s announcement from Luis Suárez that he was ending his international career came as something of a surprise.

Firstly, he left the scene in the middle of the FIFA date. He wanted to bow out in front of his own crowd in Montevideo, and so played last Friday at home to Paraguay — but then was not available for Tuesday’s visit to Venezuela.

Secondly, he opted to quit in Uruguay’s hour of need. Just a few days before his announcement, five players had been handed suspensions as a consequence of the confusion at the end of the Copa America semifinal, and the longest suspension (five games) was given to centre-forward Darwin Núñez. At that point it seemed to be the chance for Suarez to step up: He could fill the gap for those five matches and leave the scene in November.

So why did it not turn out like that? The obvious explanation is that the relationship with coach Marcelo Bielsa is not the best. Always in search of dynamism, Bielsa may well have informed Suarez that he would not be the automatic first choice, even in the absence of Nunez — and in that light Suarez may well have come to the conclusion that he was prepared to back up Nunez, but not anyone else. And so Suarez left on his own terms, in his own time.

This may not have been the best thing for Uruguay, whose greatly depleted team were held to two goalless draws. His absence was felt against Venezuela, and his presence may have been a hindrance at home to Paraguay. The quest for World Cup qualification points ended up being overshadowed by the farewell of Suarez, and it is possible that Bielsa felt under an obligation to play the veteran striker for the full 90 minutes. Suarez has given so much to the Uruguayan cause for so long, making this a strange way to bow out.

Colombia find something new

Colombia are the only unbeaten team in the field and accumulated four more points over the past few days with a draw away to Peru followed by a win over Argentina.

The James Rodríguez show continues, even though he has yet to take the field for Rayo Vallecano, his latest club. But his appreciation of space, his range of passing end, especially, his wonderfully struck free kicks remain vital to the cause.

But the big win for Colombia in these FIFA dates was the emergence of Jhon Durán. Goals have been a problem for Colombia — it was the reason they missed out on Qatar. Duran has been the great hope for a while, but the Aston Villa striker has cut a frustrating figure. He was so low down the pecking order that he only made a single substitute appearance in the Copa America.

But he has made a good start to the Premier League season and appears to have matured. His introduction saved the game against Peru, whose defence could not cope with him in the air. And, given a start against Argentina, he played a key role in the move that ended up with Colombia being awarded the decisive penalty.

The need to accommodate Rodriguez makes life difficult for the attacking partner of Luis Díaz. Against Argentina, Duran was often to be found working back down the right flank, keeping him far from goal and making things awkward for a left footed striker. But Duran has shown over the last few days that he could be the missing part of coach Nestor Lorenzo’s jigsaw. It was perhaps an act of immaturity to pick up a yellow card as he delayed leaving the field when he was substituted. It means he is suspended for the next game. However, he may have acted wisely in missing the trip to the dreaded altitude of Bolivia and should come roaring back a few days later at home to Chile.

The surprise winners

Only one team registered victories in both the last two rounds – and, astonishingly, that team was Bolivia. There is no big surprise in Bolivia winning at home. The extreme altitude of La Paz is a nightmare for unacclimatised visitors, and now Bolivia have made it even harder. Their usual base is a stadium some 3,600 metres above sea level.

Last Thursday they took Venezuela even higher, to the aptly named El Alto stadium near the airport, over 4,000 metres above the sea. The outcome was a 4-0 win, and a sense that Bolivia could make it to this expanded World Cup simply by concentrating on winning the home games. The first goal — with a 40-yard shot typical of altitude — came from Ramiro Vaca, who celebrated by removing his shirt, quite happy to pick up a yellow card and be suspended for Tuesday’s visit to Chile.

Bolivia had not won away from home in World Cup qualification for 31 years and 67 games. No one expected them to pick up even a draw against Chile. But their opponents, over-desperate to make sure of the three points, picked an unbalanced side. Chile were top-heavy and Bolivia made them pay, taking a 2-1 lead just before half-time and defending it grimly throughout the second half. The last time the World Cup was in North America was the last time that Bolivia qualified. These past few days have put them back in the race for a slot in 2026.