Argentina surprisingly loses to Paraguay, and it’s another setback for Brazil and Vinícius
The Argentina national team, World Cup champions, suffered a shocking 1-2 defeat to Paraguay in the 11th round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, Brazil stumbled into a draw against host Venezuela 1-1.
Argentina initially took the lead in the 11th minute with Lautaro Martínez’s goal, but Paraguay quickly responded in the 19th minute with Antonio Sanabria’s equalizer. Omar Alderete scored the decisive goal in the 47th minute.
Despite the loss, Argentina remains at the top of the standings with 22 points. However, Colombia, with 19 points, can close the gap when they face Uruguay (currently 4th place) on Saturday. Peru will also play Chile.
Paraguay’s victory gives them a crucial three points, moving them into 6th place with 16 points, just 4 points behind Venezuela (7th place), who currently occupy the playoff spot. The top six teams automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the seventh-place team enters a global playoff.
Brazil’s Latest Disappointment
Brazil suffered another setback, drawing 1-1 with Venezuela, with Vinicius Junior missing a penalty.
Rafinha gave Brazil the lead in the 43rd minute, but Venezuela responded quickly after the break, with Telasco Segovia scoring the equalizer in the 46th minute.
This result marked Brazil’s third consecutive match without a win, following victories over Peru (4-0) and Chile (2-1). Brazil remains in 3rd place with 17 points, 5 behind Argentina.
However Brazil’s current ranking is under pressure from Uruguay, who have 16 points and will play Colombia next. Venezuela, with 12 points, holds the 7th-place spot, which grants entry to the playoff stage.
The Brazilian national team started the match well, with Raphinha getting an early opportunity, but his shot from a back-pass by Vinícius went over the crossbar (9′). Then, Gerson followed up Raphinha’s attempt with a brilliant shot that was saved by Venezuela’s goalkeeper Rafael Romo, before Vinícius’ shot hit the post (22′).
However, Romo could only watch this time as Raphinha, who has been in excellent form recently with Barcelona, curled a wonderful free-kick that bounced off the post and into the net (43′), making him Brazil’s top scorer in the qualifiers with four goals.
Venezuela responded quickly in the second half when Telasco Segovia equalized with a powerful shot from the edge of the box (46′).
Brazil had a golden opportunity to regain the lead, but Vinícius Jr. missed a penalty after a foul on him by goalkeeper Romo, following a VAR review (60′).
Despite several attempts, the visitors failed to threaten the Venezuelan goal in the final third of the match, and Venezuela was pleased to come away with a valuable point, especially after their player Nicolás González was sent off a minute before the end of regular time (89′). It was another disappointing night for Vinícius with his national team.
Ecuador secured a crucial 4-0 victory over Bolivia, with Gonzalo Plata scoring twice.
The match started with experienced striker Enner Valencia converting a penalty in the 26th minute, followed by Plata’s brace (28′, 49′) and a final goal by Alan Minda in the 61st minute.
Ecuador now has 16 points and continues to solidify its position in the World Cup qualification race, despite ongoing controversy over the false birth certificates of Byron Castillo in a previous round of qualifiers.
