Defending champions Argentina and five-time champions Brazil concluded their South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers with defeats to Ecuador and Bolivia, respectively, on early Wednesday.
Enner Valencia’s goal from a spot late in the 1st half was enough to see hosts Ecuador silence Argentina, as both sides finished the match with 10 men after Argentina’s Nicholas Otamendi and Moises Caicedo were sent off for roughing.
It was a similar tale, as The Samba Boys were left licking wounds suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Bolivia, Miguelito scoring the all-important goal in the 4th minute of extra time through a penalty for the Bolivians.
Argentina, however, topped the CONMEBOL qualification on 38 points, 9 ahead of 2nd-placed Ecuador, while Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil tied on 28 points in 3rd, 4th and 5th positions, respectively.
CONMEBOL will be represented by 6 teams, while Bolivia will have to navigate through intercontinental playoffs in next summer’s FIFA World Cup.
The regions’ representatives for next year’s World Cup are Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Colombia.
