CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers for 2025

International soccer activities have ended in 2024, with no official games scheduled until March 2025. In South America, two-thirds of the CONMEBOL 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have been completed, with all remaining matches completed after the last two international matches were suspended. It was decided in the last six games.

Thanks to some surprising results over the past week, there has been some big movement in the standings. No team has yet mathematically qualified for the next WC, but here’s how things stand for the 12 games of CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers.

There was a lot of doom and gloom in the air after Argentina lost to Paraguay in the first match of the international break. However, the home win against Peru, combined with the results from other games, has left La Albiceleste five points clear at the top of the table, two points higher than before the start of the suspension period. Despite the noticeable drop in form, Lionel Scaloni’s side will be able to finish another successful year, knowing that qualification is only a matter of time.

Uruguay has gained four points from their last two games, returning them to second place in the standings. Marcelo Bielsa’s side overtook the Copa America 2024 runners-up with a heartbreaking stoppage-time victory over Colombia in one of the best international matches of recent times. The second match against Brazil was a draw, a solid performance against two of South America’s top teams.

Ecuador continues to impress, with a new generation of players led by legend Enel Valencia currently cementing their place as one of South America’s best teams. Sebastian Beccasese’s side finished the year with six points from games against Bolivia and Colombia, moving them from fifth to third place.

It was a tough two games for the Colombian team, who entered the suspension period hoping to surpass Argentina in first place. The consecutive losses left Los Cafeteros in fourth place, overtaken by Uruguay and Ecuador.

Uruguay’s loss in stoppage time to Montevideo was shocking. But it’s even more painful that they can’t pick up at least a point at home against an Ecuadorian team that played for an hour with 10 men. The players’ frustration was evident in Aston Villa striker John Duran’s tense exchange with reporters after the defeat.

Brazil continues to be unsatisfied with its style of play and the performance of its star players. After consecutive 1-1 draws with Venezuela and Uruguay, they entered the new year in fifth place, seven points behind arch-rival Argentina. La Selecao do not resemble the teams of old that dominated the sport, their star players are not performing as well as they did at the club, but overall they are less talented than their predecessors. It’s a team.

Brazil is very likely to remain in the race for direct qualification. However, if Conmebol’s attendance had not increased for the next World Cup, Brazil would currently be in the qualification spot. Evidence continues to mount that the five-time WC champions are no longer the team that inspires fear in South America and around the world.

Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile and Peru will play a competitive final six games with the aim of earning a seventh-place finish and a play-in game.

Bolivia currently holds that position, but there are still 18 points remaining, with only six points separating the four nations. They are four points behind sixth-placed Paraguay, and there appears to be a clear difference in quality between the top six teams and the bottom four.

The stage is set for a dramatic race to determine which countries will compete against teams from other continents for a ticket to the World Cup.

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