Brazil Left Breathless by Bolivia Win | OneFootball

On the federation’s final match night for World Cup qualification, there were two upsets that proved even CONMEBOL is capable of producing some last minute drama.

Heading into Tuesday, the six qualifiers were locked in. But there was still an open question around the seventh place finisher. That nation will compete in the March 2026 inter-confederation playoffs. This special tournament, hosted in Mexico, will feature the six runner-up teams from all five confederations playing in three team brackets. The winner of each group goes to the World Cup.

Bolivia 1 – 0 Brazil

El Alto, Bolivia’s national stadium in La Paz, sits at over 13,000ft. Playing there is always challenging.

But if you believe Samir Xaud, head of the Brazil’s Football Federation, the team had more than altitude to contend with. “We played against the referees, the police and the ball boys.” Xaud claimed. He went on to accuse Bolivian police of being “horrible against the entire team, the entire coaching staff”, though he declined to provide specific details. It is true that towards the end of the match, there were numerous instances of balls being thrown onto the pitch. It’s also true that the referee granted a penalty to Bolivia in first half stoppage time. Miguel Terceros converted that for the game’s only goal. Does either act suggest a vast conspiracy to undermine Brazil? Or is it simply the case that Bolivia won?

Bolivia’s win, coupled with Venezuela’s loss to Colombia, propelled the nation into the coveted seventh spot and secured them a place in the inter-confederation playoffs. That’s quite the achievement for the lowest ranked team in CONMEBOL (they’re 83rd, 26 places below Venezuela).

Ecuador 1 – 0 Argentina

Let’s not read too much into this result. These two teams were already qualified; this match was a mere formality.

Of course, nobody told the players that. Lionel Messi did not play, but if he had he might have left the field on a stretcher. The first yellow card was issued in the 8th minute. Nicolás Otamendi was sent off in the 31st for a nasty challenge. There were four game delays to attend to injured players in the first half, and twelve fouls committed. The last one was in the box, kicked off a lengthy VAR review, and resulted in a penalty. When Enner Valencia converted it, the game was in the thirteenth minute of stoppage.

The second half was slightly less heated, though Moises Caicedo earned a second yellow and early trip to the locker room in the 51st minute. Both sides looked exhausted from the first half shenanigans, and despite fresh legs only two shots were fired off within the 45 minutes.

Venezuela 3 – 6 Colombia

There were three goals scored in the opening twelve minutes, and Venezuela had to feel good with a 2 – 1 lead. But Luis Suárez equalized three minutes before halftime. Not content with the one, Suárez proceeded to nab a hat-trick in seventeen minutes during the second half, putting the game outside any hope for recovery for the host team.

Other Results

CONMEBOL Qualifying Results

Source: Wikipedia