Chasing the play-off spot, Venezuela host Colombia tonight | OneFootball

The Venezuelan national team will host Colombia this Tuesday in search of qualifying for the intercontinental playoff, as part of the final matchday of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The match will take place at the Municipal Stadium in Maturín starting at 8:30 p.m., with Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio officiating. The broadcast will be handled by DSports.

The team led by Argentine coach Fernando Batista is coming off a 3-0 defeat to Argentina last Thursday, during the penultimate round of the South American Qualifiers. 'La Vinotinto' is experiencing a unique moment, as they are currently in seventh place, qualifying for the intercontinental playoff for next year’s World Cup, which could mark Venezuela’s first-ever appearance at the tournament.

To secure their spot in a historic intercontinental playoff, Batista’s team must beat Colombia or hope that Bolivia does not win against Brazil at home.

Regarding the defeat at the Monumental Stadium last Thursday, the Argentine coach is not expected to make any changes for this crucial match against Colombia.

For their part, the team led by Argentine Néstor Lorenzo is coming off a 3-0 home win over Bolivia in the penultimate round of the South American Qualifiers. With this result, Colombia reached fifth place with 25 points and secured their spot in the next World Cup.

For this match against Venezuela, the coach is expected to make two changes: at right back, Daniel Muñoz would come in for Santiago Arias, and up front, Luis Javier Suárez would take the place of Jhon Córdoba.

These are the probable lineups and other details of the match

South American Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada – Matchday 18

Venezuela – Colombia

Stadium: Municipal, Maturín, Venezuela.

Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Time: 8:30 p.m.          TV: DSports

Venezuela: Rafael Romo; Jon Aramburu, Nahuel Ferraresi, Wilker Ángel, Christian Makoun, Miguel Navarro; Tomás Rincón, Cristian Cásseres; Eduardo Bello, Jefferson Savarino, and Salomón Rondón. Coach: Fernando Batista.

Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Dávinson Sánchez, Jhon Lucumí, Johan Mojica; Jefferson Lerma, Richard Ríos, Jhon Arias; James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz, and Luis Javier Suárez. Coach: Néstor Lorenzo.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.