South American International Preview: Messi Era Ends As New Eras Begin After 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

The first international window since the 2026 World Cup is upon us, with all ten CONMEBOL sides set to take part. Many countries have opted to play their matches away from home, while some will remain in South America.

It promises to be an intriguing window, even though there is no competitive action. It gives managers a fresh opportunity to experiment with new ideas and players as preparations begin for the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.

Argentina

Lionel Scaloni and Argentina came very close to winning back-to-back World Cups after reaching the final. However, Spain were by far the better side in the final, and the fact that Argentina managed to take the game to extra time could perhaps be seen as a positive considering how significantly second best they were.

At the end of August, Lionel Messi announced that he would retire from international football. However, he is part of the squad for this window and will play his final international match for La Albiceleste when they take on Benin in Buenos Aires in the final game of the window.

Argentina will also face Bolivia and Burkina Faso, opting to play all three of their matches on home soil.

Scaloni’s squad features nine players who are in line to make their international debuts, while six domestic-based players have also been selected. Four come from River Plate, alongside one from Boca Juniors and one from Estudiantes, who recently progressed to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals.

Argentina Squad

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso, Santiago Beltrán

Defenders: Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Cristian Romero (captain), Lisandro Martínez, Juan Foyth, Facundo Medina, Leonardo Balerdi, Valentín Barco, Agustín Giay, Valentín Gómez, Tomás Palacios, Román Vega

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Exequiel Palacios, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz, Tobías Andrada, Equi Fernández, Santiago Simón

Forwards: Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Alvarez, Nicolás González, Giuliano Simeone, José Manuel López, Franco Mastantuono, Gianluca Prestianni, Santiago Castro, Leonel Flores, Matías Soulé

Argentina Fixtures

Argentina v Bolivia – 30/09/2026 – 21:00

Argentina v Burkina Faso – 03/10/2026 – 21:00

Argentina v Benin – 06/10/2026 – 21:00

Bolivia

After narrowly missing out on the 2026 World Cup following a 2-1 defeat to Iraq in the intercontinental play-off, Bolivia are yet to win a match. In their two friendlies since, they suffered consecutive 4-0 defeats against Scotland and Algeria.

Bolivia will play just two fixtures during this window, facing familiar South American opposition in Paraguay and Argentina. Their first match will take place in Washington, United States, before they travel to Córdoba to take on Argentina.

The squad features four players who could make their international debuts, all of whom currently play their club football in Bolivia. In total, ten domestic-based players have been selected, as well as a trio of CSKA 1948 players included.

There is also plenty of youth within the squad, with Damián Medina, José Flores, Rai Lima and Leonardo Viviani all under the age of 20 and hoping to get an opportunity during the window.

Bolivia Squad

Goalkeepers: Rodrigo Banegas, Guillermo Viscarra, Gerónimo Govea

Defenders: Damián Medina, Richet Gómez, Marcelo Torrez, Diego Medina, Efrain Morales, Diego Arroyo, Yomar Rocha, Roberto Fernández, Luis Haquín (captain)

Midfielders: Rai Lima, Jesús Maraude, Carlos Melgar, Robson Tomé, Miguel Terceros, Héctor Cuéllar, Gabriel Villamíl, Ramiro Vaca, Óscar López

Forwards: Leonardo Viviani, Guilmar Centella, José Flores, José Martines, Fernando Nava

Bolivia fixtures

Bolivia v Paraguay – 27/09/2026 – 21:30

Argentina v Bolivia – 30/09/2026 – 21:00

Brazil

There was a lot of anticipation about how Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil would do at the World Cup, and there was huge disappointment for Brazil following their exit in the round of 16 at the hands of Norway.

They begin this international window with a trio of interesting fixtures. They play Australia in Townsville and Brisbane, down under, before playing a historic fixture against India in Kolkata.

Ancelotti has picked eleven domestic-based players in his squad, including youngster Arthur Dias, who has been having a fantastic season at centre-half for Athletico Paranaense.

He has also opted not to pick the likes of Ederson, Alisson and Weverton in the goalkeeping position, who all have plenty of experience with the national team. Instead, he has gone for three younger goalkeepers in Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco and Otávio, who are all domestic-based players.

The captain of the side is veteran and experienced defender Marquinhos, who will be hoping to guide the new generation of young talent coming through.

It promises to be an intriguing and exciting window for Brazil, who have called up ten players who could make their international debuts. Some of those include Manchester City defender Vitor Reis, as well as Jair Cunha of Nottingham Forest.

The only other non-domestic-based player in line to make his debut is Mauro Júnior of PSV Eindhoven.

Brazil Squad

Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco, Otávio

Defenders: Arthur Dias, Matheuzinho, Vanderson, Marquinhos (captain), Mauro Júnior, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Vitor Reis, Jair

Midfielders: Danilo, Breno Bidon, Matheus Martinelli, Gabriel Bontempo, Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimarães, Andrey Santos

Forwards: Samuel Lino, Pedro, Raphinha, Endrick, Vinícius Júnior, Rayan, Estêvão

Brazil fixtures

Australia v Brazil – 25/09/2026 – 11:00

Australia v Brazil 29/09/2026 – 11:00

India v Brazil – 03/10/2026 – 15:00

Chile

La Roja will be hoping that they can improve massively on their displays over the previous years. They finished rock bottom of South American qualifying for the World Cup, with just two wins, five draws and eleven defeats.

They start this window with a match against Canada in Toronto, before facing the United States in St. Louis and Mexico in Los Angeles, giving themselves a mini tour of what could have been possible destinations had they reached the World Cup.

Their squad features ten domestic-based players, with the majority of them playing for Colo-Colo. There are four uncapped players in the squad, including 18-year-old forward Zidane Yáñez, who plays his club football with Huntsville City, an American side who play in the third tier of football in the US.

There are also four UK-based players in the squad, with Lawrence Vigouroux, Darío Osorio of Crystal Palace, Marcelino Núñez of Ipswich and Ben Brereton Díaz all included.

Chile Squad

Goalkeepers: Brayan Cortés, Lawrence Vigouroux, Christian Bravo

Defenders: Benjamín Kuscevic, Jonathan Villagra, Diego Ulloa, Iván Román, Francisco Salinas, Felipe Faúndez, Marcelo Morales, Thomas Coulombe, Gabriel Suazo (captain), Paulo Díaz

Midfielders: César Pérez, Matías Sepúlveda, Vicente Pizarro, Leandro Hernández, Felipe Méndez, Agustín Arce, Felipe Loyola, Rodrigo Echeverría, Jetzen Lopez, Nils Reichmuth, Marcelino Núñez

Forwards: Lucas Cepeda, Maximiliano Gutiérrez, Darío Osorio, Ben Brereton Díaz, Gonzalo Tapia, Zidane Yañez

Chile fixtures

Canada v Chile – 27/09/2026 – 00:00

USA v Chile – 30/09/2026 – 01:00

Mexico v Chile – 07/10/2026 – 00:00

Colombia

Colombia begin life without Juan Fernando Quintero and James Rodríguez, both of whom have hung up their international football boots. They will head to the United States to take on Mexico, as well as familiar opposition in Paraguay and Peru.

Colombia’s World Cup campaign saw them go unbeaten in normal time, only suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland in the round of 16.

It was a solid return for the Colombian side, who had missed out on the previous World Cup in Qatar.

Their squad features 11 players who are yet to be capped, including Kevin Viveros of Athletico Paranaense, who is having a fantastic season in Brazil. Also included are Camilo Durán of Celtic and Jhon Solís of Birmingham.

There are only two domestic-based players within the squad: Juan Manuel Rengifo and Samuel Velásquez, both of whom play their club football at Atlético Nacional.

One to keep an eye on is Vasco da Gama’s Andrés Gómez, who has been in fantastic form in the Brasileirão this season and is likely to be a key asset for Colombia going forward.

Colombia Squad

Goalkeepers: Álvaro Montero, Aldair Quintana, Kevin Mier

Defenders: Édier Ocampo, Samuel Velásquez, Jhon Lucumí, Álvaro Angulo, Royer Caicedo, Kevin Andrade, Daniel Muñoz, Davinson Sánchez

Midfielders: Jaminton Campaz, Kevin Castaño, Jhon Arias, Juan Manuel Rengifo, Gustavo Puerta, Daniel Arcila, Matías Orozco, Yáser Asprilla, Richard Ríos, Jhon Solís

Forwards: Kevin Viveros, Andrés Gómez, Óscar Perea, Luis Suárez, Camilo Durán

Colombia fixtures

Mexico v Colombia – 26/09/2026 – 21:00

Colombia v Paraguay – 03/10/2026 – 01:00

Colombia v Peru – 07/10/2026 – 00:45

Ecuador

Ecuador will play in some form of competitive action, as they will take part in the Kirin Cup, a friendly tournament which gives the window a bit of a competitive edge.

They will play South Korea in a friendly beforehand before taking on Japan, where the outcome of that match will see them play either New Zealand or Panama.

Ecuador have had a change in manager since the World Cup, bringing in Marcelo Gallardo, formerly of River Plate. He will be hoping that he can take Ecuador to the next level after their World Cup campaign saw them suffer a disappointing exit in the round of 16 at the Azteca in Mexico City.

Their squad features three domestic-based players, two from Independiente del Valle and one from LDU Quito. One of them is Deiner Ordóñez of Independiente del Valle, who is aged just 16.

He is one of only two players in the squad yet to be capped by Ecuador, with the other being Juan Riquelme Angulo, who recently joined Sunderland in the transfer window.

Ecuador Squad

Goalkeepers: Gonzalo Valle, Moisés Ramírez, Hernán Galíndez

Defenders: Deinner Ordóñez, Fricio Caicedo, Leonardo Realpe, José Hurtado, Jackson Porozo, Willian Pacho, Félix Torres, Pervis Estupiñán, Ángelo Preciado

Midfielders: Anthony Valencia, Denil Castillo, Jordy Alcívar, Alan Minda, Pedro Vite, Jeremy Sarmiento, John Yeboah, Gonzalo Plata, Alan Franco

Forwards: Juan Riquelme Angulo, Keny Arroyo, John Mercado, Nilson Angulo, Jordy Caicedo, Kevin Rodríguez

Ecuador Fixtures

South Korea v Ecuador – 24/09/2026 – 12:00

Japan v Ecuador – 01/10/2026 – 11:10

Panama/New Zealand v Ecuador – 05/10/2026

Paraguay

Paraguay will look to build towards a World Cup in which they will play a part in hosting the competition. Their 2026 World Cup campaign, their first since 2010, can certainly be seen as a positive one.

After suffering a heavy defeat to the United States, they bounced back with a victory over Turkey and a draw against Australia, before shocking Germany in a penalty shootout win. Their campaign eventually came to an end following a narrow defeat to France.

They will play just two matches during this international window, both in the United States and both against familiar South American opposition in Bolivia and Colombia.

Paraguay’s squad features five domestic-based players, as well as five uncapped players, including Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Enzo González, who has struggled with injury in recent years.

It is good to see him back and part of the squad after previously representing Paraguay at the Olympic Games in Paris, where he unfortunately picked up an injury.

Paraguay Squad

Goalkeepers: Gastón Olveira, Santiago Rojas, Orlando Gill

Defenders: Alexis Cañete, Clever Ferreira, Alexandro Maidana, José Canale, Alan Benítez, Juan Cáceres, Omar Alderete, Júnior Alonso, Gustavo Gómez (captain)

Midfielders: Enso González, Hugo Quintana, Hugo Cuenca, Maurício Magalhães, Matías Galarza, Diego Gómez, Ramón Sosa, Andrés Cubas, Mathías Villasanti, Miguel Almirón

Forwards: Hugo Benítez, Robert Morales, Gustavo Caballero, Álex Arce, Julio Enciso, Antonio Sanabria

Paraguay fixtures

Bolivia v Paraguay – 27/09/2026 – 21:30

Colombia v Paraguay – 03/10/2026 – 01:00

Peru

Peru missed out on the World Cup, instead playing friendlies in the United States and Mexico in warm-up matches against Haiti and Spain. They enjoyed a 2-1 victory over Haiti before suffering a 3-1 defeat to the eventual World Champions.

Peru will play four matches this time around, with games against the United States, Mexico, Canada and Colombia.

The squad features two potential debutants in Matías Córdova and Diego Romero, who are both goalkeepers. There is also a healthy contingent of domestic-based players, with 16 included in the squad in total.

Also featuring in the squad is Oliver Sonne of Burnley

Peru Squad

Uruguay

Uruguay begin life under Diego Forlán with a trip to Asia to take part in the Kirin Challenge Cup. They will play Japan and South Korea before taking on India in Kolkata.

Marcelo Bielsa’s World Cup campaign was a disaster before it even began, with Uruguay suffering a disappointing exit after draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, before a defeat to Spain.

Former player Forlán will be hoping that he can turn things around and get the Uruguayan national team fans and players back on board.

His first squad features three potential debutants in Thiago Cardozo, who plays for Belgrano in Argentina, Juan Rodríguez and Facundo Bernal.

José Giménez, who recently joined Deportivo La Coruña, is likely to make his 100th cap during this international window.

Uruguay’s World Cup squad didn’t feature any domestic-based players, and that is once again the case heading into this window, with none selected.

Uruguay Squad

Goalkeepers: Santiago Mele, Cristopher Fiermarin, Thiago Cardozo

Defenders: José María Giménez (captain), Mathías Olivera, Guillermo Varela, Ronald Araújo, Sebastián Cáceres, Joaquín Piquerez, Santiago Mouriño, Juan Rodríguez

Midfielders: Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde (vice-captain), Nahitan Nández, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Lucas Torreira, Maximiliano Araújo, Rodrigo Zalazar, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Facundo Bernal

Forwards: Darwin Núñez, Facundo Pellistri, Brian Rodríguez, Federico Viñas, Rodrigo Aguirre, Martín Satriano

Uruguay fixtures

Japan v Uruguay – 24/09/2026 – 11:05

South Korea v Uruguay  – 28/09/2026 – 12:00

India v Uruguay – 06/10/2026 – 14:30

Venezuela

Venezuela missed out on the World Cup, but played friendlies in the build-up against Turkey and Iraq, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Turkey before beating Iraq 2-0.

This will mark their first set of international fixtures since the tragedy of the earthquake in the country. They will take on Japan in the Kirin Challenge Cup, as well as South Korea and Jordan.

Their squad features eight uncapped players, including goalkeeper Frankarlos Benítez, who has been having a solid season between the sticks with Caracas. Benítez is one of six domestic-based players called up within the squad.

Kevin Kelsy of Rangers is also part of the squad.

Venezuela Squad

Goalkeepers: Frankarlos Benítez, Cristopher Varela, Joel Graterol, José Contreras

Defenders: Román Davis, Luis Balbo, Juan David Sánchez, Bianneider Tamayo, Andrusw Araujo, Jon Aramburu, Carlos Vivas, Delvin Alfonzo, Christian Makoun, Teo Quintero, Nahuel Ferraresi, Yordan Osorio

Midfielders: Marco Libra, Nicola Profeta, Sebastián Mendoza, Telasco Segovia, Wikelman Carmona, Daniel Pereira, Cristian Cásseres (captain), Yangel Herrera

Forwards: Yerwin Sulbarán, David Martínez, Kevin Kelsy, Ender Echenique, Jovanny Bolívar, Gleiker Mendoza, Bryan Castillo, Jesús Ramírez, Edson Tortolero, Jhonder Cádiz

Venezuela fixtures

Japan v Venezuela – 28/09/2026 – 11:25

South Korea v Venezuela 02/10/2026 – 12:00

Jordan v Venezuela – 06/10/2026 – 18:00