Domínguez backs South Americans: Only winners go through | OneFootball

The Paraguayan responded to criticism from the Old Continent regarding the number of spots Conmebol has for the World Cup and stated that this region is the cradle of the “best football in the world.”

The president of Conmebol, Alejandro Domínguez, defended the six spots and the playoff berth that the region received for the 2026 World Cup because this area is the cradle of the “best football in the world” and fired back at Europeans who made some criticisms: “They should worry more about themselves.”

“For me, that is justice because the best football in the world is played and born, or in any case, is born, played, and exported in South America,” said Domínguez at an event organized by the Paraguayan Football Association (APF) in the city of Ypané.

The official also stated that there are “friends in Europe,” without mentioning countries, who “are paying close attention” to what happens in South America, who, according to him, “complain because we are going to have 6.5 or 7 qualifiers.”

And then, after Paraguay’s return to the competition after 16 years, he elaborated: “I recommend that they not worry so much about South America, to those countries I recommend they worry more about themselves and win their matches, because only those who win qualify, just like the Albirroja team did.”

Additionally, the president maintained that it is “fair” for the 10 South American teams associated with Conmebol to go to the World Cup, arguing that those teams “will raise the level” of the competition.

It’s worth noting that Domínguez’s remarks come almost a month after Genaro Gattuso, the coach of Italy, fired shots at South America prior to the Azzurra’s 2-0 victory over Moldova, which was not enough to secure their ticket to the World Cup. “The South American group has 10 teams, six go directly to the World Cup and the seventh plays a playoff with the team from Oceania… That’s what’s unfortunate, we definitely need to review something,” said the former midfielder at the time.

The four-time world champions last played in a World Cup 11 years ago. In total, 54 national teams from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are fighting for 16 spots at the 2026 World Cup, 12 of them direct, and four through the playoffs.

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