FIFA World Cup 2026 Archives

Brazil, Ecuador book FIFA World Cup 2026 berths

Brazil booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America on Tuesday with a lacklustre 1-0 home victory over Paraguay, the first win of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign.

The five-time world champions, the only team to appear in every edition of the World Cup, punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the United States of America (USA) and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr.

The Real Madrid star bundled home from close range in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha.

Uruguay’s 2-0 win over Venezuela in Montevideo had raised the prospect of qualification for both Brazil and Paraguay at Corinthians Arena.

Paraguay were left needing only a point to qualify, while Brazil knew they could advance with a win in Ancelotti’s second game in charge.

In the event, it was Brazil who seized the opportunity presented by Venezuela’s loss, with Vinicius scoring the only goal just before half-time.

Brazil had struggled to create many chances up until that point, with Cunha squandering a golden chance in the 35th minute after heading wide from point-blank range.

Cunha made up for it with a key part in the goal, capitalising on good work from Raphinha to dart into the box and whip in a low cross for Vinicius, who stabbed home the finish.

The win lifted Brazil into third place in the South American standings with 25 points from 16 games, guaranteeing them a top-six finish and an automatic qualifying berth.

The defeat leaves Paraguay with 24 points, meaning they need one point to secure their first World Cup appearance since 2010.

Surprise package Ecuador joined Brazil by sealing qualification with a point following a 0-0 draw with Peru in Lima.

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In other games, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with their win over Venezuela, while Chile were eliminated with a defeat to Bolivia.

Goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured all three points for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay to leave the two-time world champions firmly on course for a place in next year’s finals.

Like Paraguay, Uruguay need only a point from their final two games to qualify.

Venezuela, who are bidding to reach the World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history, are seventh with 18 points from 16 games.

Argentina, who have already qualified, meanwhile, came from behind to frustrate Colombia with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires.

Liverpool star Luis Diaz fired Colombia into the lead with a superb 24th-minute goal, and the Colombians were given a further boost midway through the second half when the world champions were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez’s dismissal.

But Colombia’s hopes of a vital win were dashed nine minutes from time when Thiago Almada weaved into the box and found the target to level.

The top six finishers in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the seventh-placed team advancing to an intercontinental playoff.

Bolivia defeated Chile 2-0 to end the former South American champions’ hopes of qualification.

It is the third straight World Cup that Chile have missed out on.

The loss continues a dramatic fall from grace for ‘La Roja’, who won back-to-back Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016.

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Uzbekistan, Jordan qualify for FIFA World Cup for first time

Uzbekistan and Jordan made history on Thursday by qualifying for their first FIFA World Cup, while the pair will be joined in the 2026 edition by perennial participants South Korea.

Uzbekistan, one of the fastest-rising national teams in Asia, drew 0-0 with the UAE in Abu Dhabi to take the second automatic spot in Group A, although top place is still in play after already qualified Iran lost 1-0 to Qatar in Doha.

Heading into the third round’s final set of fixtures on Tuesday, Iran sit at the summit, two points ahead of Uzbekistan.

The top two teams in each of the three Asian groups advance directly to the FIFA World Cup 2026, while those finishing third and fourth, the UAE and Qatar, secure those slots in Group A and enter a fourth round of qualifiers.

In Group B, South Korea confirmed their place in an 11th straight World Cup by defeating Iraq 2-0 in Basra.

The victory, sealed by second-half goals from Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu, means South Korea reclaim top spot from Jordan, whose 3-0 victory against Oman earlier on Thursday ultimately proved enough to secure their participation at the expanded 48-team showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II congratulated the team on social media.

“This historic qualification is well-deserved by our team, which includes stars and cadres of whom we are proud,” he wrote on X. “Special thanks go to our loyal fans who have been our support and encouragement.”

Ali Olwin netted a hat-trick as the 2023 Asian Cup runners-up etched their name in the record books.

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Iraq were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Ali Al Hamadi’s foul on Cho Yu-min was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review.

Iraq sit third in Group B, with Oman and Palestine still able to progress to the fourth round of qualifying. Palestine, who defeated Kuwait 2-0 in Ardhiya, host Oman on Tuesday, while Iraq face Jordan in Amman.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Australia will go head-to-head on Tuesday for the second automatic spot in Group C.

Australia remain in pole position following their last-gasp win against group leaders Japan in Perth.

Defender Aziz Behich was the home hero in front of more than 57,000 fans, rifling into the corner in the 90th minute to give Tony Popovic’s side a crucial 1-0 victory.

“We know there’s room to grow and room to improve, but we’ve done something special tonight,” said Popovic, who saw his team outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side.

Saudi Arabia ensured the race for second place will go down to the wire courtesy of a 2-0 win against Bahrain in Riffa.

Goals in either half from Musab Al Juwayr and Abdulrahman Al Obud saw Herve Renard’s men stay three points behind second-placed Australia.

However, the Saudis will have to win in Jeddah by five goals to leapfrog the Socceroos.

Also in Group C, Patrick Kluivert’s Indonesia kept alive their hopes of reaching a first World Cup since the country’s independence in 1945 with a 1-0 win over China. That leaves Indonesia fourth in the group, one point behind Saudi Arabia.

Ole Romeny scored the only goal, his controversial penalty just before half time following a VAR check leaving China rooted to the bottom of the group and thus ending their hopes of making a second World Cup.

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Saudi Arabia draw with Japan to keep World Cup 2026 hopes alive

Saudi Arabia battled to a 0-0 away draw with already-qualified Japan on Tuesday to keep their fading hopes of an automatic place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 alive.

The Saudis went into the game in Saitama in third place in Asian qualifying third round Group C, one point behind Australia.

The top two teams qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico, with those placing third and fourth going into another qualifying round.

Runaway group leaders Japan locked up their place last week, and the Saudis made sure they stayed in contention with two games remaining after a dogged defensive effort.

The Saudis travel to face Bahrain in June before they host what could be a decisive clash against Australia.

Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard was missing several players through injury but his team were coming into the game fresh from beating China 1-0 for their first win in five qualifiers.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu made six changes from the side that beat Bahrain 2-0 to clinch qualification, with winger Kaoru Mitoma, striker Ayase Ueda and midfielder Hidemasa Morita all ruled out with injury.

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Daizen Maeda started up front, and the Celtic man hit the post in the ninth minute as Japan took control from the kick-off.

Maeda had another chance 10 minutes later but could only shoot weakly after stumbling over the ball when clean through.

Muhannad Al Shanqiti headed over the bar soon after with the Saudis’ first attack of the game.

Takefusa Kubo, Japan’s man of the match against Bahrain, went close twice before half-time, before Maeda fluffed another effort shortly after the interval.

Moriyasu’s substitutions changed the game against Bahrain and he rolled the dice again, bringing on Junya Ito and Ritsu Doan shortly after the hour mark.

But Ito curled a shot over the bar with Japan’s best chance of the second half as the Saudis escaped with a point.

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Pakistan name squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers clash against Saudi Arabia

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Tuesday, named a 24-member squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers clash against Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan is set to take on Saudi Arabia at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on June 6.

The national team will have the services of former Manchester United youngster and Grimsby Town attacking midfielder Otis Khan, who will lead the team’s attack that features Mckael Abdullah, Imran Kayani, Fareed Ullah, Shayek Dost and Adeel Younas.

Notably, the captain and lead defender Easah Suliman was not named in the Pakistan squad as he is planning to perform Hajj.

Besides him, goalkeeper Adam Khan, who participated in the national team’s training camp, also failed to make a cut.

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For the unversed, Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G as they lost all four matches in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan had an unwanted start to their second-round campaign as they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia in November, followed by a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Tajikistan at Islamabad in the same month.

The national football team then lost to Jordan 3-0 in the home leg of the qualifiers at Jinnah Stadium before they were humbled 7-0 at the Amman International Stadium.

After Saudi Arabia, Pakistan next face Tajikistan in their final group match in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Goal Keepers: Yousuf Butt, Saqib Hanif, Hassan Ali

Defenders: Haseeb Khan, Mamoon Musa, Abdullah Iqbal, Abdul Rehman, Waqar Baloch, Omer Hayat, M. Saddam, M. Fazal

Midfielders: Rahis Nabi, Alamgir Ghazi, Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer Ul Hasan, Moin Ahmed, Ali Zafar

Forwards: Otis Khan, Mckael Abdullah, Imran Kayani, Fareed Ullah, Shayek Dost and Adeel Younas

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Argentina defeat Brazil 1-0 in FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 on Tuesday in an ill-tempered FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers clash marred by pre-match crowd trouble that forced kick-off to be delayed.

A 63rd-minute header from veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi secured victory for Argentina as the world champions bounced back from last week’s defeat to Uruguay to beat their bitter South American rivals.

The win at Rio’s iconic Maracana Stadium leaves Argentina on top of the South American qualifying standings with 15 points from six games.

Brazil’s third defeat of qualifying, meanwhile, leaves the five-time world champions in sixth place with seven points from six games.

Tempers had flared in the stands at the Maracana moments before kick-off, with Brazilian police seen using batons to drive back a block of Argentine fans at one end of the ground.

Several Argentina players went towards the disturbances in an apparent attempt to plead for calm, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez attempting to jump into the seating area at one stage to confront a baton-wielding Brazilian police officer.

Argentina’s players led by Lionel Messi then returned to their dressing room as the clashes continued, with Messi appearing to say: “We’re not playing, we’re leaving.”

The 2022 World Cup winners re-emerged onto the field shortly before 10 pm local time and the match kicked off shortly afterwards, roughly 30 minutes later than the scheduled start time.

The febrile pre-match atmosphere spilt onto the field when play finally got underway, with Brazi’s Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus being given a yellow card after just five minutes after clashing with Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul.

The tense nature of the contest continued throughout a poor first half, with neither side creating much in the way of goalscoring opportunities in a game littered with niggly fouls.

Brazil winger Raphinha was booked in the 14th minute for flinging an arm into the face of De Paul and was lucky not to receive a second yellow five minutes later after catching Alexis MacAllister with a wild studs-up challenge.

Brazil meanwhile failed to register a single shot — either on or off target — until a 38th-minute free-kick from Raphinha deflected wide for a corner.

The only shot on goal from either side in the entire first half came on 44 minutes when Brazil’s Gabriel Martinelli lashed a muffed clearance from Argentina goalkeeper Martinez back towards goal.

Martinelli’s shot was heading for the net but Argentina breathed a sigh of relief after defender Cristian Romero blocked the effort on the line.

Brazil started the second half more positively, with Raphinha having a shot blocked at the near post by Martinez after 54 minutes.

Martinez then rescued Argentina again, parrying Martinelli’s goal-bound shot after a good run by Gabriel.

But Brazil were rocked after Argentina took the lead on 63 minutes with their first attempt on target of the match.

Giovani Lo Celso swung in an inviting corner from the left and the 35-year-old Otamendi soared above Brazil midfielder Andre to head home for 1-0.

A miserable night for Brazil got worse in the 82nd minute when substitute Joelinton — who had only been on the field for 12 minutes — was sent off for an off-the-ball clash with De Paul.

READ: Pakistan hammered by Tajikistan in FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Messi brace helps Argentina stay perfect in World Cup 2026 qualifiers

Lionel Messi scored two goals as Argentina extended their perfect start to South American qualifiers for the World Cup 2026 on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over Peru.

The Inter Miami star took his international goal tally to 106 with strikes in the 32nd and 42nd minutes at Lima’s Estadio Nacional.

Messi’s first-half brace left reigning world champions Argentina on top of the South American qualifying table with 12 points from four games, five points clear of Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela, who all have seven points.

Restored to the starting line-up after coming off the bench in last Thursday’s 1-0 win over Paraguay, Messi showed no sign of the injuries that have recently limited his appearances in Major League Soccer.

The 36-year-old crashed home an emphatic opener just after the half-hour mark, then added a second 10 minutes later after good work by Enzo Fernandez down the left flank.

The win leaves Argentina firmly on track to return to the World Cup finals in 2026, which are being expanded to include 48 teams and will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The top six teams in South America’s 10-team qualifying competition will be guaranteed a place in the finals.

While Argentina continued their serene progress through qualifying, arch-rivals Brazil suffered a nightmare 2-0 defeat in Montevideo, crashing to a first loss against Uruguay in 22 years.

The defeat was compounded by the sight of veteran forward Neymar being stretchered off just before half-time with what appeared to be a knee injury.

Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez struck with a bullet header in 42 minutes to open the scoring in a dour first half at the Estadio Centenario.

The Liverpool striker then played a pivotal role in Uruguay’s second, holding up the ball well from a throw-in and cutting back for Nicolas de la Cruz to fire past Brazil goalkeeper Ederson on 77 minutes, sealing a 2-0 victory.

The win was Uruguay’s first over Brazil in a World Cup qualifying fixture since a 1-0 victory over the Selecao in Montevideo in July 2001.

The defeat marked another disappointing result for five-time world champions Brazil, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela last week in the previous round.

Brazilian team officials said Neymar would undergo examinations in Sao Paulo on Wednesday to assess the nature of his injury.

Venezuela meanwhile boosted their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time with an impressive 3-0 rout of Chile in Maturin.

Winger Yeferson Soteldo was the star for La Vinotinto, scoring the opening goal and setting up second-half goals for veteran strikers Salomon Rondon and Darwin Machis.

Soteldo opened the scoring in stoppage time at the end of the first half, stabbing a low-angled shot into the bottom corner to the delight of a raucous home crowd.

The Santos winger turned provider for Venezuela’s second, bursting down the left flank and cutting back for Rondon to sweep home from close range on 72 minutes.

Soteldo was also involved in Venezuela’s third, once again finding space on the left wing and crossing for an unmarked Machis to make it 3-0.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Paraguay got their first win of the qualifiers, defeating lowly Bolivia 1-0 in Asuncion with a 69th-minute strike from Antonio Sanabria.

Bolivia remain bottom of the standings while Paraguay are seventh with three points from four games.

In Quito meanwhile, Colombia maintained their unbeaten start to qualifiers with a 0-0 draw away to Ecuador.

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History makers Morocco to begin World Cup qualifying against Eritrea

World Cup history makers Morocco will host minnows Eritrea — 181 places lower in the FIFA rankings — in the World Cup Qualifiers when they start their quest for a place at the 2026 tournament.

The first two of 10 matchdays of World Cup qualifiers in Africa are scheduled for November 13-21 and, after Eritrea, the first semi-finalists from Africa face a potentially tricky visit to improving Tanzania.

Last December in Qatar, Morocco became only the third country outside of Europe and South America to reach the World Cup semi-finals, emulating the United States and South Korea.

They shocked Belgium and held Croatia in the group stage, then eliminated Spain and Portugal in knockout matches before falling to France.

In 16 pre-Qatar World Cup matches spanning five tournaments, the North Africans had won only two and suffered nine defeats.

Morocco were given little chance of surviving the first round in Qatar, especially after a late change of coaches with local Walid Regragui succeeding Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic.

But Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef en-Nesyri inspired their teammates to defy the odds.

Apart from Eritrea and Tanzania, Morocco will face Zambia, Congo Brazzaville and Niger in Group E of the World Cup qualifiers, with the team topping the final standings and qualifying for the finals.

Morocco should justify being the top seeds in the mini-league, which stretches from November to October 2025, with Patson Daka-inspired Zambia and Tanzania probably the biggest threats.

Egypt, reigning African champions Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia and Mali are the other countries seeded to top final tables and qualify automatically.

Like Morocco, they will kick off their campaigns at home to the lowest-ranked side in the group, then visit the team ranked fourth.

Seeding was based on the FIFA rankings, and Mali are the only top seeds not to have featured at a World Cup.

Cameroon lead the way with eight appearances and have been drawn with Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini and Mauritius in Group D.

Nigeria, six-time qualifiers but shock absentees from Qatar after losing a play-off against arch-rivals Ghana, could find South Africa and Zimbabwe troublesome Group C rivals.

Ghana are set to pose the biggest challenge to Mali in Group I, which also includes Madagascar, the Central African Republic, the Comoros and Chad.

Democratic Republic of Congo, the first sub-Saharan qualifiers for the World Cup in 1974 when the country was called Zaire, are capable of testing Group B favourites Senegal.

Algeria, missing from Qatar after a playoff loss to Cameroon, will probably view unpredictable Guinea as the nation most likely to upset them in Group G.

Competition for places at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States does not end with the nine group winners.

The best four runners-up go into play-offs and the winners enter a six-team inter-continental tournament with two World Cup places up for grabs.

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USA, Mexico, Canada to host as FIFA reveals venues for World Cup 2026

ZURICH: FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned Canada, Mexico and the United States to prepare for a football “invasion” on Thursday as the host cities for the 2026 World Cup were revealed.

The first-ever World Cup co-hosted by three different countries will also see a record number of teams taking part, increasing by 16 from 32 to 48 as the tournament returns to North America for the first time since the 1994 finals.

The 16 venues named on Thursday include 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

All of the US games will be held in venues that are home to NFL teams, with the likes of the $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the New York Giants’ 82,000-seater MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford tipped to host the final.

A total of 60 of the 80 games in the tournament — including all knockout games from the quarter-finals onwards — will take place at US venues.

Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium — host of the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals — was included among three Mexican venues along with the cities of Monterrey and Guadalajara.

Vancouver and Toronto will stage the Canadian games in the tournament.

Infantino meanwhile said 2026 would eclipse the 1994 finals in the United States — which holds the record for the highest total attendance — in every respect.

“2026 will be much, much bigger,” Infantino said. “I think this part of the world doesn’t realise what will happen in 2026.

“These three countries will be turned upside down and then flipped again. The world will be invading Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“They will be invaded by a big wave of joy and happiness.”

Infantino said he hoped the World Cup would spur the development of football in the region further.

“In this part of the world, you are leading the world in many areas. But in the number one sport in the world, soccer or football, you are not, yet,” he said. “The objective must be that you are leading the world in the world’s number one sport.”

A decision on which venues would host marquee matches such as the World Cup final and the opening game had not yet been taken.

“We still have to discuss that, we still have to analyse that,” Infantino said. “We will make a decision in due course.”

However, Infantino revealed that given the vast geographical spread of staging the tournament across North America, FIFA was looking at basing teams in regional “clusters” to minimise travel.

“When you’re dealing with such a large region as North America we need to care about the fans and make sure that teams are playing in clusters, that fans and teams don’t have to travel crazy distances,” Infantino said.

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