In Caracas, Venezuela continued to bolster its standing in the South American World Cup qualifiers with a significant 2-0 triumph over Bolivia on Friday. This victory strengthens Venezuela’s hold on the seventh position, crucial for a chance at an intercontinental playoff spot for next year’s tournament expected to take place in North America.
The match kicked off with an unexpected own goal by Bolivian player Héctor Cuellar in the fifth minute. A misdirected simple pass intended for his goalkeeper, Guillermo Viscarra, found the back of the net, giving Venezuela an early lead. Shortly after, in the 30th minute, Venezuelan forward Salomón Rondón—known for being the national team’s top scorer with 47 goals—added to the scoreboard. Rondón’s goal came with finesse as he controlled a cross from Nahuel Ferraresi with his chest before scoring effortlessly with his left foot.
Throughout the game, Bolivia struggled to make an impact and failed to threaten the Venezuelan defense. Goalkeeper Rafael Romo had a relatively calm evening at the Monumental Stadium in Maturin, Venezuela. As it stands, Bolivia lags behind Venezuela by four points, with only three matches left to make a comeback.
Telasco Segovia, a midfielder for Venezuela, expressed the team’s cautious optimism following the victory: “It was a very important win for us. But we haven’t won anything yet. We have to keep winning; we are going for our dream. It will be another final on Tuesday.”
Venezuela’s home record in the qualifiers remains impressive with no defeats so far, boasting four wins and four draws, a feat only matched by Argentina’s unbeaten home status.
In other matches, Colombia and Peru ended in a scoreless draw on Friday. This result left Colombia unable to surpass Brazil in the standings, marking their fifth consecutive match without a win. Playing at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia missed key players such as striker Luis Díaz, who has been a pivotal scorer with six goals in the qualifiers. Injuries also sidelined Jhon Córdoba and Rafael Santos Borré.
With the qualification process nearing its climax, Argentina—already having secured its spot for the 2026 World Cup since March—leads the South American qualifiers with 34 points after 15 matches. Following them are Ecuador and Paraguay, both with 24 points, though Ecuador has a superior goal difference. Brazil holds fourth place with 22 points.
Uruguay and Colombia are tied with 21 points each, with Uruguay edging ahead due to better goal difference. Venezuela, seeking its first-ever World Cup appearance, has accumulated 18 points. Meanwhile, Bolivia maintains hope of capturing the seventh spot, trailing with 14 points, as Peru and Chile possess 11 and 10 points respectively.
As anticipation builds for the next round of matches, Ecuador could clinch their qualification with an expected win over Peru. Brazil could also secure its position with a victory, pending Venezuela does not collect points against Uruguay. Meanwhile, Colombia faces a challenging encounter against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Buenos Aires to climb closer in the standings. Bolivia will aim to stay in the race by overcoming Chile on home ground.
In this rigorous tournament, all ten South American teams face each other in a home-and-away format. The top six countries will gain direct entry to the World Cup finals next year. The team finishing in seventh will compete in the intercontinental playoffs scheduled for March 2026 in North America, where six teams will vie for two remaining spots in the main competition.