KATHMANDU, Nov 17: World champions Argentina and Brazil have faced defeats in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Argentina experienced its first setback in qualifying, losing 2-0 to Uruguay in the South American qualifiers on Friday morning, putting an end to their streak of four consecutive victories.
Ronald Araujo scored in the 41st minute and Darwin Nunez scored in the 87th minute to give Uruguay victory in the match held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Brazil leads World Cup qualifiers, Argentina shocked at home
Despite this defeat, Argentina maintains its position at the top of the points table with 12 points from 5 games. Meanwhile, Uruguay, securing its third victory, has gained 10 points from 5 games, ascending to the second position.
In another match, Colombia secured a 2-1 victory against Brazil, with Luis Diaz scoring two crucial goals. Gabriel Martinelli gave Brazil an early lead with a goal in the fourth minute, but Colombia staged a comeback in the last 15 minutes. Luis Diaz scored the equalizing goal against Colombia in the 75th minute. After four minutes, he scored the winning goal, leading Colombia to victory. Following this win, Colombia advanced to the third position with 9 points from 5 games, maintaining an undefeated record in qualifying. On the other hand, Brazil, after suffering defeat, now holds 7 points from 5 games and has dropped to the fifth place.
In other qualifying matches, Bolivia secured a 2-0 victory against Peru, while Chile and Paraguay, as well as Venezuela and Ecuador, played to goalless draws. Following the draw, Venezuela climbed to the fourth position with 8 points from 5 games.
Ecuador, Paraguay, and Chile, all with 5 points each, occupy the sixth, seventh, and eighth positions, respectively. Bolivia, securing their first win, is in ninth place with 3 points, while Peru is in tenth position with 1 point.
