Brazil and Argentina Stumble in World Cup Qualifiers as South American Giants Suffer Defeats

In a surprising twist in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, both Brazil and Argentina faced setbacks in their latest matches.

Brazil suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, marking their fourth loss in the last five qualifying games. The Brazilian lineup included Liverpool’s Alisson, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, and West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, with Real Madrid stars Rodrygo, Endrick, and Vinicius Jr. leading the attack. Despite the star-studded squad, Brazil’s performance faltered.

Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina experienced a 2-1 loss to Colombia. James Rodriguez, formerly of Real Madrid and Everton, scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot. Notably, Lionel Messi, now playing for Inter Miami, was absent from the Argentine squad.

In other qualifying action, Uruguay’s new Manchester United recruit, Manuel Ugarte, started in their 0-0 draw against Venezuela. Despite their recent loss, Argentina remains at the top of the South American qualifying table, holding a two-point lead, while Brazil has dropped to fifth place. The top six teams from the 10-nation group will secure automatic World Cup spots, with seventh place leading to an inter-continental play-off.

In Asia’s qualifiers, Australia was held to a 0-0 draw by Indonesia after their 1-0 home defeat to Bahrain. Conversely, Japan cruised to a 5-0 victory over Bahrain, with Premier League players Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma, and Daichi Kamada all featuring prominently. South Korea secured their first win with a 3-1 triumph over Oman, thanks to goals from Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan.