By Louis Smith.

What began three years ago in September 2023, CONMEBOL became the first confederation to kick off qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Paraguay vs. Peru marking the opening match of the entire global qualifying process. The campaign will conclude on 9 September (10th GMT).

Heading into the final two matchdays, three direct qualification spots and one intercontinental playoff place remain up for grabs. One nation has already been eliminated, while three have secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That leaves six of the ten CONMEBOL nations still in contention, setting the stage for a truly dramatic finish to qualifying.

What happens is uncertain, but one thing is guaranteed: drama, excitement, joy, and heartbreak.

Argentina

Argentina can take an experimental approach, having already wrapped up top spot in the standings, sitting ten points clear and guaranteed to finish first.

They head into this one unbeaten in five, following a narrow 1-0 away win over Chile and a 1-1 draw with Colombia back in June.

Four players could make their debuts here, with José Manuel López, Julio Soler, Alan Varela, and Claudio Echeverri among the exciting prospects.

Three domestic-based players have been called up to the squad.

Argentina Squad

Goalkeepers:
Emiliano Martínez, Walter Benítez, Gerónimo Rulli

Defenders:
Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Julio Soler, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Tagliafico, Facundo Medina, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolás Otamendi (vice-captain), Nahuel Molina, Juan Foyth

Midfielders:
Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Claudio Echeverri, Exequiel Palacios, Nicolás Paz, Alan Varela, Thiago Almada, Giovani Lo Celso, Franco Mastantuono, Rodrigo De Paul

Forwards:
José Manuel López, Valentín Carboni, Lautaro Martínez, Ángel Correa, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolás González, Julián Alvarez, Lionel Messi (captain)

Bolivia

Bolivia finally ended a six-game winless streak in their last outing with a crucial 2-0 victory over Chile, though that came just days after a 2-0 loss to Venezuela.

They sit eighth in the standings and, while a top-six finish is a long shot, they remain firmly in the playoff hunt, trailing Venezuela by a single point.

Five uncapped players are part of the squad: Darío Torrico, Gustavo Peredo, Rodrigo Banegas, Marcelo Torrez, and Lucas Macazaga.

Óscar Villegas has included a heavy domestic-based squad, with 14 players plying their trade in Bolivia.

Bolivia Squad

Goalkeepers:
Rodrigo Banegas, Guillermo Viscarra, Carlos Lampe (vice-captain)

Defenders:
Marcelo Torrez, Lucas Macazaga, Leonardo Zabala, Diego Arroyo, Efrain Morales, Yomar Rocha, Diego Medina, Roberto Fernández, Luis Haquín (captain), José Sagredo

Midfielders:
Darío Torrico, Óscar López, Carlos Melgar, Luis Paz, Ervin Vaca, Robson Tomé, Héctor Cuéllar, Miguel Terceros, Moisés Villarroel, Gabriel Villamíl

Forwards:
Gustavo Peredo, Moisés Paniagua, Enzo Monteiro, Henry Vaca, Carmelo Algarañaz

Brazil

Brazil have already sealed qualification and sit third in the standings, so this window offers a chance to experiment and build momentum.

Carlo Ancelotti’s first matches in charge came last time out, a cagey 0-0 draw away to Ecuador followed by a narrow 1-0 home win over Paraguay, which saw them book their place at the 2026 World Cup.

Five uncapped domestic-based players are included: Hugo Souza, Vitinho, Jean Lucas, Kaio Jorge, and Samuel Lino.

Jorge has been very impressive for Cruzeiro in the Brasileirão, scoring 15 times in just 21 games.

In total, six home-based players feature in the squad.

Brazil Squad

Goalkeepers:
Hugo Souza, Bento, Alisson

Defenders:
Vitinho, Caio Henrique, Douglas Santos, Alexsandro, Fabrício Bruno, Wesley, Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos (captain)

Midfielders:
Jean Lucas, Andrey Santos, Bruno Guimarães, Lucas Paquetá, Casemiro

Forwards:
Kaio Jorge, Samuel Lino, João Pedro, Estêvão, Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli, Raphinha, Richarlison

Chile

La Roja sit bottom of the table and are already out of contention for a place at the 2026 World Cup.

They come into this window winless in their last four, having suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Argentina and a 2-0 loss away to Bolivia in June.

Those results prompted Ricardo Gareca’s departure after winning just one of 17 official matches in charge. Nicolás Córdova takes interim charge.

Nine players could make their senior Chile debuts: Thomas Gillier, Vicente Reyes, Lawrence Vigouroux, Ian Garguez, Esteban Matus, Iván Román, Matías Sepúlveda, Maximiliano Gutiérrez, and Emiliano Ramos.

Eleven players in the squad ply their trade in the Chilean Primera División.

Chile Squad

Colombia

After a flying start to their campaign, Colombia are now winless in six, recording three draws and three defeats. June saw them play out a 0-0 home draw with Peru before a 1-1 stalemate against Chile.

They can seal World Cup qualification in their next match with a win over Bolivia, or with a draw if Venezuela fail to beat Argentina.

There are no debutants in the squad.

Los Cafeteros have called up four domestic-based players: David Ospina, Andrés Román, Marino Hinestroza, and Dayro Moreno.

Colombia Squad

Ecuador

Ecuador sealed qualification in the last window, booking their spot at a second consecutive FIFA World Cup. They sit second in the table and can afford to take it easy here.

They’re unbeaten in nine matches but have drawn their last three 0-0, including goalless stalemates with Peru and Brazil last time out.

David Cabezas, Patrik Mercado, and Bryan Ramírez are all in line for a first cap.

The squad features seven domestic-based players, one more than in June.

Ecuador Squad

Goalkeepers:
Hernán Galíndez, David Cabezas, Gonzalo Valle, Moisés Ramírez

Defenders:
Joel Ordóñez, Félix Torres, Ángelo Preciado, Xavier Arreaga, Piero Hincapié, Willian Pacho, Pervis Estupiñán, Cristian Ramírez

Midfielders:
Alan Minda, Yaimar Medina, Alan Franco, Gonzalo Plata, Denil Castillo, Patrik Mercado, Darwin Guagua, Jordy Alcívar, Bryan Ramírez, Moisés Caicedo, Kendry Páez, John Yeboah, Pedro Vite

Forwards:
Nilson Angulo, Kevin Rodríguez, Enner Valencia (captain), John Mercado, Leonardo Campana

Paraguay

Paraguay are closing in on their first World Cup appearance since 2010 and can secure qualification with a win or a draw against Ecuador. Even in defeat, they’ll still go through if Venezuela fail to beat Argentina and if Colombia don’t beat Bolivia.

They head into this window unbeaten in nine before their last outing, where a 2-0 win over Uruguay was followed by a narrow 1-0 loss away to Brazil.

Orlando Gill, Alexis Duarte, Adrián Alcaraz, and Ronaldo Martínez are all chasing a first international cap.

Three home-based players are included in the squad, two from Cerro Porteño and one from Olimpia.

Paraguay Squad

Peru

Peru are winless in their last three matches, having played out back-to-back goalless draws in the previous window — away to Colombia and at home to Ecuador.

Automatic qualification is off the table, and while a playoff spot is still mathematically possible, it would require them to win both matches and hope for other results to go their way. Their World Cup hopes are effectively over.

The squad features 18 domestic-based players, five more than in June, and includes five potential debutants: Kenji Cabrera, Alessandro Burlamaqui, Piero Cari, Matías Lazo, and Diego Enríquez.

Cari, who turned 18 last month, is the youngest player in the squad.

Peru Squad

Uruguay

Uruguay can clinch World Cup qualification on Matchday 17 with three possible scenarios:

They win or draw against Peru
They lose against Peru and Venezuela do not beat Argentina
They lose against Peru, Venezuela beat Argentina, and Colombia do not beat Bolivia

They ended a four-match winless run last time out, bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat in Paraguay with a 2-0 victory over Venezuela.

Marcelo Bielsa’s latest squad features just one domestic-based player, uncapped Kevin Amaro of Liverpool Montevideo. Ignacio Laquintana and Juan Sanabria are also chasing their first caps.

Uruguay Squad

Venezuela

Venezuela sit seventh and occupy the playoff spot, four points off the automatic qualification places and just one point clear of Bolivia. This window could prove to be the most important in their history.

June brought a vital 2-0 home win over Bolivia, followed by a 2-0 defeat away to Uruguay in Montevideo.

They’ll look to build on that result in Maturín as they continue their push to reach a first-ever World Cup.

Cristopher Varela and Carlos Faya are the two uncapped domestic players in the squad, while Kevin Kelsy is also yet to feature for La Vinotinto.

Venezuela Squad

Goalkeepers:
Cristopher Varela, Alain Baroja, Rafael Romo, Wuilker Faríñez

Defenders:
Carlos Vivas, Josua Mejías, Christian Makoun, Jon Aramburu, Miguel Navarro, Ronald Hernández, Nahuel Ferraresi, Jhon Chancellor, Wilker Ángel, Alexander González

Midfielders:
Carlos Faya, Leonardo Flores, Jorge Yriarte, Matías Lacava, Gleiker Mendoza, David Martínez, Daniel Pereira, Telasco Segovia, Eduard Bello, Cristian Cásseres, José Martínez, Jhon Murillo, Jefferson Savarino, Yeferson Soteldo, Tomás Rincón (captain)

Forwards:
Kevin Kelsy, Josef Martínez, Salomón Rondón (vice-captain)

Match 17 Fixtures

Argentina v Venezuela|Kick-off — 00:30 (GMT) 05/09/2025

Colombia v Bolivia |Kick-off — 00:30 (GMT) 05/09/2025

Paraguay v Ecuador |Kick-off — 00:30 (GMT) 05/09/2025

Uruguay vs Peru |Kick-off — 00:30 (GMT) 05/09/2025

Brazil v Chile |Kick-off — 01:30 (GMT) 05/09/2025

Match 18 Fixtures

Ecuador v Argentina |Kick-off — 00:o0 (GMT) 09/09/2025

Bolivia v Brazil |Kick-off — 00:30 (GMT) 09/09/2025

Chile v Uruguay |Kick-off — 00:o0 (GMT) 09/09/2025

Peru v Paraguay |Kick-off — 00:o0 (GMT) 09/09/2025

Venezuela v Colombia |Kick-off — 00:o0 (GMT) 09/09/2025