Argentina are off to an auspicious start here in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. They are currently level with Brazil at the top of the CONMEBOL table, and the SBOTOP World Cup 2026 odds say that they should qualify for the biggest football showcase with ease.
Two wins in their first two qualifying games is a good step for La Albiceleste, who won the whole thing nine months ago in Qatar. However, this also means that they have huge targets on their backs because they are the defending champions of the world.
Brazil also have won twice in their first two qualifying games. And due to a superior goal difference, they hold the top spot over Argentina.
Meanwhile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Paraguay hold the four other outright World Cup 2026 slots, although Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia can still make the cut if they have better World Cup 2026 results moving forward.
Argentina remain formidable with or without Messi
Argentina have yet to lose a single game since that upset defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia, and of course we all know what happened after that result.
Fast forward to today: they have won all of their games this 2023 across all competitions, and the amazing thing about their undefeated run is that they have yet to concede a single goal.
La Albiceleste’s core remains intact with Lionel Scaloni at the helm. Lionel Messi is still their talisman, although lately it feels like they are trying to prepare for the inevitability of his retirement because he is in his late 30s.
From time to time, Messi gets the day off, and the good thing is that they haven’t skipped a beat. That was the case, as following their 1-0 win over Ecuador, where the Inter Miami star scored the marginal goal, they went on to crush a 10-man Bolivia squad 3-0 last night.
With Messi on the sidelines because Scaloni is managing his staggering workload, Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Nicolas Gonzalez all found the back of the net for La Albiceleste, with Angel Di Maria assisting on two of their goals.
Other than the three mentioned scorers, Scaloni can also trust the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, and Angel Correa to produce goals, while Alejandro Garnacho is another bright prospect.
Argentina’s next two opponents are Paraguay and Peru, which are deemed sure wins. And then in November, they have a tough stretch against Uruguay and Brazil.
Neymar is Brazil’s goalscoring king
Neymar is back on the front page of newspapers following Brazil’s 5-1 rout of Bolivia on Friday. The newly minted Al-Hilal star recorded a brace in the said game to surpass the great Pele as Brazil’s top male all-time scorer.
It should’ve been a hat-trick for Neymar if he hadn’t missed a penalty in the first half, but he responded with two second-half goals to take his tally of international goals to 79 and counting.
The 31-year-old winger has yet to play for Al-Hilal this season, so this should make their fans feel excited considering his checkered injury history.
After annihilating Bolivia, Brazil eked out a 1-0 win against Peru thanks to Marquinhos’ late goal. The scoreline flattered Bolivia because it felt like it should’ve been more for Brazil if Raphinha and Richarlison’s first-half goals weren’t ruled out for offside by the VAR.
Brazil head coach Fernando Diniz will have his work cut out for him when his team takes on Venezuela and Uruguay next month. He will continue to work on an interim basis before Carlo Ancelotti takes over next year.
Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Paraguay still have work to do
Other than Brazil and Argentina, Colombia are the only undefeated team left in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, with a 1-0 win against Venezuela and a goalless draw against Chile yesterday.
Rafael Santos Borre is back on the scoresheet for Los Cafeteros, scoring the lone goal against La Vinotinto. However, he was held in check by Chile.
Uruguay and Venezuela, meanwhile, have one win and one loss each. Uruguay won 3-1 against Chile before losing 2-1 to Ecuador, while Venezuela bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay after losing 1-0 to Colombia.
Paraguay and Peru are actually level with one point each and a -1 goal difference with one draw and one loss apiece.
All of them except Uruguay missed out on the festivities last year, so they’re keen on trying to get back. A lot can happen in the next 16 matchdays, so time is still on their side.
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