Brazil experienced their fourth defeat in five World Cup qualifying matches with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. In the same round of qualifiers, Argentina was defeated 2-1 by Colombia.
In Asuncion, Inter Miami’s Diego Gomez scored the only goal of the match for Paraguay after 20 minutes. Brazil failed to record a shot on target in the first half. The Brazilian squad included Liverpool’s Alisson, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, and West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, with the attack led by Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Endrick, and Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jr. addressed Brazilian TV channel Globo, apologizing to fans and acknowledging the team’s struggles. “I want to apologize to the fans, I know it’s a difficult time, but we just want to improve,” he said. Despite his impressive record at Real Madrid, Vinicius has scored only five goals in 35 appearances for Brazil and did not score during the 2022 World Cup. He added, “I know my potential, what I can do for the national team. Of course, it’s been a very complicated process because when you don’t have confidence, you don’t get goals.”
Brazil is currently fifth in the qualifying table with three wins from eight games. Manager Dorival Jr., who was appointed in January, saw his team lose in the Copa America quarter-finals this summer. “The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that’s reflected in the result,” defender Marquinhos told Globo. “There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence. Qualifying isn’t easy, it’s a difficult time and we have to know how to manage it. It’s a time of transition, we’re not feeling confident. We’re going to work hard, getting results on the pitch is the best answer.”
In Barranquilla, former Real Madrid and Everton midfielder James Rodriguez scored the winning penalty for Colombia, defeating the reigning World Cup champions Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi. This match was a rematch of the Copa America final where Argentina had defeated Colombia. Rodriguez, now playing for Rayo Vallecano, also provided the assist for Wolves’ Yerson Mosquera, who scored the opener with a header in the 25th minute. Argentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez equalized three minutes after the break, but a penalty was awarded after a VAR review for a foul by Nicolas Otamendi on Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz. Rodriguez converted the penalty in the 60th minute, sending Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez the wrong way. Rodriguez remarked, “I don’t think I’ve ever scored against them – there’s a first time for everything. We want to get used to playing finals. Today was just another game, but against a team that has won everything – this victory tastes even better.”
In other results, Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte started for Uruguay in their 0-0 draw against Venezuela. Argentina remains at the top of the 10-team table, two points ahead of second-placed Colombia. The top six teams will automatically qualify after 18 rounds of fixtures, which continue until September 2025. The seventh-placed team will enter an intercontinental play-off.
In the Asian qualifiers, Australia drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday after losing 1-0 to Bahrain in their opening match. Japan, in the same group as Australia, won 5-0 against Bahrain with Premier League players Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), and Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) starting. South Korea secured their first win in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a 3-1 victory over Oman, with goals from Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan.
