In a decisive round of South American qualifiers under the CONMEBOL confederation, Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay secured direct entry to the FIFA World Cup 2026, joining fifteen other nations already qualified across the globe.

Uruguay sealed their place with a commanding three-nil victory over Peru. Rodrigo Aguirre opened the scoring with a header, followed by a strike from Giorgian De Arrascaeta, and a final goal from Federico Viñas. With this result, Uruguay confirmed its fifteenth World Cup appearance and fifth consecutive qualification.

Colombia also booked their ticket after defeating Bolivia three-nil in front of a roaring home crowd. James Rodríguez, Jhon Córdoba, and Juan Fernando Quintero provided the goals. The win marks Colombia’s return to the global stage after missing the last tournament, bringing their total appearances to seven.

Paraguay, meanwhile, earned qualification with a goalless draw against Ecuador — enough to secure their spot. The team returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, making it their tenth appearance overall.

These three sides now join Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador as South America’s automatic qualifiers. Worldwide, they line up alongside tournament hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as eleven qualifiers from Asia, Oceania, and other regions — including debutants Jordan and Uzbekistan. This brings the total to sixteen confirmed participants for the expanded forty-eight-team competition.

The final direct South American spot and the intercontinental play-off position will be decided in the last round of qualifiers, with Venezuela and Bolivia still in contention.