South American World Cup Qualifiers: Key Matchups in the 9th Round

Matchday 9 starts at 4150 meters high, with Bolivia hosting Colombia, the only undefeated team remaining. Bolivia has won its last two matches, including a statement win at home 4-0 over Venezuela. Hence, the question for this game is whether Colombian players can perform under these high-altitude circumstances or whether Bolivia will continue with its win streak.

After that, we will travel to Maturin, where Venezuela will host the world champions Argentina. The home team had a great start to the qualifiers but has struggled lately, though they have not allowed a single goal at home. Despite this, I expect the all-mighty Argentina to win with little to no trouble.

At the same time, Ecuador will be facing Paraguay with hopes to continue their great streak, being undefeated in their last 10 home games. Ecuador should dominate this game.

Brazil has been struggling a lot in this qualifier with 4 losses already but hopes to snap out of this form when they host Chile, who haven't been able to gain any points as a visitor so far. This Vini Jr-less Brazil squad hopes to win and quiet the critics.

The final game of this fixture takes us to Lima, where last-place Perú hosts powerhouse Uruguay, who haven't conceded a goal in their last 5 matches. This should be a hard game to watch, but I truly think it could go either way.

You can expect high-energy matches as the qualifiers heat up, with each game shaping the path to the 2026 World Cup.