Brazil and Ecuador qualify for the 2026 World Cup

Brazil and Ecuador officially secured their places in the 2026 World Cup early Wednesday, finishing second and third in the South American qualifying rounds. They joined defending champions Argentina, who were the first team to qualify from the continent last March. Brazil qualified after a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Sao Paulo, while Ecuador secured their place after a goalless draw with Peru. Both teams have 25 points, seven behind seventh-placed Venezuela, with just two rounds remaining in the qualifiers. Uruguay and Paraguay (24 points each) and Colombia (22 points) occupy the other three automatic qualifying spots, with the final two rounds to play in September. Venezuela, meanwhile, has the opportunity to qualify via a playoff if they finish seventh. The seventh-placed team is eligible to face a team from another continent to secure a place. In the match held at the Morumbi Stadium, Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal for Brazil in the dying moments of the first half, giving new coach Carlo Ancelotti a vital victory in his first home match with the Samba team. Ecuador qualified for the World Cup for the second consecutive time after a goalless draw with Peru. The draw ended Peru's hopes of qualifying, as they raised their tally to 12 points, six points ahead of Venezuela.