Colombia exacted revenge for their Copa America final loss by securing a 2-1 victory over Argentina in the South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. Captain James Rodriguez calmly converted a 60th-minute penalty to clinch a hard-fought win for Colombia against the reigning world champions, who were without their injured captain, Lionel Messi. This win was particularly sweet for Colombia, who had suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina in a disappointing Copa America final in Miami just two months ago.
"I don't think I've ever scored against them -- there's a first time for everything," said Rodriguez about his winning penalty. "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." The win at Barranquilla's Metropolitano Stadium propelled Colombia into second place in the South American qualifying standings with 16 points from eight games, just two points adrift of leaders Argentina.
Colombia, cheered on by a fervent home crowd, took the lead in the 25th minute when Rodriguez delivered a cross to the back post, where Yerson Mosquera headed the ball home. However, Argentina equalized three minutes after the break when a misplaced pass from Rodriguez was intercepted by Nicolas Gonzalez, who coolly slotted the ball past Colombia's advancing keeper, Camilo Vargas. Twelve minutes later, Colombia regained the lead in a controversial manner. Nicolas Otamendi's wild challenge on Daniel Munoz resulted in a penalty, which Rodriguez confidently converted, sending Argentina's penalty specialist Emiliano Martinez the wrong way.
Despite the defeat, Argentina remain on track for a place at the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With the tournament expanded to 48 teams, the top six finishers in South American qualifying will secure a spot in the finals, while the seventh-placed team will enter an inter-confederation playoff. Meanwhile, five-time world champions Brazil continued their lackluster qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Asuncion.
Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez, reportedly set to join Premier League side Brighton at the end of the season, scored the only goal of the game with a long-range shot that hit the post and went in during the 20th minute. The defeat leaves Brazil in fifth place in the standings with 10 points, ahead of Venezuela only on goal difference, who drew 0-0 with Uruguay on Tuesday. Paraguay, meanwhile, moved into seventh place with nine points after securing just their second win of the qualifying campaign.
Elsewhere, Chile's hopes of qualifying took another hit as they suffered a 2-1 home loss to Bolivia. After winning consecutive Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016, Chile failed to qualify for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The prospect of missing out on a third straight tournament grew more likely after Bolivia's Carmelo Algaranaz and Miguel Terceros scored to secure a 2-1 win. This result left Chile in ninth place with just five points from eight games, while Bolivia climbed into eighth, trailing Paraguay on goal difference.
Ecuador boosted their qualification hopes with a 1-0 win over Peru in Quito, thanks to a goal from veteran striker Enner Valencia. Ecuador now sit in fourth place in the standings with 11 points from eight games, while Peru remain at the bottom with just three points from 10 games.
