Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay qualify for 2026 World Cup

Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay secured their spots in the 2026 World Cup on Thursday in the next-to-last round of South American qualifiers.

Uruguay and Colombia had 3-0 wins, and Paraguay had a scoreless draw to advance to the global tournament along with already qualified Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador.

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"It's a good way to qualify. The team's offensive play was strong, there were also many highlights in individual performances," Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said.

Peru, which needed wins in the last two rounds to advance, is now out of contention following the loss to Uruguay.

"It hurts to lose, it hurts because of the effort the players put in, but today the opponent outclassed us," Peru coach Oscar Ibanez said.

James Rodríguez opened the scoring for Colombia in the 31st minute while John Cordoba and Juan Fernando Quintero added second-half goals to secure the win over Bolivia.

The Colombians return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It will be the Colombian team's seventh appearance in the World Cup. After a debut in Chile in 1962, Colombia made three consecutive appearances between 1990 and 1998, and repeated in 2014 and 2018.

"This jersey has given me so much. I'm grateful for everything I'm doing," said James, who is aiming to play in his third World Cup. "I've always given everything and I'll keep the good things for myself."

Paraguay is returning to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Its last participation was in South Africa in 2010, where Paraguay lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Spain.

World Cup champion Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 with two goals by Lionel Messi and remained well clear at the top of the South American standings.

The next year tournament will have a record 48 teams in an event to be co-hosted the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Forty-three teams will get their spots through continental qualifying tournaments. Another two will secure their places in the intercontinental playoffs featuring six teams and scheduled for March 2026. The three host countries automatically qualify.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.