Brazil
Ecuador
2
0
FT
Game Details
Live football odds with bet365. Bet Now »…
Paulinho and Coutinho both scored in the second half to lead Brazil past Ecuador in World Cup Qualifying.
Uruguay’s Oscar Washington Tabarez is looking for an improved defensive effort in Thursday’s key match vs. Argentina.
South America’s World Cup qualification campaign is a marathon. With a total of 18 rounds played over more than two years, stretching over three club seasons, it is all but impossible to maintain consistency from the first kickoff to the final whistle.
The early pacesetters of the current campaign know this all too well. Ecuador were out of the blocks at a blistering pace, winning their first four games. The only rivals at the top of the table were Uruguay. After six rounds, a third of the way through,…
Two first-half goals from each side led to a 1-1 draw between Ecuador and Venezuela on Thursday night.
Mikel Villanueva’s own goal in the 29th minute accounted for the hosts’ only tally of the night.
Junior Moreno fired home a right-footed shot from the centre of the box from a Arquímedes Figuera assist before the break to send the teams to the dressing room level at half-time.
Venezuela’s Figuera was sent off in the 75th minute after picking up his second yellow card.
Peru’s Paolo…
Gab Marcotti explains why FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams has its benefits, but not everyone agrees.
Argentina hosts Chile on Thursday in what could be one of the more decisive ties in this World Cup qualifying campaign.
There are no real prizes for coming first. Or second for that matter. World Cup qualification in South America is all about crossing the line and making it through to Russia.
The first four teams qualify automatically for next year’s tournament, with the side finishing fifth having to play off against opponents from Oceania. And as the competition moves into the final third, only Brazil are really sitting pretty.
Those six consecutive wins under new coach Tite have carried Brazil to 27 points. In…
Gab Marcotti and Shaka Hislop join Outside the Lines and have their say at FIFA expanding the World Cup to 48 teams.
Gab Marcotti joins Outside the Lines to discuss the reasons behind moving the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in 2026.
Shaka Hislop expresses his disapproval at FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams.
On the website of CONMEBOL, the South American Confederation, there is an article entitled: “From 13 teams in Uruguay 1930 to 48 in the 2026 World Cup.”
It is a neat way of reminding everyone of one of the great trump cards of the South American game: its fabulous tradition. This is the continent where the World Cup began and which has won nine versions of the tournament, divided between Brazil (five wins) and Uruguay and Argentina (two apiece).
The big three has provided Barcelona with the “MSN”…