- Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Colombia have made it past the round of 16 and are still fighting for the title.
- Representatives of South America already know their opponents for the 1/8 finals.
The Round of 16 stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup left a positive balance for CONMEBOL teams. The four South Americans involved in this event managed to reach the round of 16: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Colombia remain in the race.
Thanks to outstanding performances from Messi, Gabriel Martinelli and Orlando Gill in Paraguay’s historic qualification on penalties against Germany, South America maintains a strong presence among the top 16 teams in the tournament.
Brazil paved the way
Canarinha became the first CONMEBOL team to secure a place in the round of 16, beating Japan 2-1 in Houston.
Casemiro equalized in the second half and Martinelli sealed the comeback in stoppage time to keep the team’s dream alive under Carlo Ancelotti. Thus, Verdeamarela extends the number of unbeaten matches at the final stage of the World Cup to three.
1/8 finals
Brazil – Japan 2:1
1/8 finals
- Norway
- July 5
- New York Stadium
Paraguay knocked out Germany
La Albirroja starred in one of the highlights of the round, eliminating Germany in a penalty shootout. The national team, led by Gustavo Alfaro, resisted German dominance for 120 minutes and secured their classification after a penalty shootout in which José María Canale scored the decisive penalty, and the highlight of the evening from Orlando Gill, who saved two penalties.
1/8 finals
Germany – Paraguay 1:1 (penalties 3–4)
1/8 finals
- France
- July 4th
- Philadelphia
Argentina take lead after overtime win over Cape Verde
Argentina needed extra time to beat hostile Cape Verde 3-2 and seal their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The African team demanded a world champion for 90 minutes, but at the right moment the Argentine hierarchy reappeared.
Once again, Lionel Messi became the main character. The captain scored the 20th goal of his World Cup career, extending his own record as the top scorer in the tournament’s history and leading the Albiceleste to new qualification.
In addition, Lionel Scaloni played 100 matches for the Albiceleste team. Since his debut in 2018, the coach has led Argentina to the 2021 CONMEBOL America™ Cup, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 Qatar World Cup™ and the 2024 CONMEBOL America™ Cup.
1/8 finals
Argentina – Cape Verde 3:2 (overtime)
1/8 finals
Colombia remains undefeated
Colombia confirmed their big moment by beating Ghana 1-0 to maintain their undefeated World Cup record.
John Arias scored the only goal of the match to seal another victory for Nestor Lorenzo’s side, who now face a tough match against Switzerland in their quest for the quarter-finals.
1/8 finals
Colombia – Ghana 2:1
1/8 finals
This is what CONMEBOL crosses looked like in the 1/8 finals
- Paraguay – France, July 4 – Philadelphia
- Brazil – Norway, July 5 – New York
- Argentina – Egypt, July 7 – Atlanta
- Colombia – Switzerland, July 7 – Vancouver
CONMEBOL maintains its prominence
With four teams progressing to the round of 16, CONMEBOL continues to be one of the protagonists of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina maintain their momentum and continue to defend the title under Lionel Messi. Brazil have recovered their best version and arrive strengthened by Vinicius Junior to an outstanding level and the return of Neymar Jr. Colombia remains undefeated and confirms Nestor Lorenzo’s project, while Paraguay once again demonstrated its competitiveness by eliminating one of the European powers.
As the knockout phase enters its decisive phase, South America maintains the illusion that it will once again win world football’s top trophy.