Bolivia overcomes Brazil, lands in World Cup playoff over Venezuela

EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — Miguel Terceros scored from a penalty in the first half and Bolivia downed Brazil 1-0 on Tuesday in South American qualifying which combined with Colombia’s win over Venezuela helped the Bolivians advance to the playoff tournament for the 2026 World Cup.

Terceros converted in the 45th minute for the Bolivians who defeated Brazil at home for the first time since 2019.

The playoff tournament will involve six nations and will be played in March’s international window to decide the last two spots for the World Cup to be played next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Bolivia is aiming to qualify for its fourth World Cup and first since 1994.

Uruguay, Colombia and Uruguay were the most recent South American teams to qualify for next year’s World Cup last week and the final round of the qualifiers was meant to decide the team to advance to the international playoff.

The Colombians, who finished in third place in the qualifiers, helped Bolivia’s cause by rolling past Venezuela 6-3 with a big night from striker Luis Diaz, who scored four goals.

Diaz, a Sporting Club player, scored in the 42nd, 50th, 59th and 67th minutes. Yerry Mina in the 10th and Jhon Cordoba in the 75 also scored.

Also on Tuesday, Enner Valencia scored on a penalty kick late in the first half and Ecuador defeated reigning champions Argentina 1-0.

The 35-year-old Valencia converted in the 45th minute for the Ecuadorians, who finished second in the South American standings with 29 points behind the Argentinians’ 38.

Lionel Messi, who played his last official match at home last Thursday, did not suit up.

Meanwhile, Uruguay finished the qualifying tournament with a scoreless draw against Chile, and Paraguay defeated Peru 1-0.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer