Argentina marked their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in style, thrashing arch-rivals Brazil 4-1 in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
Goals from Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Giuliano Simeone sealed a dominant win for the reigning world champions, who had already secured their spot at the tournament earlier in the day following Bolivia’s 0-0 draw with Uruguay.
A festive atmosphere filled the Estadio Monumental even before kickoff, and Argentina wasted no time in putting on a show.
Atletico Madrid’s Alvarez opened the scoring just six minutes in, finishing off a through ball from Thiago Almada with a clever dink past Brazil goalkeeper Bento.
Chelsea midfielder Fernandez doubled Argentina’s lead six minutes later, capitalizing on poor defending to slot home from a low cross.
Brazil found a lifeline in the 26th minute when a costly mistake by Cristian Romero gifted Mattheus Cunha a goal. The Tottenham defender lost possession 25 yards from goal, allowing Cunha to pounce and fire past Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-1.
However, Argentina quickly restored their dominance in the 37th minute when Almada floated a pass into the box, setting up Mac Allister for a superb first-time volley to extend the lead to 3-1.
Simeone then put the game beyond doubt in the 71st minute with a stunning finish from a tight angle, scoring his first international goal and sealing Argentina’s emphatic victory. The 22-year-old, son of Argentine football legend Diego Simeone, sent the home crowd into raptures with his strike.
With the win, Argentina secured their place at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada with four games to spare. They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group with 31 points from 14 matches, guaranteeing one of the six automatic qualification spots. Brazil sits in fourth place.
South American Qualifying Roundup
Elsewhere in South America, Ecuador held Chile to a goalless draw in Santiago, keeping them in second place with 23 points, eight behind Argentina.
Uruguay moved up to third place on goal difference following their draw with Bolivia, while Colombia missed an opportunity to close the gap on the leaders after a 2-2 draw with Paraguay in Barranquilla.
Colombia raced to a 2-0 lead within 13 minutes through goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran, but Paraguay fought back with strikes from Junior Alonso and Julio Enciso to earn a point.
Meanwhile, Venezuela boosted their chances of a historic first-ever World Cup qualification with a 1-0 win over Peru in Maturin. Salomon Rondon’s 41st-minute penalty secured three crucial points, moving Venezuela into seventh place and putting them on track for an inter-confederation playoff spot.
