In a surprising turn of events, both Argentina and Brazil faced disappointing defeats in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers without their star players. Lionel Messi was notably absent as Argentina succumbed to a 2-1 loss against Colombia, while Neymar's absence hindered Brazil's performance, leading to a 1-0 upset by Paraguay.

Colombia's James Rodriguez played a crucial role in their victory against Argentina, scoring from a penalty spot and providing an assist. The match in Barranquilla marked Argentina's first loss to Colombia since 2019, with Yerson Mosquera opening the scoring for the home team and Nico Gonzalez equalizing for Argentina after intercepting a pass from Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez redeemed himself by converting a penalty in the 60th minute, securing a significant win for Colombia.

Expressing his satisfaction with the victory, Rodriguez said, "It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all. The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win." Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged the challenging conditions, stating that the heat affected the match.

Meanwhile, Paraguay managed to secure an unexpected win over a lackluster Brazil. Diego Gomez scored the sole goal of the match, finding the back of the net from the edge of the box, with the ball deflecting off goalkeeper Alisson's right post. Brazil struggled to create scoring opportunities and failed to deliver under the guidance of coach Dorival Junior, suffering his first defeat since taking over in January.

Brazilian defender Marquinhos acknowledged the lack of confidence within the squad, saying, "We are trying to find the best way to play. There are many pieces being changed." The defeat against defensively sound Paraguay highlighted the challenges Brazil currently faces in fulfilling their coach's promise of reaching the World Cup final.

In other CONMEBOL qualifiers, Bolivia surprised Chile with a 2-1 victory in Santiago, Ecuador secured a 1-0 win against Peru, and Venezuela and Uruguay settled for a goalless draw. Despite their recent loss, Argentina remains comfortably leading the round-robin competition with 18 points from eight matches, followed closely by Colombia with 16 points. Uruguay sits in third place with 15 points, with Ecuador closely behind with 14 points. Brazil now finds themselves in fifth place with 10 points.

Although Argentina suffered a setback, their path to the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, remains well within reach. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the top six finishers in South American qualifying will secure a spot in the finals, while the seventh-placed team will advance to an inter-confederation playoff. The bottom three teams will be eliminated from contention.