
Brazil could secure a World Cup spot with victory in Ancelotti's home debut
SAO PAULO (AP) — More South American teams could qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday.
Second-place Ecuador can do it by winning in Peru. Fourth-place Brazil or third-place Paraguay could secure a spot at next year's global tournament with a win in Sao Paulo as long as Venezuela loses at Uruguay.
If Venezuela draws, either team could also qualify with a win if defending champion Argentina, which has already qualified, beats Colombia.
The most anticipated match of the round is in Sao Paulo, where Carlo Ancelotti will make his home debut as Brazil coach. Brazil, which had a 0-0 draw with
Ecuador
last week, is two points behind Paraguay in the standings.
Lionel Messi's Argentina takes on Colombia in Buenos Aires in a match where coach Lionel Scaloni will continue adding depth to his squad.
South America's last two qualifying game days are in September. The top six teams earn direct spots for the World Cup next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The seventh-place team goes into an international playoff.
Ancelotti's home debut
Ancelotti's changes
to shore up the defense at Ecuador worked. Defender Alexsandro had an impressive game on debut and veteran midfielder Casemiro helped block the hosts.
More changes are expected on Tuesday, the day Ancelotti turns 66. Striker Richarlison lost his place in the starting lineup to Matheus Cunha during training, and teenager Estêvão is expected to make way on the left wing for Raphinha, who was suspended last week. Ancelotti is also expected to replace midfielder Gerson with winger Gabriel Martinelli.
'We had the necessary time on those days to prepare both matches, a little less against Ecuador. The team is fresh, we will have every tool to do well tomorrow,' Ancelotti said Monday. 'Raphinha gives us very important mobility. That could be key to unblock tomorrow's match.'
Casemiro enjoyed success with Ancelotti at
Real Madrid
, but has said his return to the national team after more than a year's absence is due to his performances at Manchester United.
'I'm glad to be back and back playing well, I want to stress that,' Casemiro said. 'I am not here because I know the coach, but because I deserve it. This was undoubtedly one of the most important years of my career.'
Paraguay will be a tough challenge for Brazil. Since coach Gustavo Alfaro took over, the Paraguayans have been unbeaten for nine matches. Alfaro has already equaled Paraguay's record for qualifying points set by coach Paulo César Carpegiani in the campaign for the 1998 World Cup in France.
Eyes on Venezuela
As the only South American team that has never made it to the World Cup, Venezuela will be under extra pressure at Centenario Stadium against fifth-place Uruguay.
A win for Venezuela and coach Fernando Batista will almost lock up seventh place and boost its chances of fighting for a direct spot. A Venezuela defeat could give Bolivia a chance to bid for the international playoff position.
'We have three finals in which we can't overlook, we can't fail. We are ready for that,' Batista said. 'We are focused on getting the most possible points.'
Uruguay has endured a shaky patch with no wins in its last four qualifiers. A home victory against Venezuela is key for the team to regain confidence.
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa, who has been clashing with Uruguay players since the Copa America last year, took some blame for the poor performance in the 2-0 loss at Paraguay.
'I truly feel responsible for the situation of the team because the problem is the lack of creation of scoring opportunities, and my position before this problem is to propose solutions,' Bielsa said. 'I have players who are special in their clubs, but can't do it in the squad I have ... I have no option (but) to recognize my lack of efficiency.'
Uruguay remains without key midfielder Federico Valverde, who is injured, and striker Darwin Núñez, who is suspended.
___
AP soccer:
https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
LA sports celebrities anticipate World Cup's arrival, hope political climate has cooled by then
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the 2026 World Cup begins across North America one year from this week, sports figures from across Los Angeles are hoping the global soccer community will find the U.S. both inspiring and welcoming. The Fox network marked the one-year milestone Wednesday night with a big party at its studio lot in Century City. Attendees included everyone from 'Ted Lasso' star Jason Sudeikis to luminaries from every corner of the sports world in the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, including Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. 'I remember when the World Cup was here in the '90s, and then obviously what our American women's team did to win the World Cup (in 1999),' Harbaugh said. 'So yeah, I love sports, I love competition, and I think it's going to be incredible for our state, our city, our country. The vibe is going to be incredible to just have everybody here. I'm looking for another explosion of soccer — football — in America.' The attendees all expressed excitement about the return of the world's premier soccer tournament to the U.S. while acknowledging the uncertainty of whether the nation's fraught political climate could present significant challenges to the teams, the World Cup organizers and even the network that will broadcast the tournament domestically. 'I'm hoping this game can bring people together,' said former LA Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones, a three-time World Cup veteran and the U.S. men's career leader in appearances. 'That's what we really want. We're talking about the travel bans and all that, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here, everyone can enjoy this sport, because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year. I expect everyone from around the world to be able to come here and enjoy it.' Los Angeles is in the midst of several days of protests against intensified immigration raids across the nation that could cause international fans to wonder whether they can travel to the tournament safely. President Donald Trump's latest expansive travel ban has raised questions about whether some soccer fans will be able to visit at all. 'I think it will get figured out,' Harbaugh said. 'To quote the late, great Tom Petty, most things I worry about don't end up happening anyway.' Jones also preached caution for U.S. fans already fretting about the dismal state of their national team. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad is on its first four-game losing streak since 2007 after getting thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland on Tuesday in its final tune-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't panic right now,' Jones said. 'Talk to me when we're a month out. I've seen from experience that with a year out from the World Cup, the team is going to completely change (in the interim). So for me, it's all about a general sense of whether they can come together as a team, because it's not about the individuals. We've seen it so many times.' ___


New York Post
42 minutes ago
- New York Post
Female athletes appeal landmark NCAA settlement, saying it violates federal antidiscrimination law
Eight female athletes filed an appeal Wednesday of a landmark NCAA antitrust settlement, arguing that women would not receive their fair share of $2.7 billion in back pay for athletes who were barred from making money off their name, image and likeness. US District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement last week, clearing the way for direct payments from universities to athletes and the end of the NCAA's amateurism model. The athletes who appealed the settlement competed in soccer, volleyball and track. They are Kacie Breeding of Vanderbilt; Lexi Drumm, Emma Appleman, Emmie Wannemacher, Riley Hass, Savannah Baron and Elizabeth Arnold of the College of Charleston; and Kate Johnson of Virginia. They have standing to appeal because they previously filed objections to the proposed settlement. Advertisement College soccer player Lexi Drumm leaves federal court in Oakland, Calif. on April 7, 2025. AP Ashlyn Hare, one of the attorneys representing the athletes, said in a statement that the settlement violates Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education. 'We support a settlement of the case, but not an inaccurate one that violates federal law. The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion,' Hare said. 'Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports.' Advertisement The law firm representing the plaintiffs in the settlement issued a statement saying the appeal would delay payments to hundreds of thousands of athletes by a minimum of several months. 'These attorneys are pursuing an appeal based on a Title IX issue that Judge Wilken already disposed of correctly, quickly and multiple times,' the statement said. The House settlement figures to financially benefit football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, who are likely to receive a big chunk of the $20.5 million per year that colleges are permitted to share with athletes over the next year. The NCAA logo at center court of The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on March 18, 2015. AP Advertisement Some athletes in other sports that don't make money for their schools could lose their partial scholarships or see their roster spots cut. 'This is a football and basketball damages settlement with no real benefit to female athletes,' Hare said. 'Congress has expressly rejected efforts to exempt revenue-generating sports like football and basketball from Title IX's antidiscrimination mandate. The NCAA agreed with us. Our argument on appeal is the exact same argument the conferences and NCAA made prior to settling the case.' The appeal was filed by the law firm Hutchinson Black and Cook of Boulder, Colorado, and was first reported by Front Office Sports. It would be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
LA sports celebrities anticipate World Cup's arrival, hope political climate has cooled by then
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the 2026 World Cup begins across North America one year from this week, sports figures from across Los Angeles are hoping the global soccer community will find the U.S. both inspiring and welcoming. The Fox network marked the one-year milestone Wednesday night with a big party at its studio lot in Century City. Attendees included everyone from 'Ted Lasso' star Jason Sudeikis to luminaries from every corner of the sports world in the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, including Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. 'I remember when the World Cup was here in the '90s, and then obviously what our American women's team did to win the World Cup (in 1999),' Harbaugh said. 'So yeah, I love sports, I love competition, and I think it's going to be incredible for our state, our city, our country. The vibe is going to be incredible to just have everybody here. I'm looking for another explosion of soccer — football — in America.' The attendees all expressed excitement about the return of the world's premier soccer tournament to the U.S. while acknowledging the uncertainty of whether the nation's fraught political climate could present significant challenges to the teams, the World Cup organizers and even the network that will broadcast the tournament domestically. 'I'm hoping this game can bring people together,' said former LA Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones, a three-time World Cup veteran and the U.S. men's career leader in appearances. 'That's what we really want. We're talking about the travel bans and all that, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here, everyone can enjoy this sport, because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year. I expect everyone from around the world to be able to come here and enjoy it.' Los Angeles is in the midst of several days of protests against intensified immigration raids across the nation that could cause international fans to wonder whether they can travel to the tournament safely. President Donald Trump's latest expansive travel ban has raised questions about whether some soccer fans will be able to visit at all. 'I think it will get figured out,' Harbaugh said. 'To quote the late, great Tom Petty, most things I worry about don't end up happening anyway.' Jones also preached caution for U.S. fans already fretting about the dismal state of their national team. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad is on its first four-game losing streak since 2007 after getting thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland on Tuesday in its final tune-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't panic right now,' Jones said. 'Talk to me when we're a month out. I've seen from experience that with a year out from the World Cup, the team is going to completely change (in the interim). So for me, it's all about a general sense of whether they can come together as a team, because it's not about the individuals. We've seen it so many times.' ___ AP soccer: