It has been less than a year since Argentina lifted the FIFA World Cup title in a controversial and emotional title match, and in just a few hours, the Argentine side and its fellow South American nations will start battling to make it one more time to the quadrennial tournament that will be held in Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
The tournament that will hand out six direct spots to the North American tournament and a possible intercontinental playoff berth will keep its format, despite allegations that there would be an upgrade and a possible division of all teams. With the tournament keeping its current form, all teams will be forced to play eighteen games en route to the World Cup, leaving only three teams with the embarrassment of not making the top national team tournament in the globe.
For Matchday 1 in CONMEBOL, things will kick off on Thursday with electric matches featuring some of the teams that made it to the 2022 edition, including defending champions Argentina and Ecuador. There will also be some teams ready to redeem themselves, including three teams that kick off a new era: Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay, all of them under new management.
Without further delay, here's how the games will take place in coming hours
Thursday, September 7
Paraguay vs Peru - Both teams decided to try a new approach following their unsuccessful campaigns to play in last year's World Cup. Paraguay decided to trust Guillermo Barros Schelotto as their coach despite losing more games (8) than those he won (4) with La Albirroja, meaning that a slow start could mean the end of his term. On the other side of the pitch, Peru will trust the seasoned Juan Reynoso, who will have the mammoth task of replacing Ricardo Gareca. Peru will try their hand in this game with some youngstets, especially with some trying to replace all-time top scorer and captain Paolo Guerrero. Meanwhile, Paraguay will rely on the experience of Miguel Almirón and captain Gustavo Gómez, but they might miss Antony Silva's experience under the sticks, as coach Barros decided to leave the veteran back home.
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Colombia vs Venezuela - Two teams that also return to the WC Qualifiers under new coaches. Colombia hired Nestor Lorenzo after having Reinaldo Rueda fired due to their failure to play in Qatar, and Venezuela have handed their fate to Fernando Batista, who has taken over the position after a failed stint by Nestor Pekerman. For today's game, Los Cafeteros hope to be off to a good start with the help of footballers such as James Rodríguez, Juan Cuadrado, and Luis Díaz. On the other hand, La Vinotinto hope that the partnership between Salomón Rondón and Josef Martínez pays off this evening to give them a better start and hopefully, give them an edge to make it to their first-ever World Cup in three years.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Colombia 1 - 0 Venezuela
September 7, 2023 7:00pmEstadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez (Barranquilla)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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Argentina vs Ecuador - The defending World Cup champions kick things off with most of the team that won the title in Qatar available, with the only exception being Joaquín Correa, out with an injury. Either way, Messi's presence in this fixture should be appealing enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats, as the Argentine maestro leads La Albiceleste to a good start of this Qualifying campaign. As for Ecuador, La Tricolor begin a new process under coach Félix Sánchez, who led Qatar to the worst start for a World Cup host in history, but considering the tools at his disposal, his bosses with La Tri believe he will be able to perform better here. It will be interesting to see players such as Pervis Estupiñán and Moisés Caicedo leading the yellow and blue, but it might not be enough for them to beat the solid team led by Messi and his World Cup-winning friends.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Argentina 1 - 0 Ecuador
September 7, 2023 8:00pmEstadio Mâs Monumental (Capital Federal, Ciudad de Buenos Aires)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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Friday, September 8
Uruguay vs Chile - La Celeste has been heralded as one of the potential leaders in this qualifying process, especially after appointing Marcelo Bielsa as their coach. Uruguay will not have Suárez, Cavani, or Godín around, which means that players such as Fede Valverde, Darwin Núñez, and Manchester United's Facundo Pellistri will have to prove their worth under a new coach and lead a new generation to keep Uruguay as contenders. As for Chile, their golden generation is still around, but it might be time to hand the full responsibility to Ben Brereton and Gabriel Suazo the leadership, so that legends as Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez can kick back and enjoy their well deserved retirement. It will be key to see how coach Eduardo Berizzo handles this transition, but it will be absolutely crucial to show a strong hand, because some of Chile's finest will not surrender their leadership that easily.
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Brazil vs Bolivia - It's been over 20 years since Brazil's last world title, but Brazil seem to be taking things slowly, as coach Fernando Diniz has accepted the interim job until Carlo Ancelotti is available. Now, A Canarinha is still a force to be reckoned with despite the absences of Vinicius and Eder Militao, but it might be the last chance for others such as Neymar and Alisson to prove their worth with the national team, and beating Bolivia could be a good start to their WC run.
On the other side, La Verde returns to action under coach Gustavo Costas, who has failed to change some of the veterans in this team to give way for younger talents. Goalie Carlos Lampe and striker Marcelo Martins are still there, but it seems that no one is there to pick up their legacy, and it could be a tricky way for Bolivia if they want to go back to a World Cup after over 28 years.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Brazil 5 - 1 Bolivia
September 8, 2023 8:45pmEstádio Estadual Jornalista Edgar Augusto Proença (Belém, Pará)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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