Brazil vs Colombia

The stakes are high for CONMEBOL powerhouses Brazil and Colombia as they lock horns in a heavyweight 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha.

Brazil endured a four-game winless run in World Cup qualifiers (D1, L3) before Dorival Junior took charge in January 2024, followed by a morale-wracking Copa America quarter-final exit. However, Junior has steadied the ship, with the South American giants losing just one of their last six qualifiers (W3, D2) to revive their 2026 World Cup hopes. Sitting fifth pre-round in the CONMEBOL standings, Seleção hold a comfortable-looking five-point cushion over seventh-placed Bolivia as they aim for a top-six finish to lock down automatic qualification. The five-time world champions haven’t conceded 2+ goals in their last 11 matches, reinforcing their bid to maintain a perfect record of World Cup participation.

Visiting Colombia sit a point and a place above Brazil before the kick-off, buoyed by an eight-game unbeaten start to qualifying (W4, D4). Though Néstor Lorenzo’s men have lost three of their last four matches (W1), they need just five points from six remaining fixtures to secure a World Cup return after missing out in 2022. ‘Los Cafeteros’ edged Brazil 2-1 in the reverse fixture last November and remain unbeaten in H2Hs under Lorenzo (W1, D1). However, they’ve never won on Brazilian soil and have only claimed four victories in 37 meetings overall (D12, L21). Therefore, pulling off an upset here would etch Lorenzo’s squad into the history books.