Brazil qualify for 2026 World Cup in Ancelotti’s second game thanks to Vinicius’ game-winning goal vs Paraguay

Brazil defeated Paraguay 1-0 thanks to a goal from Vinicius and secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Brazil beat Paraguay 1–0 in Sao Paulo to secure their spot in the upcoming World Cup.

A brilliant combination between Raphinha and Guimaraes ended with a shot saved by Fernandez.

Vinicius appeared to have a physical issue and was replaced by Richarlison. Additionally, Gerson came on for Cunha.

The Barcelona winger nearly made it 2–0, but Paraguay’s goalkeeper came up with the save.

Lucas Beraldo comes on to replace Alex Sandro.

In recent minutes, Gustavo Alfaro’s side has gained ground and started to trouble Brazil. Gomez came close with a header that went just wide.

Vinicius Junior and Omar Alderete got into a tense argument, prompting referee Tello to step in and calm things down.

Sanabria makes way as striker Gabriel Avalos comes on.

Coach Gustavo Alfaro makes his first moves, bringing on Romero and Bobadilla in place of Villasanti and Gomez.

Sanabria won the ball back and fired a shot on target, but goalkeeper Alisson handled it comfortably.

A brilliant run by Vinicius ended with a cross that Guimaraes turned into a shot on goal, but Caceres made a crucial goal-line clearance to keep Paraguay in it.

With the lead secured late in the first half, Brazil are now calmly managing possession and pressing around Paraguay’s box.

Brazil lead Paraguay 1–0 thanks to Vinicius’ goal just before halftime.

Referee Facundo Tello blows the whistle, and Brazil head into the break with a 1–0 lead over Paraguay thanks to a goal from Vinicius.

Vinicius scores the opener just before halftime after a well-placed assist from Cunha!

Alejandro Romero Gamarra and Agustin Sandez come on for Junior Alonso and Miguel Almiron.

Brazil had a golden opportunity to open the scoring, but Matheus Cunha squandered a clear chance after a cross from the left by Martinelli.

Following a corner kick, Caceres nearly scored for the visitors with a shot that deflected off a defender and went just wide.

Brazil are moving the ball with purpose and pressing near Fernandez’s goal. Martinelli came close with a shot that went just wide.

Martinelli pulled off a brilliant solo move down the left, drove into the box, and sent in a low cross that, after a few deflections, was eventually gathered by goalkeeper Fernandez.

Diego Gomez stayed down after a collision with Alexsandro. Paraguay players protested loudly for a foul, but referee Tello waved play on.

A low cross from Matheus Cunha found Vini inside the box, but the Real Madrid winger couldn’t make solid contact and sent the ball well wide.

In the opening minutes, Brazil are clearly looking to dominate possession. Raphinha had the first chance with a shot that was handled comfortably by goalkeeper Fernandez.

Junior Alonso receives the first yellow card of the match for Paraguay.

Brazil and Paraguay are underway in Matchday 16 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup!

Over the course of history, Brazil and Paraguay have faced each other 84 times. In those matchups, Brazil has held a clear edge, with 50 wins, 22 draws, and 12 losses. In World Cup qualifiers, the two sides have met 19 times, with Brazil winning 12, Paraguay 3, and 4 ending in draws.

However, the most recent meeting between the two teams went in favor of Gustavo Alfaro’s side: in September 2024, Paraguay defeated Brazil 1–0 in the South American qualifiers with a goal from Diego Gomez.

Facundo Tello will be the referee in charge of officiating Tuesday’s match between Brazil and Paraguay. The Argentine official has been active in his country’s top division for over a decade and has held FIFA international status since 2019.

Full officiating crew:

Referee: Facundo Tello

Assistant 1: Juan Pablo Belatti

Assistant 2: Gabriel Chade

Fourth official: Nazareno Arasa

VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo

AVAR: Nicolas Lamolina

Paraguay come into Tuesday’s match against Brazil in second place in the standings with 24 points, tied with Ecuador. To clinch qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup today, they need to earn a better result than Venezuela. That means if the latter draw against Uruguay, Paraguay must win. But if Venezuela lose, a draw in Brazil would be enough for Paraguay.

Brazil entered Matchday 16 of the South American qualifiers in fourth place in the standings with 22 points. To secure their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup today, they need to beat Paraguay and hope that Venezuela lose to Uruguay.

With just under an hour to go before kickoff, Brazil and Paraguay have confirmed their starting lineups.

Carlo Ancelotti has chosen the following starting XI for Brazil: Alisson Becker; Vanderson, Marquinhos, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Alex Sandro; Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes; Raphinha, Matheus Cunha, Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Martinelli.

Paraguay’s coach, Gustavo Alfaro, has selected this XI: Roberto Fernandez; Juan Caceres, Gustavo Gomez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso; Diego Gomez, Andres Cubas, Mathias Villasanti, Julio Enciso; Miguel Almiron, Antonio Sanabria.

Among the notable absentees for Brazil in this match against Paraguay is Neymar. The Santos forward was not called up by head coach Carlo Ancelotti for the June international break to prioritize his full physical recovery, though he is expected to rejoin the squad ahead of the World Cup.

In addition to Ney, other key players missing Tuesday night include Real Madrid’s Rodrygo Goes, Eder Militao, and Endrick. Newcastle’s Joelinton is also unavailable.

The Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo will host Tuesday night’s match between Brazil and Paraguay.

It’s the home stadium of Corinthians, one of Brazil’s most popular clubs. Opened in 2014 just months before it hosted matches for the FIFA World Cup, the venue cost $435 million to build and currently seats 49,205 fans.

The match between Brazil and Paraguay for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers is scheduled to kick off at 8:45 PM (ET).

You can watch Brazil vs Paraguay live in the United States on Fubo (7-day free trial).

Welcome to our live blog for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This Tuesday, Brazil and Paraguay go head-to-head, and we’ll be bringing you real-time updates from this highly anticipated match!

Stay with us for key details on both teams, and once the whistle blows, follow the minute-by-minute action right here!