Argentina Beats Brazil 4-1, Clinches 2026 World Cup Spot

Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions, postponed their celebrations for a brief moment after officially securing their spot at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday—just before their highly anticipated clash with Brazil.

Bolivia's 0-0 draw against Uruguay earlier in the day guaranteed Argentina a place in next year's tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With that, Argentina had a comfortable enough cushion in South American qualifying to clinch one of the continent's coveted six direct spots for the expanded 48-team World Cup.

After confirming their qualification, Argentina delivered a dominant 4-1 victory over their archrivals Brazil in front of 85,000 fans at the Monumental de Núñez Stadium. This win came despite the absence of Lionel Messi, who is currently sidelined with an adductor injury.

The loss marked Brazil’s worst-ever defeat in South American World Cup qualifying history, putting even more pressure on coach Dorival Júnior, who took over in January 2024. Brazil now sits in fourth place with 21 points—10 behind Argentina, though just two points shy of second-place Ecuador, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Chile. Uruguay and Paraguay also have 21 points, while Colombia is one point behind in sixth. Venezuela's 1-0 win over Peru kept them in seventh with 15 points.

Despite missing key players like goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhães, and midfielder Bruno Guimarães, Brazil failed to mount any real challenge throughout the match.

This victory was historic for Argentina, as it marked their first-ever World Cup qualifying double over Brazil, having already defeated them 3-0 in the previous fixture. It was also their first home win against Brazil since securing a spot in the 2006 World Cup.

Argentina, who have topped South American qualifying from the start, delivered a strong performance despite Messi's absence, with coach Lionel Scaloni opting not to feature the 37-year-old star in several recent games, fueling speculation about Messi's participation in the 2026 tournament.

Argentina wasted no time asserting control, scoring twice within the first 12 minutes thanks to a combination of precise passing and some defensive lapses by Brazil. Julián Álvarez opened the scoring in the 4th minute, capitalizing on a failed clearance attempt by Marquinhos, Murillo, and Guilherme Arana, before slotting the ball between goalkeeper Bento's legs. Just eight minutes later, Enzo Fernández doubled the lead, tapping in from close range after a low cross from Gonzalo Molina.

Brazil responded with a goal in the 26th minute, courtesy of Matheus Cunha, who pounced on a mistake by Cristian Romero, who lost possession just outside the box. However, Argentina quickly restored their two-goal advantage, with Alexis Mac Allister finishing off a well-timed ball from Enzo Fernández in the 37th minute to make it 3-1.

Brazil tried to regroup at halftime, introducing João Gomes and making substitutions in defense and attack, but they couldn't stem the tide. Argentina sealed the game in the 71st minute when Giuliano Simeone fired in a fourth goal to leave Brazil reeling.

After the match, Brazil's captain Marquinhos acknowledged the collective responsibility for the defeat: “All of us can do better than this. It isn't only about Dorival. This is not just the coach's fault; the players are also to blame. We need to focus and reset. Argentina also faced difficult times and overcame them. We can do the same.”

With their World Cup place secured, Argentina will now look ahead to defending their title, while Brazil faces an uphill battle to regain momentum in the final stretch of qualifying.