Upsets rocked qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada across all world football governing body Fifa member federations. Qatar 2022 World Cup winners Argentina were upstaged 2-0 by Uruguay in front of their own fans via goals from Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez either side of the breather. It was the second consecutive match day that 1930 and 1950 World Cup winners Uruguay have upset the applecart following their 2-0 victory over five time champions Brazil on match day three.
Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, Brazil are the World Cup’s most successful side but they are currently in free-fall. Caretaker manager Fernando Diniz is under immense pressure ahead of next Tuesday’s collision with traditional rivals Argentina after the Selecao fell 2-1 to Colombia on Friday morning. Playing without injured record scorer Neymar da Silva Santos Jr, record the five time champions fell to two second half goals by Liverpool winger Luis Diaz despite taking a first half lead through Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli.
Diniz has been serving in a caretaker capacity since Tite resigned after Selecao’s Qatar 2022 implosion at the hands of Croatia. Brazil’s third consecutive setback following their 1-1 home draw with Venezuela and 0-2 loss in Uruguay raises further question marks over Diniz’s durability as a manager. Speculation is rife, current Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will take over national team duties at the end of the 2023/4 season.
In the Africa zone qualifiers, the continent’s most populous nation and football powerhouse Nigeria were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Lesotho on home turf. On a day of surprises, paperweights Burundi upstaged Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarter finalists Gambia 3-2 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania whereas Mozambique’s Mambas prevailed over Botswana’s Zebras by the same score line in Francistown.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah scored four times as record African champions Egypt clobbered Djibouti 6-0 in Cairo. Algeria’s Desert Fenecs, who stunned the world by beating eventual losing finalists West Germany 2-1 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, dismissed rank outsiders Somalia 3-1 whereas Gabon needed a last minute goal to overcome Kenya’s Harambee Stars 2-1. On Wednesday, Democratic Republic of Congo tamed Mauritania 2-0 at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa.
AFRICA
Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho
Rwanda 0-0 Zimbabwe,
Burundi 3-2 Gambia,
Botswana 2-3 Mozambique,
Gabon 2-1 Kenya,
Egypt 6-0 Djibouti,
Algeria 3-1 Somalia,
Sudan 1-1 Togo,
Cape Verde 0-0 Angola,
Ethiopia 0-0 Sierra Leone
Eq Guinea 1-0 Namibia
SOUTH AMERICA
Bolivia 2-0 Peru
Venezuela 0-0 Ecuador,
Chile 0-0 Paraguay,
Colombia 2-1 Brazil,
Argentina 0-2 Uruguay
