Bolivia pulled off a major upset on Tuesday night, defeating five-time world champions Brazil 1-0 to secure a berth in the intercontinental playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The decisive moment came in first-half stoppage time in La Paz, where Miguel Terceros calmly converted a penalty to hand Bolivia a dramatic victory. 

The result dealt a blow to Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil, who dropped to fifth place in the South American standings.

With the win, Bolivia now advance to the playoff stage, where they will compete alongside two CONCACAF teams, and one team each from Africa, Asia, and Oceania for two remaining spots at the World Cup, set to be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. 

The playoff matches are scheduled for March in Monterrey and Guadalajara.

Elsewhere on the final day of South American qualifying, Ecuador edged out reigning champions Argentina 1-0 in a tense clash in Guayaquil, despite both teams having already secured their tickets to the World Cup.

Argentina were reduced to 10 men after Nicolás Otamendi was sent off in the 31st minute. Ecuador capitalised on the advantage with Enner Valencia converting a penalty just before halftime. 

Although Ecuador’s Moisés Caicedo was also shown a red card in the 50th minute, the hosts held on to seal the win and move up to second place in the standings.

Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi, who played what was expected to be his final official home match last Thursday, did not feature in the game.

Source: BBC

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