South America CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 Qualifiers – Betting Guide & Match Info

The CONMEBOL is the footballing association for the South American continent and has 10 member associations. These are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Each country’s national team will compete in a round-robin qualifying league with home and away matches. This ensures each team will play 18 matches, with fixtures pre-set depending on the team position in a draw, which takes place before any matches are played.

After all matches are played, the countries in the top 4 places will qualify for the FIFA World Cup group stage. The country placing 5th will advance to an intercontinental playoff, where they will face a team from the AFC (Asia), CONCACAF (North America) or OFC (Oceania), depending on the playoff draw. The playoff will consist of a home and away match with the winner, decided via the aggregate score, making it through to the FIFA World Cup.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, CONMEBOL giants Brazil and Argentina have already secured qualification for Qatar 2022. Brazil will be aiming to win their sixth World Cup crown before manager Tite leaves his post, while Copa America holders Argentina have one last shot at gifting Lionel Messi the ultimate prize in football, one that he richly deserves. This is perhaps the most balanced and cohesive La Albiceleste outfit of the 21st century, and they should certainly be considered as one of the favourites to go all the way later this year. Both sides have gone unbeaten in qualifying through 15 games.

Regarding the remaining two automatic qualification spots, five sides are in contention: Ecuador, Uruguay, Peru, Chile and Colombia.

Ecuador are in a brilliant position to qualify automatically, despite only mustering a pair of draws in their two most recent outings. That being said, one was a valuable point against group leaders Brazil. Since falling to a surprise 2-1 defeat in Venezuela last October, Ecuador have enjoyed a five-game unbeaten run, leaving them in third spot with 25 points from 16 games. Their victory over Chile last November was massive to their qualification bid, with the Chileans flagging down in sixth.

Alexis Sanchez’s Chile just about have a shot of automatic qualification, but they’ll likely be vying for fifth place and an intercontinental play-off spot. A 3-2 victory over Bolivia during the last international break breathed fresh life into their campaign ahead of two difficult bouts against Brazil and Uruguay. The latter currently sit in the final automatic qualification spot, having racked up 22 points. Their recent wins over Paraguay and Venezuela has handed them the advantage over Peru, Chile and Colombia.

It’s been a miserable qualifying campaign for 2014 World Cup quarter-finalists Colombia. They’ve won just three of their 16 matches thus far, yet they remarkably still have a shot of qualification heading into the final two matchdays. Colombia have two favourable matches to conclude and they could end their 18 games with 23 points, which might be enough. However, they’ll need several results to go their way.

At the very bottom of the table, Bolivia, Paraguay and Venezuela have been eliminated from contention. None of these sides have been abysmal, however, with bottom of the pile Venezuela winning three games on their way to a ten-point haul. Bolivia stunned Uruguay last November, winning 3-0, while Paraguay held Argentina to a stalemate last October. Overall, the CONMEBOL qualifiers have been competitive throughout.

Chile and Colombia have left themselves with all to do on the final two matchdays if they’re to secure passage into this year’s World Cup. While Colombia should be expected to pick off both Bolivia and Venezuela in their final two games, that likely won’t be enough. Thus, we expect the recent 2014 quarter-finalists to miss out with Bolivia, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

That leaves Ecuador, Uruguay, Peru and Chile fighting for three spots – two being automatic qualification and the other being a place in the intercontinental playoff.

Ecuador should get the point they need away in Paraguay on Matchday 17 to see them qualify automatically. Uruguay and Peru, meanwhile, face off in a huge clash that’ll go a long way to determining the final standings of the CONMEBOL qualification table. In that one-off encounter, we'd back the home side, Uruguay, to get the job done. Their tenacious midfield combined with the veteran quality they possess up top should see them home on the big night.

However, Peru should bounce back at home to Paraguay on Matchday 18 to qualify for the intercontinental playoff in fifth, behind Uruguay in fourth and Ecuador in third.

Chile’s tough finale (away at Brazil, home to Uruguay) could culminate in a pair of frustrating draws, which means Colombia may usurp them in the standings.

At the top, Brazil and Argentina will face off once more following the controversial postponement of their first scheduled fixture in qualifying. Any wise punter knows that’ll end in a stalemate, leaving Brazil as the likely group winners with Lionel Scaloni’s side finishing in second.

Neymar Jr – The Brazilian superstar has registered a combined 15 goals and assists in qualifying, which leads the way by some distance. He is a showman, and one of the sports remaining entertainers. His creativity and top-notch dribbling skills have made him a difficult player to defend against, even for the very best. He averages the highest number of successful dribbles per 90 minutes during the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers (six).

Lionel Messi – There was no way we could leave this legend out. After basically carrying La Albiceleste to a Copa America victory last summer, Messi has been ever-present in the World Cup qualifiers thus far, and is the second-leading scorer for the team with six strikes. This is the final quest for La Pulga to lift the World Cup, which means that all of his upcoming encounters for Argentina are a must-watch.

Marcelo Moreno – As the Bolivian captain, he may not be one of the most popular players in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, however, he has got ten goals to his name – something no one else has at the time of writing. The 34-year-old player, who played for the Brazilian under-18 and under-20 sides, has chosen to represent the national team of Bolivia (his mother is Bolivian). He is one of those pure target men who always stands a chance of finding a goal if presented with the opportunity.

Giovani Lo Celso – The current Villarreal star has had some great performances, which surely caught theattention of Lionel Scaloni. The Argentine coach has deployed Lo Celso down both wings, to great results. He has managed to supply his teammates five assists and has emerged as a creative force for the national team after struggling to settle at Tottenham. The compatriot of Lo Celso, and former Spurs teammate, Cristian Romero has established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe, and he will certainly be key in the quest for Argentina to achieve World Cup glory later this year.

Juan Cuadrado – The experienced Colombian, known for his crossing skills and samba silk, has been supporting his national team with consistent levels of performance up and down the right flank. His work rate is nothing short of exceptional as he continues to threaten opposition defence with dribbles, which will get him into good spots from which he can cross the ball in for a shot on goal. He has been a valuable veteran member of Juventus over the past couple of years, where he is impressed in both defence and midfield.

Alexis Sanchez – Despite not getting as many starts for Inter as he wishes, Alexis Sanchez is always ready whenever Chile needs him. He has played 13 games in qualifying thus far, scoring five times and adding three assists which leads the Chilean ranks. The positional fluidity he offers when it comes to playing as a wide attacker in a 4-3-3, a striker in a 4-4-2 or an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-1-2 is something that coach Rivera likes. His influence on the team is important, and he has also been designated captain more than once. When Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel and Alexis are on the pitch at the same time, the fighting spirit of this team reaches peaks, and there is just no limit to the relentlessness of Chile then.

Federico Valverde – Playing in the middle of the field, he is known for his incredible work rate and is responsible for a great number of tackles and interceptions, which normally result in changes in possession in the favour of Uruguay. To back up this claim, Valverde currently holds the medal for the most interceptions (28). His compatriot, Rodrigo Bentancur, leads the way for tackles won (25) and the pair combine to make up a dogged Uruguayan midfield. Bentancur is another to keep an eye on. After struggling as the regista of Andrea Pirlo last season, Bentancur has enjoyed a bright start to life at Tottenham under the studious eye of Antonio Conte.

In 2018, Peru qualified for the group stage for the first time since 1982.

Paraguay failed to qualify for the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups after qualifying for 4 consecutive times.

Bolivia last qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1994, and before that was in 1950.

Ecuador qualified for their first ever FIFA World Cup in 2002.

Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia are the 4 countries to have successfully qualified for the past 2 FIFA World Cups.

10 goals – Marcelo Moreno (BOL)

7 goals – Neymar Jr (BRA), Luis Suarez (URU), Lautaro Martinez (ARG)

6 goals – Michael Estrada (ECU), Lionel Messi (ARG)

5 goals – Alexis Sanchez (CHI), Christian Cueva (PER)