Neymar injured, Messi breaks a new record and Uruguay beat Brazil | CONMEBOL WCQ Matchday 3 & 4

The 2026 World Cup may seem distant, but the World Cup qualifiers have already kicked off in South America. Let's take a look at the current standings as we wrap up matchday 3 and 4.

One of the major headlines in these early qualifiers is the unfortunate injury to Neymar. During Brazil's match against Uruguay, Neymar had to leave the field on a stretcher after sustaining a blow to his left knee. The extent of his injury remains uncertain at this point. Brazil, struggling in this round, went on to lose the match 2-0 in Montevideo after a previous draw with Venezuela in Brazil. It's been a challenging qualifying round for Fernando Diniz's squad, and their upcoming matches against Colombia and Argentina promise to be crucial.

In contrast, Lionel Messi had a standout performance this round. The Argentine star scored two goals against Peru, a team he had never scored against before. This achievement has elevated Messi to the position of having the most World Cup qualifying goals for CONMEBOL in history, totalling 31 goals. Messi continues to rewrite records with every match he plays, and as a result, Argentina now leads the table after this round.

Paraguay celebrated their first victory of the qualifying round by defeating Bolivia, with Sanabria contributing a crucial goal to their win.

Venezuela has been on a high, following a surprising draw with Brazil and a subsequent 3-0 victory against Chile. Despite defeating Peru 2-0 last week, they remain just below the qualifying contention threshold.

Uruguay managed a remarkable 2-0 victory over Brazil and also secured a 2-2 draw against Colombia. However, their next challenge is against Argentina in the upcoming round.

As it stands in the current qualifiers, Argentina leads the pack with 12 points, followed by Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. Paraguay currently occupies the playoff contention spot, with Chile, Peru, and Bolivia trailing behind.

Looking ahead, Matchday 5 and 6 are scheduled for next month in mid-November. Afterward, CONMEBOL will pause its World Cup qualifiers until September 2024. With a considerable amount of time remaining, there's the potential for significant developments and surprises in the upcoming matches. Football fans around the world eagerly await the unfolding drama in the South American World Cup qualifiers.

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