South American teams have second worst World Cup start of the century
Argentina shone in the debut of the 2026 World Cup and defeated Algeria 3-0, in Kansas City, with three goals from Lionel Messi. Colombia also did well and beat debutants Uzbekistan 2-1 in Mexico City.
The other South American teams, however, disappointed - including Brazil. The first round marked the South Americans' second worst start at the World Cup this century.
With six representatives from South America in the current edition of 48 teams, the South American teams have a 44% success rate, with two wins, two draws and two defeats.
In addition to the results from Argentina and Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay drew 1-1 with Morocco and Saudi Arabia, respectively, while Ecuador lost to Ivory Coast, 1-0, and Paraguay was devastated by the hosts United States, suffering a 4-1 defeat.
The performance of the South Americans in this year's edition represents a significant worsening compared to the 2022 World Cup, when Argentina became champions in Qatar. On that occasion, the continent's success in the first round was 58.3%.
The campaign began with Ecuador beating Qatar 2-0, with Argentina defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1 afterwards. Brazil then defeated Serbia 2-0 and Uruguay drew goalless with South Korea.
The best start of the South American teams in the century came in the 2006 World Cup, when the continent achieved 75% success in the first round.
In that edition, all teams debuted with victory, with Ecuador defeating Poland 2-0, Argentina beating Ivory Coast 2-1 and Brazil beating Croatia 1-0. The only negative result was Paraguay's 1-0 defeat to England. The campaign also had one of the best collective starts on the continent, with three wins in four matches and no draws. Italy ended up as the great champion that year.
The 2026 performance is only ahead of the 2018 World Cup, when the South Americans had just 33.3%. This year's campaign is also below 2002 (46.6%), 2014 (66.6%) and 2010 (73.3%).
There are no more fools in football
The stumbles of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador also drew attention because they occurred against non-traditional opponents in world football. The Brazilian team was largely dominated in the first 15 minutes of the draw with Morocco, which looks nothing like the team that was run over by Ronaldo and co in the 1998 World Cup.
With a solid project of hegemony on the African continent, the Moroccans occupy sixth place in the FIFA rankings and were semi-finalists in the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
"It was scary", admitted full-back Danilo about the pressure suffered by Brazil in the 1-1 draw with Morocco, in Group C. "There was a lot of internal expectation to play a big game, of dominance, of pressure at all times. When the opposite happens, with the opponent having several chances, it is not easy to manage", said full-back Danilo, at a press conference in the United States, about the draw."
Among the bad results of the South Americans, the 4-1 defeat suffered by Paraguay against the North Americans, in a Group D game, was the result that attracted the most attention. Although football is not the most popular sport in the USA, the host team played brilliantly and left the Paraguayans on the ropes.
Those who are not used to following the world stage may find the score strange, but it is worth highlighting the distance between the countries in the FIFA rankings. While Paraguay, which has had prominent names such as Romerito, Gamarra, Arce, Chilavert and Roque Santa Cruz, occupies 42nd position, the USA, which seeks to boost football on American soil, especially after Messi's arrival, is already 15th.
"Obviously, the United States won fair and square. We knew he was a complete opponent. They surpassed us on tactical, technical and physical levels. We have to adjust. We have two matches to go. We need to work quickly. Accepting the mistakes and difficulties we had", commented Gustavo Alfaro, coach of Paraguay.
Marcelo Bielsa, coach of Uruguay, did not hide his irritation at the draw with Saudi Arabia, in a match in which the celestial team was notably superior, but he had to make up for the loss to at least equal the score of 1-1, in a Group H game.
"A rival that we should overcome. We conceded minutes in the first half, which does not indicate that we did things well. Football that is still, without dynamics, without pressure, without depth. We had to win our match", he lamented.
Who also expressed dissatisfaction was Sebastian Beccacece, coach of Ecuador, who complained about the refereeing for not sending off a player from Ivory Coast, who won 1-0 in stoppage time of the Group E match.
With Messi at the top, see what the historic World Cup score is like
Source: CNN