Four South American countries will qualify directly for the Qatar World Cup 2022, while the fifth-placed team will compete in an inter-confederation play-off. Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay have qualified for the big event by confirming their place in the top four of the CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 qualifiers points standings. Peru, Colombia, and Chile are all waiting for the final matchday fixtures, thus the competition for fifth place is still wide open. Let’s take a look at who have the best chance of making the playoffs.
Favourites to finish fifth in the 2022 South American World Cup qualifiers
Brazil lead the CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 Qualifiers with 42 points from 16 games, followed by Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Peru, Colombia, and Uruguay will compete for fifth place to earn a playoff match against the fifth-placed team from the Asian World Cup Qualifiers. Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Let’s take a look at the CONMEBOL zone’s current point standings.
Peru
Peru have played 17 matches in the South American World Cup Qualifiers and have a total of 21 points. They are now at sixth position, just ahead of Colombia and Chile. If Peru defeat Paraguay in their last qualifier match at home, they will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs. Though Peru’s primary disadvantage is that they have an inferior goal differential than Colombia. Peru’s goal differential is minus five, thus they can’t afford to drop a point in the upcoming match.
Fixture
Match: Peru vs Paraguay | Date: March 30 | Time: 5.30 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time)
Colombia
Colombia are presently in sixth place with 20 points. They will go to Venezuela to play the home team in their last South American World Cup qualifier. Venezuela are at the bottom of the standings and will remain there at the end of the qualifiers. Therefore, Colombia are anticipated to defeat Venezuela. Furthermore, they have no choice but to defeat Venezuela in order to have a shot at a top-five finish.
Match: Venezuela vs Colombia | Date: March 30 | Time: 5.30 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time)
Chile
Chile are also in contention for the playoffs, behind Peru by only two points. Chile will face Uruguay in their final World Cup qualifier. They can finish fifth in the standings if Peru and Colombia lose points in their respective matches. If Peru draw against Paraguay and Chile beat Uruguay, both teams will have the same number of points. However, Chile will overtake Peru for fifth place thanks to a better goal difference.
Match: Chile vs Uruguay | Date: March 30 | Time: 5.30 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Bottom Line
The fifth-placed team from the CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 Qualifiers will face the fifth-placed team from the AFC qualifiers in June in Qatar. The winner of the match will play the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
According to the current South American qualifier standings, Peru are in a better position to finish fifth in the points standings. Peru’s last qualification match will be played at home, giving them an advantage going into the contest.
Oppositely, Colombia and Chile have a chance to finish fifth if they win their respective matches and if Peru lose against Paraguay. There would certainly be some spectacular contests on the last matchdays.
Source: United News of Bangladesh