2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
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The South American section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, for national teams which are members of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). A total of 4.5 slots (4 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for CONMEBOL teams.[1]
Dates8 October 2015 – 10 October 2017
Teams10 (from 1 confederation)
Matchesplayed90
Goals scored242 (2.69 per match)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 October 2015 – 10 October 2017 |
| Teams | 10 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 90 |
| Goals scored | 242 (2.69 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,365,010 (37,389 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Edinson Cavani(10 goals) |
← 2014 2022 → | |
Two-time defending Copa América champions Chile did not qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 3–0 loss to Brazil on the final day of qualifying campaign, resulting in a sixth-place finish. As a result, following intercontinental play-offs against the record five-time OFC Nations Cup champions New Zealand, Peru qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1982.
Format
The qualification structure was the same as for the previous five tournaments. The ten teams played in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fifth-placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Unlike previous qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined, the fixtures were determined by draw, which was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[2]
For scheduling reasons, Argentina and Brazil were automatically positioned as Teams 4 and 5 respectively to ensure that no team has to play both of them on any double matchday.[3][4] The remaining eight teams were drawn into one of the remaining eight positions from Teams 1 to 10 (except 4 and 5).
Entrants
All ten national teams from CONMEBOL entered qualification.[5]
Note: Bolded teams qualified directly for the World Cup. Peru advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Schedule
There were a total of 18 matchdays: four in 2015, eight in 2016, and six in 2017.[8]
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The inter-confederation play-offs were scheduled to be played between 6–14 November 2017.[9]
The fixtures for CONMEBOL qualification were decided based on the draw positions, as follows:
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Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
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| 1 | Brazil |
18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 41 | 11 | +30 | 41 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | — | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Uruguay |
18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 20 | +12 | 31 | 1–4 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Argentina |
18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 28 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Colombia |
18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 27 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | Peru |
18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 26 | Inter-confederation play-offs | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 3–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | |
| 6 | Chile |
18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 26 | 27 | −1 | 26 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 7 | Paraguay |
18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 24 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | ||
| 8 | Ecuador |
18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 20 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 9 | Bolivia |
18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 38 | −22 | 14 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 4–2 | ||
| 10 | Venezuela |
18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 35 | −16 | 12 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 5–0 | — |
Matches
Matchday 1
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 44,000
Referee: Antonio Arias (Paraguay)
Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
Attendance: 42,000
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (Ecuador)
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Julio Bascuñán (Chile)
Matchday 2
| Ecuador | 2–0 | Bolivia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
| Brazil | 3–1 | Venezuela |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Matchday 3
| Ecuador | 2–1 | Uruguay |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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| Chile | 1–1 | Colombia |
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Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
Attendance: 45,316
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
| Argentina | 1–1 | Brazil |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires
Attendance: 53,000
Referee: Antonio Arias (Paraguay)
Matchday 4
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 46,000
Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador)
| Venezuela | 1–3 | Ecuador |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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| Uruguay | 3–0 | Chile |
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| Brazil | 3–0 | Peru |
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Matchday 5
| Ecuador | 2–2 | Paraguay |
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| Peru | 2–2 | Venezuela |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Matchday 6
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 38,400
Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)
| Paraguay | 2–2 | Brazil |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Matchday 7
| Bolivia | 0–3 Awarded[note 2] | Peru |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 37,099
Referee: Daniel Fedorczuk (Uruguay)
| Ecuador | 0–3 | Brazil |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Matchday 8
| Chile | 3–0 Awarded[note 3] | Bolivia |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Ricardo Marques (Brazil)
Matchday 9
| Ecuador | 3–0 | Chile |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
| Brazil | 5–0 | Bolivia |
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| Peru | 2–2 | Argentina |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Matchday 10
| Bolivia | 2–2 | Ecuador |
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Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 47,000
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
| Chile | 2–1 | Peru |
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Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
Attendance: 38,662
Referee: Roddy Zambrano (Ecuador)
Matchday 11
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 45,916
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
| Paraguay | 1–4 | Peru |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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| Venezuela | 5–0 | Bolivia |
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Matchday 12
| Ecuador | 3–0 | Venezuela |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
Attendance: 46,011
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
Matchday 13
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 39,000
Referee: Ricardo Marques (Brazil)
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
| Venezuela | 2–2 | Peru |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
Matchday 14
Attendance: 34,136
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
Matchday 15
Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal
Attendance: 38,479
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
Matchday 16
| Colombia | 1–1 | Brazil |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 46,500
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)
| Ecuador | 1–2 | Peru |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Roberto Tobar (Chile)
Matchday 17
Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal
Attendance: 32,100
Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Attendance: 47,000
Referee: Ricardo Marques (Brazil)
Matchday 18
| Brazil | 3–0 | Chile |
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Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
| Ecuador | 1–3 | Argentina |
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Inter-confederation play-offs
The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg.[3] The fifth-placed team from CONMEBOL was drawn against the first-placed team from OFC, with the CONMEBOL team hosting the second leg.[16]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand  |
0–2 | Peru |
0–0 | 0–2 |
Qualified teams
The following five teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Winners | 28 March 2017 | 20 (all) (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) |
| Uruguay | Runners-up | 10 October 2017 | 12 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2010, 2014) |
| Argentina | Third place | 10 October 2017 | 16 (1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) |
| Colombia | Fourth place | 10 October 2017 | 5 (1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014) |
| Peru | OFC v CONMEBOL play-off winners | 15 November 2017 | 4 (1930, 1970, 1978, 1982) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
There were 242 goals scored in 90 matches, for an average of 2.69 goals per match.
10 goals
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Dani Alves- Lucas Lima
- Marcelo
- Miranda
- Roberto Firmino
Lucas Biglia- Ramiro Funes Mori
- Gonzalo Higuaín
- Ezequiel Lavezzi
- Nicolás Otamendi
Gilbert Álvarez- Rudy Cardozo
- Alejandro Chumacero
- Yasmani Duk
- Marcelo Moreno
- Ronald Raldes
Felipe Gutiérrez
Abel Aguilar- Juan Cuadrado
- Teófilo Gutiérrez
- Yerry Mina
- Sebastián Pérez
- Macnelly Torres
Gabriel Achilier- Michael Arroyo
- Frickson Erazo
- Ángel Mena
- Arturo Mina
- Jefferson Montero
- Cristian Ramírez
- Antonio Valencia
Júnior Alonso- Lucas Barrios
- Édgar Benítez
- Víctor Cáceres
- Óscar Cardozo
- Paulo da Silva
- Richard Ortiz
- Cristian Riveros
- Ángel Romero
- Óscar Romero
- Antonio Sanabria
- Bruno Valdez
André Carrillo- Paolo Hurtado
- Christian Ramos
- Raúl Ruidíaz
- Renato Tapia
Sebastián Coates- Abel Hernández
- Nicolás Lodeiro
- Álvaro Pereira
- Carlos Sánchez
- Federico Valverde
Richard Blanco- Yangel Herrera
- Juanpi
- Jacobo Kouffati
- Jhon Murillo
- Mario Rondón
- Salomón Rondón
- Christian Santos
1 own goal
- Marquinhos (against Colombia)
- Arturo Vidal (against Paraguay)
- David Ospina (against Peru)
- Édgar Benítez (against Peru)
- Diego Godín (against Bolivia)
- Gastón Silva (against Bolivia)
- Rolf Feltscher (against Argentina)
2 own goals
- Gustavo Gómez (against Bolivia and Uruguay)
Notes
- FIFA awarded Peru a 3–0 win as a result of Bolivia fielding the ineligible player Nelson Cabrera, after Bolivia had defeated Peru 2–0. Nelson Cabrera had previously represented Paraguay and did not meet eligibility rules.[11]
- FIFA awarded Chile a 3–0 win as a result of Bolivia fielding the ineligible player Nelson Cabrera, after the match had finished 0–0. Nelson Cabrera had previously represented Paraguay and did not meet eligibility rules.[11]
- Chile were sanctioned by FIFA to play one home match (against Bolivia on 6 September 2016) away from Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago due to homophobic chants by the team's fans, with a possible ban on a second match subject to a probation period of two years.[12] Since Chile committed another infringement during this period, a second match ban on playing at Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos will be served (against Venezuela on 28 March 2017).[13] Chile was sanctioned with a ban on playing at Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos for two further matches (against Paraguay on 31 August 2017 and against Ecuador on 5 October 2017) after similar incidents.[14]
- The match between Peru and Bolivia was originally scheduled to be played at the Estadio Nacional, but was moved to the Estadio Monumental "U" due to poor conditions of the pitch at the Estadio Nacional.[15]