2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
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The South American section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, 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]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 October 2020 – 29 March 2022 |
| Teams | 10 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 89 |
| Goals scored | 223 (2.51 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,369,058 (15,383 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | (10 goals) |
← 2018 2026 → | |
The qualification process began on 8 October 2020 and ended on 29 March 2022. Uruguay's Luis Suárez scored the first goal of the round-robin. This was the third time Suárez had opened scoring in the group (after 2010 and 2014), as well as the fourth consecutive time a Uruguayan player had done so (Martín Cáceres scored the first goal of the 2018 process).[2]
Format
On 24 January 2019, the CONMEBOL Council decided to maintain the same qualification structure used for the previous six tournaments.[3] The ten teams play in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches.
The fixtures were determined by a draw which was held on 17 December 2019, 10:00 PYST (UTC−3), at the Bourbon Asunción Convention Hotel in Luque, Paraguay.[4][5][6][7][8]
Originally, Brazil and Argentina were both to be drawn into either position 4 or 5 in the draw, thus ensuring that no team has to play both of them on any double matchday.[9] However, the decision was later reversed on 16 November 2019 by the CONMEBOL Council, making the draw completely open.[10]
The CONMEBOL Council approved the use of the video assistant referee system for the qualifiers.[11]
Entrants
All 10 national teams from CONMEBOL entered qualification.
Note: Bolded teams qualified for the World Cup. Peru advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Schedule
The qualifying matches are played on dates that fall within the FIFA International Match Calendar.[3][13] There are a total of 18 matchdays. Originally eight matchdays would be in 2020 and ten would be in 2021.[14][15]
On 12 March 2020, FIFA announced that matches on matchdays 1–2 due to take place in March 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the new dates to be confirmed.[16]
On 25 June 2020, FIFA announced that the inter-confederation play-offs, originally scheduled to be played in March 2022, were moved to June 2022.[17]
On 10 July 2020, FIFA announced that the CONMEBOL qualifiers in September 2020 were postponed, with the qualifiers starting in October 2020. CONMEBOL also requested FIFA to include a replacement international window in January 2022 in order to complete the qualifiers in March 2022.[18] The proposal was approved by FIFA on 18 August 2020.[19] On 6 March 2021, FIFA announced that the March 2021 matches (matchdays 5 and 6) were postponed due to travel and quarantine restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] These matches were rescheduled to be played in September and October 2021 after FIFA accepted the CONMEBOL's request to allow triple matchdays in both September and October international windows.[21][22][23] Matchday 5 was played between matchdays 11 and 12, while matchday 6 was played between matchdays 9 and 10.[24][25][26]
| Matchday | Date(s) | Matches | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revised | Previous date | Original | ||
| Matchday 1 | 8–9 October 2020 | N/a | 26 March 2020 | 1 v 9, 2 v 5, 4 v 6, 7 v 3, 8 v 10 |
| Matchday 2 | 13 October 2020 | 31 March 2020 | 3 v 4, 5 v 7, 6 v 8, 9 v 2, 10 v 1 | |
| Matchday 3 | 12–13 November 2020 | 3 September 2020 | 2 v 1, 4 v 5, 6 v 10, 8 v 7, 9 v 3 | |
| Matchday 4 | 17 November 2020 | 8 September 2020 | 1 v 4, 3 v 8, 5 v 9, 7 v 6, 10 v 2 | |
| Matchday 7 | 3–4 June 2021 | 12 November 2020 | 1 v 7, 3 v 2, 4 v 10, 6 v 5, 8 v 9 | |
| Matchday 8 | 8 June 2021 | 17 November 2020 | 2 v 8, 5 v 1, 7 v 4, 9 v 6, 10 v 3 | |
| Matchday 9 | 2 September 2021 | 25 March 2021 | 3 v 1, 5 v 8, 6 v 2, 9 v 4, 10 v 7 | |
| Matchday 6 | 5 September 2021 | 30 March 2021 | 13 October 2020 | 1 v 6, 3 v 5, 4 v 8, 7 v 2, 10 v 9 |
| Matchday 10 | 9 September 2021 | 7 September 2021 | 30 March 2021 | 1 v 10, 2 v 9, 4 v 3, 7 v 5, 8 v 6 |
| Matchday 11 | 7 October 2021 | N/a | 3 June 2021 | 1 v 2, 3 v 9, 5 v 4, 7 v 8, 10 v 6 |
| Matchday 5 | 10 October 2021 | 25–26 March 2021 | 8 October 2020 | 2 v 4, 5 v 10, 6 v 3, 8 v 1, 9 v 7 |
| Matchday 12 | 14 October 2021 | 12 October 2021 | 8 June 2021 | 2 v 10, 4 v 1, 6 v 7, 8 v 3, 9 v 5 |
| Matchday 13 | 11 November 2021 | N/a | 2 September 2021 | 1 v 8, 3 v 6, 4 v 2, 7 v 9, 10 v 5 |
| Matchday 14 | 16 November 2021 | 7 September 2021 | 2 v 7, 5 v 3, 6 v 1, 8 v 4, 9 v 10 | |
| Matchday 15 | 27–28 January 2022 | 7 October 2021 | 2 v 3, 5 v 6, 7 v 1, 9 v 8, 10 v 4 | |
| Matchday 16 | 1 February 2022 | 12 October 2021 | 1 v 5, 3 v 10, 4 v 7, 6 v 9, 8 v 2 | |
| Matchday 17 | 24–25 March 2022 | 11 November 2021 | 1 v 3, 2 v 6, 4 v 9, 7 v 10, 8 v 5 | |
| Matchday 18 | 29 March 2022 | 16 November 2021 | 3 v 7, 5 v 2, 6 v 4, 9 v 1, 10 v 8 | |
| Replay from matchday 6 | 21 September 2022 | N/a | 4 v 8 | |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 5 | +35 | 45 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | — | Canc.[a] | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 8 | +19 | 39 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |||
| 3 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 28 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 4–1 | |||
| 4 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 26 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | — | 1–2 | 6–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |||
| 5 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 22 | −3 | 24 | Inter-confederation play-offs | 2–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 23 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |||
| 7 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 26 | −7 | 19 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | |||
| 8 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 16 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | |||
| 9 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 42 | −19 | 15 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 4–0 | — | 3–1 | |||
| 10 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 34 | −20 | 10 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | — |
- The match on 5 September 2021 was suspended after five minutes at 0–0, after Argentina walked off because Brazilian health officials entered the pitch demanding the isolation of four Argentine players accused of violating the COVID quarantine rules. It was scheduled to be replayed on 21 September 2022, but was eventually cancelled, with both teams already qualified.
Matches
Matchday 1
| Paraguay | 2–2 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Brazil | 5–0 | |
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Matchday 2
| Bolivia | 1–2 | |
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| Ecuador | 4–2 | |
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| Peru | 2–4 | |
|---|---|---|
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Matchday 3
| Bolivia | 2–3 | |
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| Chile | 2–0 | |
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Matchday 4
| Uruguay | 0–2 | |
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| Paraguay | 2–2 | |
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| Peru | 0–2 | |
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Matchday 7
| Bolivia | 3–1 | |
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| Brazil | 2–0 | |
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Matchday 8
| Ecuador | 1–2 | |
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Matchday 9
| Bolivia | 1–1 | |
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| Venezuela | 1–3 | |
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| Peru | 1–1 | |
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Matchday 6
Matchday pushed back in revised schedule and then cancelled.
| Uruguay | 4–2 | |
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Matchday 10
| Uruguay | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pereiro |
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| Argentina | 3–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Matchday 11
| Venezuela | 1–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ramírez |
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Matchday 5
Matchday pushed back in revised schedule.
| Argentina | 3–0 | |
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Matchday 12
| Bolivia | 4–0 | |
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| Brazil | 4–1 | |
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Matchday 13
Matchday 14
| Chile | 0–2 | |
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Matchday 15
| Ecuador | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Torres |
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Casemiro |
| Chile | 1–2 | |
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Matchday 16
| Uruguay | 4–1 | |
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| Peru | 1–1 | |
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Matchday 17
Matchday 18
| Bolivia | 0–4 | |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (CONMEBOL) |
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| Ecuador | 1–1 | |
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Replay from matchday 6
Inter-confederation play-off
The inter-confederation play-offs was determined by a draw held on 26 November 2021. The fifth-placed team from CONMEBOL qualification was drawn against the AFC fourth round winners.[56] The play-off was played as a single match in Qatar (host country of the World Cup) on 13 June 2022.[57]
Qualified teams

The following four teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | 11 November 2021 | 21 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) | |
| Runners-up | 16 November 2021 | 17 (1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) | |
| Third place | 24 March 2022 | 13 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018) | |
| Fourth place | 24 March 2022 | 3 (2002, 2006, 2014) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
There were 223 goals scored in 89 matches, for an average of 2.51 goals per match.
10 goals
8 goals
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Julián Alvarez
Ángel Correa
Rodrigo De Paul
Leandro Paredes
Cristian Romero
Víctor Ábrego
Diego Bejarano
Boris Céspedes
Marc Enoumba
Roberto Fernández
Bruno Miranda
Rodrigo Ramallo
Fernando Saucedo
Ramiro Vaca
Moisés Villarroel
Arthur
Casemiro
Bruno Guimarães
Rodrygo
Vinícius
Mauricio Isla
Jean Meneses
Marcelino Núñez
Juan Cuadrado
Radamel Falcao
Jefferson Lerma
Roger Martínez
Yerry Mina
Duván Zapata
Robert Arboleda
Xavier Arreaga
Beder Caicedo
Jordy Caicedo
Carlos Gruezo
Piero Hincapié
Miguel Almirón
Gastón Giménez
David Martínez
Robert Morales
Antonio Sanabria
Luis Advíncula
Yoshimar Yotún
Agustín Álvarez
Rodrigo Bentancur
Maxi Gómez
Darwin Núñez
Gastón Pereiro
Eduard Bello
Luis Mago
Josef Martínez
Eric Ramírez
Yeferson Soteldo
1 own goal
José María Carrasco (against Brazil)
Piero Hincapié (against Paraguay)
Notes
- The Peru v Brazil match was originally scheduled on 13 October 2020, 21:15 local time,[27] but was rescheduled to 19:00 local time since Peru had a curfew which begins at 23:00 as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic.[28][29]
- The Chile v Colombia match was originally scheduled on 13 October 2020, 20:00 local time,[27] but was rescheduled to 21:30 local to avoid a clash with a scheduled political broadcast in Chile about a constitutional plebiscite.[30]
- The match on 5 September 2021 was suspended after five minutes at 0–0, after Argentina walked off because Brazilian health officials entered the pitch demanding the isolation of four Argentine players accused of violating the COVID quarantine rules.[34][35][36] It was initially rescheduled to 22 September 2022 at a location to be defined by the Brazilian Football Confederation,[37][38] later set to 21 September, and finally cancelled by FIFA on 16 August,[39] with both teams already having qualified.
- The Argentina v Uruguay match was relocated from Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero[41][42] to Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, after the matchday 5 was postponed.[43]
- The Argentina v Colombia match was relocated from Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires[47][48] to Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba.[49]
- The Brazil v Chile match, originally scheduled to be played at Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador,[50] was relocated to Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro due to restrictions on the capacity of the stadiums in the State of Bahia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[51]