Venezuela eye crucial win over Colombia to secure play-off spot

Venezuela welcomes Colombia with the challenge of winning to secure a place in the Playoffs that gives them a chance to play in the World Cup

Venezuela and Colombia will play from 20.30 at the Municipal Stadium of Maturín, for the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup , in a new edition of the Border Classic.

After the defeat against Argentina, Vinotinto needs to win to qualify for the playoffs without depending on what happens between Bolivia and Brazil. On the other hand, the team led by Néstor Lorenzo is already qualified after obtaining the first victory of the year against the highlanders.

Venezuela is the only South American selection that has never played the World Cup , but with Fernando Batista on the bench, they are hopeful that this streak could come to an end. They still have chances to play the World Cup playoffs, which has a new format and will take place in March 2026. Venezuela only needs to win to access the playoffs, regardless of the result between Bolivia and Brazil.

On the other hand, Colombia was going through a marked decline in its game after the defeat in the final of the 2024 Copa América against Albiceleste, going from an unbeaten run of 28 matches, to only two victories in ten matches since then. However, they thrashed Bolivia 3-0 in Barranquilla in the last match and in addition to securing their passage to the World Cup , they are hopeful of showing the level they used to have, with the special spice of having the chance to leave their historic rival out in a new edition of the Border Classic.

Venezuela: Rafael Romo; Jon Aramburu, Nahuel Ferraresi, Wilker Ángel, Christian Makoun, Miguel Navarro; Tomás Rincón, Cristian Cásseres; Eduardo Bello, Jefferson Savarino and Salomón Rondón. Coach: Fernando Batista.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.