MONTEVIDEO (AP) — Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay secured their spots in the 2026 World Cup in the next-to-last round of South American qualifiers.

The Uruguayans and Colombians had 3-0 wins Thursday, and the Paraguayans had a scoreless draw to advance to the global tournament along with already qualified Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador.

Peru, which needed wins in the last two rounds to advance, is now out of contention following the loss to Uruguay.

James Rodriguez opened the scoring for Colombia in the 31st minute while John Cordoba and Juan Fernando Quintero added second-half goals to secure the win over Bolovia.

World Cup champion Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 with two goals by Lionel Messi and remained well clear at the top of the South American standings.

AP soccer: https://apn

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