This Thursday marks Matchday 17 of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers in South America. It’s the second-to-last match of the event, and lots of key outcomes can be determined forward of Tuesday’s ultimate spherical. In that context, Chile will face Brazil with out certainly one of their largest stars: Alexis Sanchez.
Sanchez won’t solely miss right this moment’s conflict in opposition to Brazil but in addition Tuesday’s recreation in opposition to Uruguay. That’s as a result of he was not included within the 28-man squad chosen by new head coach Nicolas Cordova, who’s making his official debut with Chile this week following the departure of Ricardo Gareca.
Cordova’s plan, aligned with the management of Chile’s Asociacion Nacional de Futbol Profesional (ANFP), seems to be centered round a big squad overhaul with an eye fixed on the longer term. That possible indicators the tip of an period for a number of nationwide icons, together with Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, and Charles Aranguiz.
This daring choice stems primarily from the disappointing outcomes Chile have suffered in recent times. After successful back-to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, they’ve persistently fallen wanting expectations—lacking out on the World Cups in Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and now the upcoming version within the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026.
Chile head coach Nicolas Cordova.
One other key purpose behind the gradual departure of stars like Sanchez, Vidal, and Aranguiz is age. With all of them nearing 40, it’s clear their finest taking part in days are behind them, and it’s solely logical for them to step apart to make room for youthful expertise.
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The affect of Alexis Sanchez in Chile
Of all of the gamers who’ve represented the Chilean nationwide staff in current a long time, Alexis Sanchez is arguably essentially the most influential. Since making his debut in 2006 at simply 17 years outdated, the ahead grew to become a cornerstone of the squad and shattered quite a few all-time data.
Sanchez is Chile’s all-time chief in appearances, with 168 caps—surpassing teammates Gary Medel, Claudio Bravo, and Arturo Vidal. He’s additionally the nation’s prime scorer, with 51 targets. On prime of that, he performed a significant position in securing the one two main titles in Chile’s historical past, in 2015 and 2016.
Chile with out Alexis Sanchez
Because the Nicolas Cordova period begins, Chile will showcase a revamped lineup that includes a number of younger gamers anticipated to shoulder the accountability of main the staff towards the 2030 World Cup.
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For Thursday’s match in opposition to Brazil, the brand new coach could have his first alternative to check that imaginative and prescient on the sphere. The projected beginning XI is: Lawrence Vigouroux; Gabriel Suazo, Benjamin Kuscevic, Matías Sepúlveda, Fabián Hormazábal; Rodrigo Echeverría, Felipe Loyola; Darío Osorio, Lucas Assadi, Lucas Cepeda; Gonzalo Tapia.
