The final spherical of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings a symbolic however very totally different matchup in Santiago. On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Chile will host Uruguay, with Fede Valverde at entrance, on the Monumental David Arellano Stadium. For La Roja, the sport is little greater than a formality, as they’ve already been eradicated from rivalry. For Uruguay, already certified, it’s an opportunity to fine-tune their squad forward of the World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Chile is enduring one of many darkest chapters in its trendy soccer historical past. The nationwide crew has now missed three consecutive World Cups, an unimaginable fall for a aspect that when boasted legends like Alexis Sánchez, Arturo Vidal, and Claudio Bravo.
Led by interim coach Nicolás Córdova, promoted from the youth setup, Chile has appeared out of solutions. Their most up-to-date consequence, a 3-0 loss to Brazil, left them anchored close to the underside of the standings. Over your complete qualifying marketing campaign, La Roja managed simply two wins, 4 attracts, and eleven defeats.
To make issues worse, Chile has not scored in its final 5 matches and has misplaced eight of its final 9. Taking part in at house might present some consolation, however with morale and confidence at historic lows, even securing a draw towards a robust Uruguay seems to be like a large problem.
Chile fails to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Uruguay already getting ready for the World Cup
Uruguay enters this match in a a lot totally different place. After a convincing 3-0 victory over Peru in Montevideo, Marcelo Bielsa’s squad sealed its ticket to the World Cup with video games to spare. The Celeste at the moment sits third within the desk, with an assault that has discovered consistency and steadiness.
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Though Uruguay’s away kind has been inconsistent—they’ve managed only one highway win throughout the qualifiers, a powerful upset of Argentina—they arrive in Santiago at full power. Darwin Núñez returns to steer the assault, whereas Ronald Araújo and Nahitan Nández are additionally anticipated again within the lineup after serving suspensions.
For Bielsa, this match represents greater than factors—it’s a possibility to solidify his crew’s chemistry and take a look at lineups forward of the 2026 World Cup.
Possible lineups
Chile: Viguru; Díaz, Maripán, Román, Ormazábal; Loyola, Pizarro, Suazo; Cepeda, Aravena, Tapia.
Uruguay: Rochet; Nández, Araújo, Cáceres, Piqueréz; Valverde, Bentancur, De Arrascaeta; Pellistri, Rodríguez, Núñez.
With nothing left to play for, Chile will hope to finish their disappointing marketing campaign with pleasure in entrance of their followers. Uruguay, in the meantime, sees this conflict as the proper rehearsal earlier than the World Cup, with Bielsa fine-tuning a squad brimming with expertise.
