Uruguay will face Colombia in Barranquilla this Thursday in the third round of the 2026 South American World Cup qualifiers. Colombia started strongly with four points from two matches, while Uruguay suffered defeat to Ecuador in their second match after winning their first match.
Colombia are determined to return to the World Cup after missing out last in Qatar. They are on an unbeaten run since March 2022, winning seven of nine friendlies. Nestor Lorenzo took over for Colombia last July and they started the qualifiers with a win against Venezuela and a draw in Chile. With four points from two matches and a solid unbeaten run, they look to keep the momentum going in this round.
Uruguay, on the other hand, is aiming to secure its fifth consecutive World Cup appearance, having failed to reach the 2022 World Cup, finishing third in its group. Under the new management of Marcelo Bielsa, they started with wins in the friendly and a 3-1 victory against Chile in their first qualifier. However, they faced a setback in their second game, losing to Ecuador.
Now Uruguay are set to take on key matches against Colombia and Brazil, looking to gain an early advantage in the qualification campaign.
Colombia Predicted lineup (4-3-3):
Vargas; Arias, Sanchez, Cuesta, Machado; Uribe, Rodriguez, Barrios; Sinisterra, Borre, Diaz
Uruguay Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):
Rochet; Araujo, Vina, Caceres, Piquerez; Valverde, Ugarte; Canobbio, De La Cruz, Pellistri; Nunez