Giorgian de Arrascaeta sent Uruguay to the World Cup with the only goal of the game against Peru on Thursday, a result that also booked Ecuador’s ticket to Qatar, with a helping hand from Brazil.
Ecuador slumped to a 3-1 defeat in Paraguay but still qualified for a World Cup for the just the fourth time – all this century – thanks to Uruguay’s victory and already-qualified Brazil’s 4-0 win over Chile.
Nineteen teams have now qualified for the finals in Qatar later this year, with 13 spots still available.
With Argentina, who play Venezuela on Friday, also already qualified, Peru and Chile will now vie for the fifth-place intercontinental play-off spot from the single South American qualification group alongside Colombia, who emphatically ended a seven-match goalless streak with a 3-0 win over Bolivia.