International Football
SOUTH AMERICA’S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING DRAW IN NUMBERS!
The South American qualifiers for the World Cup 2022 get underway in March 2020, but to whet your appetite for the draw, we bring you a statistical summary of one of the most exciting and difficult qualifying tournaments in world football.
707
The number of South American qualifying fixtures played – excluding intercontinental play-offs – since the first one was contested in 14 February 1954: a 4-0 win for Paraguay over Chile en route to that year’s FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.
240
The number of goals netted by Brazil, who top the scoring charts in the region’s qualifiers. If that were not impressive enough, A Seleção reached that figure despite having played just 110 games, the fewest of any CONMEBOL side. Their scoring average stands at 2.18 goals per game.
154
The number of qualifying matches played by Paraguay and Uruguay, the two South American countries with the most fixtures, including intercontinental play-offs.
75
The number of wins Argentina have recorded during World Cup qualifying, the most of any of the region’s sides. Colombia, meanwhile, have registered the most draws – 46 – and Venezuela the most defeats – 90.
73
The number of World Cup qualifiers played by Ecuador’s Ivan Hurtado, who holds the CONMEBOL record. The former defender took part in five qualifying competitions between USA 1994 and South Africa 2010, participating in two World Cups: Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006.
31
The number of consecutive matches in which Brazil went unbeaten – a South American record. The sequence began in 1954 and lasted until 1993, when the Auriverde went down to Bolivia in La Paz.
24
The number of times Colombia have faced Paraguay –the most-played fixture in the history of these qualifiers.
21
The number of goals racked up by the all-time top-scorers in the qualifiers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The Argentinian has played in 45 games, while the Uruguayan needed one less, 44. Argentinian Hernan Crespo (19) and Chilean Marcelo Salas (18) are next in the table.
9
The most goals scored in a South American qualifying game, so far happening on three occasions: in Chile’s 7-2 defeat of Colombia in 1965, Argentina’s 6-3 away win against Ecuador in 1960, and Peru’s triumph over Venezuela by the same score in 1965.
7
The number of consecutive editions of the South American qualifiers, including that beginning next March for Qatar 2022, in which a mini-league format across 18 matchdays will have been used. The current format was first introduced ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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