South America sent six teams straight to the finals. World champions Argentina topped the marathon table, with Ecuador a stubborn second, then Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The drama was all at the bottom of the qualification line. On the final day Bolivia beat Brazil 1-0 — a Miguel Terceros penalty — to leap into seventh and the intercontinental play-off, while Venezuela collapsed 6-3 in Colombia and missed out yet again. Bolivia's reward was a play-off place; Venezuela's wait goes on.
Champions in numbers
Argentina last 12 months · 11 matches| Goals for/game | 2.6 |
| Goals against/game | 0.5 |
| xG for/game | 1.6 |
| xG against/game | 0.7 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 64% |
| Both teams score | 9% |
| Corners/game | 4.8 |
| Yellow cards/game | 1.5 |
| Shots on target/game | 5.9 |
What the numbers say
- a high-scoring side: over 2.5 goals in 64% of games
- a tight defence — just 0.5 conceded per game
- a strong attack — 2.6 goals per game
- often one-sided for goals: both teams score in just 9%
- out-finishing their xG
Source: ScanGoal database (national-team matches, last 12 months)
Qualifying in numbers — our database
| Matches analysed | 213 |
| Avg goals per game | 2.4 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 45% |
| Both teams score | 36% |
Source: South America (CONMEBOL) qualifiers in the ScanGoal database
Group previews featuring CONMEBOL sides: Argentina (J), Brazil (C), Colombia (K), Uruguay (H). Source: Wikipedia.