On Tuesday, Argentina and Brazil both suffered defeats in their qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.

The Seleção lost 1-0 to Paraguay, a performance that could be described as particularly alarming given its four losses in the last five qualifying matches.

The five-time World Cup champion has slipped to fifth place in the rankings. The top six teams will automatically qualify for the 2026 competition, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Diego Gómez used the outside of his boot to curl a fabulous effort in off the post from the edge of the box to give Paraguay a winning goal at Asunción.

Moments after the goal by Gómez in the first half, Brazil almost drew level, but an intervention from Júnior Alonso denied Guilherme Arana’s effort from going across the line.

Apart from that, though, Brazil’s performance was pretty tepid. They dominated 71% of possession but managed only three shots on goal. Vinícius Jr. did have two chances early in the second half, but goalie Gatito Fernández blocked his attempts.

While a 1-0 win over Ecuador on Friday took some of the pressure off the team, Brazil’s poor performance under manager Dorival Júnior carried over into the World Cup qualifiers after Uruguay ousted it in the Copa América quarterfinals earlier this year.

Defender Marquinhos told TV Globo: “The coach is still working out the best way for us to play, which reflects in the result. We are short of confidence, and there are a lot of new players.

We are not at ease in qualifying; we must know how to deal with it. We are in a period of transition; we are not secure. We will work hard because the best solution is to do well on the pitch.

Albiceleste Loses to Colombia

Meanwhile, Albiceleste maintained its top ranking despite losing 2 -1 to Colombia in Barranquilla.

Captain James Rodríguez has long been a talisman for the Cafeteros, and he was instrumental in Tuesday’s win over the defending World Cup and Copa América champion. He set up Yerson Mosquera for a close-range header before scoring a second-half penalty kick.

Nicolás González of Argentina had equalized early in the second half, with Rodríguez restoring Colombia’s lead from the penalty spot into the top corner after Nicolás Otamendi’s foul was awarded following a VAR review.

Lionel Messi has yet to return for Argentina following his injury in the Copa América final in July. Still, manager Lionel Scaloni has spoken confidently that his star striker will be fit for when qualifying resumes in October.

Argentina sits two points clear of third-placed Colombia, which hasn’t suffered a single defeat after four wins and four draws. Argentina has won six of its eight World Cup qualification matches so far.

Brazil’s X Ban Sparks Outrage Among Bolsonaro Supporters Rallying for ‘Free Speech’

Encouraged by the government’s obstruction of tech tycoon Elon Musk’s X platform, they say is proof of their political persecution-supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro streamed onto Sao Paulo’s main avenue to mark an Independence Day rally.

Thousands of demonstrators jammed Av. Paulista, with many wearing green and yellow, are the colours of Brazil’s flag. Musk’s pictures and signs about X’s ban were everywhere.

One banner in support of the tech mogul read, “We are thankful you’re fighting for our freedom. “

On Saturday, Bolsonaro’s ability to organize support for local elections in October will be put to the test. The Brazilian electoral court forbade Bolsonaro from seeking office until 2030. This is also a sort of referendum on X, whose ban has stoked the fires of Brazil’s extreme political division while drawing criticism even from some of Bolsonaro’s detractors.

In the message Bolsonaro published to his Instagram account Saturday, he wrote, “A country without liberty can’t celebrate anything this day.” He called on Brazilians to join him in Sao Paulo instead of attending formal Independence Day celebrations.

After months of a public spat between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes on the bounds of free speech, the Supreme Court banned X countrywide on August 30. The influential judge has been at the forefront in efforts to stop the dissemination of false information by far-right users on social media, and he toughened enforcement after staunch supporters of Bolsonaro stormed Congress and the presidential residence on Jan. 8, 2023, in a bid to overthrow Bolsonaro’s defeat in the presidential election.

To Bolsonaro’s supporters, the ban is disapprovingly viewed as yet another way President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration and the judiciary are conspiring to undermine their movement.

In an interview, the staunch Bolsonaro supporter and politician Bia Kicis said, “Elon Musk has been a warrior for freedom of speech.” “The left doesn’t want the right to exist, so the right is being oppressed and massacred.”

We must raise our voices because our freedoms are in peril. March down the highway on Saturday, added retiree Amaro Santos. “De Moraes is a tyrant; he should be impeached, and people on the streets are the only thing that will convince politicians to do it.”

Described as a “free speech absolutist,” he has also called on Brazilians to attend the demonstration en masse by reposting someone else’s message, saying X’s ban had made people “aware that freedom isn’t free and needs to be fought for.” He also created an account named after the contentious jurist to post secret court rulings, telling X to close down accounts that were thought to be illegal.

Other Supreme Court judges supported de Moraes’ judgment to ban X, so it was anything but arbitrary. And though Brazil’s norms allow easier banning of speech online and offline than in the US, Musk has become a symbol of unfettered free speech and a cause celebre.

Court papers reveal that X has removed 226 accounts since 2019 for activities that “are harming Brazil’s democracy.” These reportedly include accounts of MPs associated with Bolsonaro’s party. However, it threatened to imprison its legal representative last month after X declined to take action against some accounts, after which X closed its local office. De Moraes ordered the countrywide suspension of the US-based corporation until it hired a new representative, as necessary to receive court orders. The US-based company refused.

Days later, the Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld the ban order issued by de Moraes, despite Musk’s apparent efforts to portray him as a tyrant keen on suppressing political speech.

The most contentious aspect of his verdict was the disproportionately large daily fine of $9,000 imposed on ordinary Brazilians found accessing X using virtual private networks, or VPNs.

“A few of those Supreme Court-adopted measures seem quite cumbersome and abusive,” said Andrei Roman, Atlas Intel’s chief executive, a Brazil pollster.
Yet, before the Saturday protest, a few politicians on the extreme right had brazenly sent messages on X to help rally protests after De Moraes had forbidden them. They only did this through a VPN.

Along with official events commemorating independence from Portugal, a rally is held in São Paulo. Over the past few years, the events have been controversial, as Bolsonaro used them as an opportunity to mobilize his base during his presidency.

Three years ago, his threat to ignore de Moraes’s rulings created a constitutional crisis for the country. Since then, he has softened his line of attack; such restraint is understandable in light of his precarious legal situation.

Since his term’s defeat in 2022, Bolsonaro has been charged twice; the most recent one was based on an investigation of money laundering from Saudi Arabian diamonds that he had not declared. De Moraes is investigating the Jan. 8 incident, including whether Bolsonaro participated in incitement.