International Update...

Won't dwell on the UEFA Nations League - Ireland are going to beat England tomorrow and that is all we need to know...


CONMEBOL WCQ
Quite a round of fixtures, but nothing quite as dramatic as Uruguay vs Colombia in the early hours.
After a pretty quiet first half, Colombia leading through Juan Quintero, the second half exploded into life. Davinson Sanchez scored an own goal and Rodrigo Aguirre put Uruguay into the lead. Colombia seemed to save a point in the 96th minute thanks to a Carlos Gomez goal. United midfielder Manuel Ugarte, though, had other ideas and netted in the 102nd minute to put Uruguay level on points with their opponents. Some way to end a goal drought for the Uruguayans.
Leaders Argentina were shocked by Paraguay, 2-1.
Brazil saw their short winning run come to an end with a draw in Venezuela.
Ecuador enhanced their chances with a 4-0 win over Bolivia.
Bottom 2, Chile and Peru played out an 0-0 which helps neither.

Standings

1 - Argentina - 22pts
2 - Uruguay - 19pts
3 - Colombia - 19pts
4 - Brazil - 17pts
5 - Ecuador - 16pts
6 - Paraguay - 16pts
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7 - Venezuela - 12pts
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8 - Bolivia - 12pts
9 - Peru - 7pts
10 - Chile - 6pts

Round 12 fixtures (Tuesday/Wednesday)
Bolivia vs Paraguay
Colombia vs Ecuador
Argentina vs Peru
Chile vs Venezuela
Brazil vs Uruguay


AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFYING
The big news is Ghana failed to qualify after a draw with group winners Angola
A lot of places are decided ahead of this weeks final game, with the following qualified: Morocco (hosts)Tunisia, Comoros, Gabon, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Zambia, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Mali, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Senegal, Burkina Faso.

5 places left to fight for this week. The competition is a bit earlier than usual, kicking off on 21st December 2025 until 18th January - meaning it covers the busy PL Christmas period.

AFC WCQ
We reached the halfway point, but still all up for grabs.
Iran have a 6 point gap to 3rd but had to work for a 3-2 win over North Korea. Iran led 3-0 at half time, but were reduced to 10 men early in the second half. By the hour mark NK had reduced the deficit to 1 and Mehdi Taremi had a nightmare 10 minutes where he scored an own goal and missed a penalty. They held on though. Uzbekistan lost to Qatar while UAE beat Kyrgyzstan meaning the Uzbeki's position is under threat, with them on 10pts and Qatar and UAE on 7.

South Korea continue their good form in Group B, beating Kuwait. It looks a fight for 2nd, with Jordan and Iraq drawing 0-0 and both on 8 points. Oman beat Palestine to go to 6 points.

Japan are clear in group C, with a 7 point advantage over the chasing pack. A 4-0 win over Indonesia today puts them within touching distance of WC26. The rest of the group is very tight, and 2nd and 3rd played out a 0-0. Australia and Saudi Arabia end that game with 6pts apiece - and China joined them on that total after beating Bahrain who are on 5 pts.

CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
A bit of a shock in the Quarter Finals first leg, with Honduras beating top seed Mexico 2-0. USA, Panama and Canada all won their away legs 1-0 against Jamaica, Costa Rica and Suriname respectively.

OFC WCQ
New Caledonia booked their place in the third round with a 3-2 win over Solomon Islands. Fiji sit second after a 3-3 draw with Papua New Guinea. A point will be enough for Fiji against New Caledonia - but defeat gives Papua a chance.
Unsurprisingly, New Zealand secured progression - an 8-1 win over Vanuata. It means a winner takes all clash between Vanuata and Tahiti concludes this group midweek, both on 3 points. A draw means Tahiti go through.

The third round is knockout, winner of group vs runner up of other group, then a final with the winner qualifying for the WC and the loser playing a inter-confed play-off.