Olympic Champions Brazil Shocked 1-0 by Paraguay in 2024 Qualifier 

Football - South America Olympic Games Qualifiers - Brazil v Paraguay - Estadio Brigido Iriarte, Caracas - February 5, 2024 Paraguay's Leonardo Rivas celebrates after Fabrizio Peralta scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - South America Olympic Games Qualifiers - Brazil v Paraguay - Estadio Brigido Iriarte, Caracas - February 5, 2024 Paraguay's Leonardo Rivas celebrates after Fabrizio Peralta scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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Olympic Champions Brazil Shocked 1-0 by Paraguay in 2024 Qualifier 

Football - South America Olympic Games Qualifiers - Brazil v Paraguay - Estadio Brigido Iriarte, Caracas - February 5, 2024 Paraguay's Leonardo Rivas celebrates after Fabrizio Peralta scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - South America Olympic Games Qualifiers - Brazil v Paraguay - Estadio Brigido Iriarte, Caracas - February 5, 2024 Paraguay's Leonardo Rivas celebrates after Fabrizio Peralta scores their first goal. (Reuters)

Olympic champions Brazil suffered a setback in their bid to secure a place at this year's Paris Games after their under-23 team slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat by Paraguay on Monday in the final four South American qualifying tournament.

Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Venezuela are competing in a round robin final qualifying stage for the 2024 Games, with only the top two securing berths in Paris.

Fabrizio Peralta's header in the final seconds of the first half was enough to give Paraguay, who last competed at the Olympics in 2004, an unexpected victory.

Brazil's teenage prodigy Endrick, who will join Real Madrid later this year, squandered a chance to put the 2020 Tokyo Games gold medalists ahead when he missed a penalty after 29 minutes.

In a later qualifying game, a last-gasp penalty from substitute Kevin Kelsy snatched a 2-2 draw for Venezuela against Argentina.

Javier Mascherano's side finished the game with nine men after Valentin Barco and Gonzalo Lujan were sent off, while Venezuela's Bryant Ortega also received a red card.

Brazil will next face Venezuela, who beat them 3-1 in the preliminary stage earlier this month, on Thursday. Paraguay's next fixture will be against Argentina.

The qualifiers, being held in Caracas, wrap up on Feb. 11.



Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia Grouped Together in Third Round of Asian World Cup Qualifying 

Japanese former footballer Shinji Okazaki holds up Australia's name during the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw for Asian Football Confederation teams in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2024. (AFP) 
Japanese former footballer Shinji Okazaki holds up Australia's name during the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw for Asian Football Confederation teams in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2024. (AFP) 
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Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia Grouped Together in Third Round of Asian World Cup Qualifying 

Japanese former footballer Shinji Okazaki holds up Australia's name during the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw for Asian Football Confederation teams in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2024. (AFP) 
Japanese former footballer Shinji Okazaki holds up Australia's name during the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw for Asian Football Confederation teams in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2024. (AFP) 

Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia will face each other in the third round of Asia’s World Cup qualification for a third cycle in a row following Thursday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.

The three powerhouses, with 19 World Cup appearances between them, have been placed in Group C with Bahrain, China and Indonesia.

Asia’s automatic allocation has increased from four teams in 2022 to eight in 2026. The top two from each of the three groups of six will qualify for the World Cup, while the six teams that finish third and fourth will progress to the fourth round of qualification to play off for two more places.

Group A consists of Iran, which has appeared at the last three World Cups, and Asian champion Qatar, the 2022 host seeking to qualify for a first time. Uzbekistan can make a first appearance, as can Central Asian neighbor Kyrgyzstan. The United Arab Emirates made it in 1990, while North Korea qualified in 1966 and 2010.

South Korea will record an 11th successive World Cup appearance if it can finish in the top two of Group C. Of the five opponents for the 2002 semifinalist only Iraq, in 1986, and Kuwait, in 1982, have made it before. Jordan, Oman and the Palestine round out the group.

The third round will kick off in September and end in June 2025.