Peru vs Brazil

High-flying Brazil head to the Estadio Nacional de Lima to encounter Peru in their second 2026 World Cup qualifying fixture.

Despite being reduced to ten men on the stroke of halftime in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, Peru stood firm at the back, eking out a 0-0 draw. However, their form in 2023 cannot inspire much confidence ahead of Brazil’s visit (W1, D2, L2). Neither can the fact they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet in three of their five internationals this calendar year. Considering they’ve lost their last four matches against the ‘Selecao,’ including the most recent three without scoring, another looms for Peru, whose last World Cup qualification dates back to 2018. That’s also the only time they’ve reached the final tournament since 1982, highlighting the pressure on manager Juan Reynoso to take advantage of the new extended format.

Visiting Brazil won’t care much about the increase from four to six direct CONMEBOL qualification spots, given they’ve finished on top of the South American qualifying group in their last four campaigns. Neymar’s history-defining performance inspired the ‘Selecao’ to a thumping 5-1 home win over Bolivia in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier, with the ex-Barcelona and PSG ace leapfrogging Pele at the top of the nation’s all-time goalscoring charts with 79 goals. Interim boss Fernando Diniz shouldn’t take anything for granted, at least based on Brazil’s topsy-turvy record in four internationals this calendar year (W2, L2). Moreover, his men have played out three draws across their last four World Cup qualifiers (W1).