Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela have reached the semi-finals of the 2026 CONMEBOL Under-20 Futsal Championship in Barquisimeto.
The four teams advanced from a 10-nation field after the group phase concluded at the Domo Bolivariano. The semi-finals and classification programme begin at the same venue on Saturday 3 October.
Brazil completed the opening stage unbeaten with two wins and two draws. Colombia had also secured qualification before the final round, while Chile and Venezuela claimed the other two places in the final four.
Brazil finish the group stage unbeaten
Brazil’s final group match ended in a 2-2 draw with Argentina on Thursday 1 October. Sebastián Benítez put Argentina ahead before Vini Dias, who plays for Corinthians, equalised during the first half.
Benítez restored Argentina’s lead after the interval, but Jaraguá player Caetano scored Brazil’s second equaliser. The result preserved Brazil’s unbeaten record and closed a campaign in which the team had already guaranteed progress one round earlier.
Brazil’s 14-player squad is drawn from clubs in the Liga Nacional de Futsal. The national side entered the tournament with the strongest historical title record in the South American under-20 competition.
Argentina began the event as the defending champion after winning the 2024 edition, but the 2-2 draw was not enough to place the holders in the semi-final field. Their next assignment will instead be a classification match.
Venezuela complete the semi-final line-up
Venezuela confirmed its place among the last four with a 3-0 victory over Colombia in the final round. Colombia had already qualified, so both sides remained in the championship bracket when the group programme ended.
The same matchday also brought an 11-6 win for Uruguay over Paraguay and a 2-1 victory for Ecuador against Peru. Those results completed the information needed for the classification schedule as well as the semi-final line-up.
CONMEBOL’s format sends the top two teams in each group into the semi-finals. The remaining teams compete in fixtures that establish fifth, seventh and ninth place, keeping the final phase focused on both the title and the tournament’s other finishing positions.
The tournament brings together all 10 CONMEBOL member associations. With only four semi-final places available, the group phase separated the teams still competing for the championship from those moving into the placement matches.
Brazil and Colombia had secured their semi-final places by the fourth round, according to CONMEBOL. Chile and Venezuela then completed the quartet in the final group round, leaving Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador to contest the classification programme.
Classification fixtures confirmed
Argentina will face Paraguay for seventh place on Saturday. Bolivia and Peru will meet in the ninth-place match, while Uruguay and Ecuador will contest fifth.
The schedule leaves Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela as the four teams still able to win the championship. Brazil reach the knockout stage with an unbeaten record, while Venezuela enter it immediately after a three-goal victory over another semi-finalist.
For Argentina, the classification match marks an early end to their title defence. Brazil, by contrast, remain in position to add to the country’s record in the age-group tournament after navigating all four group fixtures without defeat.
The final phase will be played at the Domo Bolivariano in Barquisimeto. The final phase will include the title fixtures and the confirmed classification matches.
Saturday’s programme will therefore include both the three confirmed placement fixtures and the start of the championship final phase. The group-stage format has placed Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela in the title bracket, while the other six associations will establish their final positions through the matches for fifth, seventh and ninth place.