Matchday 17 of the South American qualifiers gave fans plenty to cheer about. Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 with two goals from Lionel Messi, in what may be his last home qualifier. Brazil and Uruguay also had no trouble, both winning 3-0 against Chile and Peru to secure their places. Colombia qualified after a 3-0 win over Bolivia, and Ecuador confirmed its spot despite only drawing with Paraguay.

For Paraguay, that 0-0 draw at home felt like a victory. It officially ended a 16-year wait to return to the World Cup, and the country erupted in celebrations. The government even declared Friday, September 5, a national holiday so everyone could share in the joy of making it back to football’s biggest stage.

Now six teams are already in: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia, and Paraguay. The final round will decide the last playoff spot, with Venezuela and Bolivia fighting for it. On the scoring side, Messi is leading with 8 goals, just ahead of Colombia’s Luis Díaz, making the race for top scorer almost as exciting as the qualification battles themselves.