South America

No shaky legs, no big mistakes to regret. Perú beat Paraguay 2-0 and secured fifth place in CONMBEBOL qualifiers on Tuesday night, earning the ticket for an intercontinental World Cup playoff against Australia or the United Arab Emirates. 

Perú and Paraguay Highlights

Perú just needed five minutes to take away the pressure thanks to Italian-born Gianluca Lapadula. El Bambino finished gracefully an exquisite assist from Christian Cueva and started the celebrations accross the whole nation. 

After coming off injured in the 31st minute of the Orlando Pride's 1-0 NWSL Challenge Cup defeat to North Carolina on Saturday, six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta confirmed the worst on her Instagram account Monday morning — the Brazilian legend has suffered a knee ligament injury and will undergo surgery. 

Marta said she'll be out "for a while," but the 36-year-old also said "now it's time to focus on my recovery to get back to doing what I love most, representing my country, my people and my team."

Uruguay and Ecuador secured the last two CONMEBOL direct tickets to the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday, joining already qualified Brazil and Argentina. The only thing left up for grabs now on the continent is the slot in the inter-confederation playoff against AFC (Asia). Those in contention are Perú, Colombia and Chile.

Last stop in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and there are still a few spots for the 2022 World Cup up for grabs. Brazil and Argentina are already on the plane, while Ecuador, Uruguay, Perú, Chile and Colombia are still fighting for two direct tickets and one inter-confederation playoff slot. 

What do they need to fulfill their dreams? Here we have a guide with the results that could send them to Qatar.

The final major international window before the World Cup begins Monday and lasts through early next week with crucial matches being contested across UEFA, CONMEBOL, Concacaf, CAF, AFC and OFC. We'll know 29 of the 32 competing nations in Qatar after this period, with only the inter-confederation playoffs (two spots) and a delayed European playoff final (one spot) to go. 

The planets aligned and will bring a lot of derbies around the world this weekend. Yes, you are probably very aware of El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday, but Spain is not the only country where the land will tremor with the passion of its fans. 

Derbies around the world you can watch this weekend

Here is a list of the heated rivalries you will be able to witness, in chronological order.

I don't know what Ronaldinho's appearance fee is, but it was met by the World Soccer Hall of Fame in Pachuca, Mexico, on Tuesday night as the legendary Brazilian showed up and provided a short induction speech. No, I had no idea there was a World Soccer Hall of Fame in Pachuca either.

The fellow inductees of Ronaldinho's class were Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, Spanish striker Raúl, Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos and Swedish coach Pia Sundhage. They weren't at the ceremony, but Ronaldinho was genuinely touched by the honor and fought back tears during his speech.