Chile Prepares to Face Brazil in a Crucial World Cup Qualifier

In a critical match for the South American qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Chile is set to face Brazil on Thursday evening. The match will take place at 9 PM at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago. Under the leadership of Head Coach Ricardo Gareca, Chile aims for a victory that could rekindle its chances for World Cup qualification. However, La Roja faces a formidable opponent in Brazil, which will play without its star player Vinicius Jr. as it seeks to regain its form.

The Chilean national team is experiencing a challenging pre-World Cup campaign, which previously led to the dismissal of former coach Eduardo Berizzo. Gareca, who took over the team, had initially left a positive impression with victories over Albania and Paraguay, as well as a tightly-contested loss to France in pre-Copa América friendlies. Nonetheless, during the Copa América, Chile struggled, finishing without a win against Argentina, Peru, and Canada.

In the ongoing qualifiers, Chile has managed just one victory against Peru during the third matchday and is currently trying to recover from a string of three consecutive defeats to Ecuador, Argentina, and Bolivia. Following the game with Brazil, the Chilean team will head to Barranquilla to face Colombia.

In light of the significant events occurring in Santiago over these days, the Metro de Santiago has announced an extension of its operating hours. On Thursday, lines 3 and 6 will be in service until midnight to accommodate football fans attending the Chile versus Brazil match. Meanwhile, for Friday, extended operations on Lines 1 and 5 until 1:30 AM are planned for the attendees of Paul McCartney‘s ‘Got Back’ concert at Estadio Monumental. Additional bus services will also be available to assist concertgoers.