South America World Cup Qualifiers: Interesting Player Props for This Week’s Action
by Bradley Gibbs | by Tyler Doty
For South American countries, the qualifying process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is now two thirds done and dusted, but there’s still plenty to play for.
Over the next week or so, two more rounds of fixtures will take place, giving the likes of Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador a chance to strengthen their already promising positions inside the automatic qualification sports, while nations such as Bolivia, Venezuela and Chile can keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the world’s most premier footballing competition.
Ahead of these upcoming games, I wanted to see if I could pinpoint a couple of interesting player prop angles. After some digging, I’m confident that I’ve done just that. Here we go!
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Paraguay vs Chile: Julio Enciso to Score or Assist
The first of the World Cup Qualifiers taking place in South America this week begins on Thursday, when Paraguay and Chile face off at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, kicking off at 19:00 EST.
Ahead of this game in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, I like the look of young home-team forward Julioe Enciso to make a telling contribution by either scoring or assisting.
This looks like a sizable opportunity for the hosts, who’ve been strong at home and who will absolutely be looking to get on the front foot here. The Chileans have struggled away, where they are without a win in three qualifiers, two of which they’ve lost, conceding seven goals in the process.
As for Enciso, well, the 21-year-old comes into this fixture off the back of playing a leading role for his nation when last in action, scoring and assisting against Bolivia. Given his eye for a pass in the final third and his fondness for shooting, pulling the trigger no less than eight times in his last three appearances for Paraguay, Enciso can easily be the one to make an incision in the Chilean rearguard.
Given an average of 0.40 goals and assists per 90 minutes in qualifying so far, odds of +180 are worth taking.
Brazil vs Colombia: James Rodrigues to Score or Assist
The second game that I’m looking at here is also due to take place on Thursday evening, when Brazil and Colombia will clash at Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in the city of Brasília.
This is certainly a game that the hosts will hope to win, though they’ve not been infallible of late, winning none of their last two qualifiers, keeping a clean sheet in neither of those games, so don’t be surprised if the Colombians do some damage here, as they did when the teams met at the Copa America last summer.
Looking at the early lines, I can’t resist a bet on Colombian talisman James Rodriguez, who even at 33 remains a key player for his nation.
Now into the twilight of his career, the man who famously scored one of the finest World Cup goals of all time back in 2014 continues to produce the goods for his nation, scoring once and assisting twice during the current qualification campaign.
In qualifying so far, Rodriguez has produced an average of 2.48 shots per 90 minutes, as well as 1.01 shots on target, while he’s also averaging 0.68 goals and assists per 90 minutes, plus he registered an assist when the teams last met in qualifying (late 2023).
At odds of +333, the clever Colombian, who has always been a big-game player, looks generously priced to produce something decisive in this game.
Ecuador vs Venezuela: Enner Valencia to Score
My third port of call ahead of the upcoming qualifiers in South America will be the game between Ecuador and Venezuela, which is due to be played on Friday at 17:00 EST.
I’ll be honest, against a weak Venezuela defense, I’m finding it hard to look beyond Ecuadorian goal machine Enner Valencia, who at 35 continues to bang them in for his nation.
Not only has Valencia notched three goals in qualifying so far, scoring when Ecuador were last in action on home soil, but he comes into this game having recently scored with regularity at club level, scoring last time out for Brazilian Serie A International, for whom he’s now scored three goals in his last three games.
We know that the visitors have struggled defensively on their travels, conceding multiple goals in each of their four away games during the current qualification campaign, while we also know that the hosts have created plenty (and scored plenty) at home, so don’t be surprised if the main man gets a few chances here. At odds of +170, I’m betting that he takes at least one.
