Miguel Terceros scored from a penalty in the first half and Bolivia downed Brazil 1-0 on Tuesday in South American qualifying which sent the Bolivians to the playoff tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Bolivia's gain was at the expense of Venezuela, who were in the driving seat but lost 6-3 at home to Colombia.

Under Oscar Villegas, Bolivia are aiming to qualify for their fourth World Cup and first since 1994.

Terceros converted in the 45th minute for Bolivia, who defeated Brazil at home for the first time since 2019.

- Who qualified for the 2026 World Cup this week?

The playoff tournament will involve six nations and will be played in March's international window to decide the last two spots for the World Cup to be played next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After the loss, Brazil federation president Samir Xaud and manager Carlo Ancelotti were critical of the officiating and the ball boys. 

Balls were thrown onto the pitch in the last stages of the game to disrupt Brazil's attacks.

"Officials have to control that," Ancelotti said. "Not players, coaches, or the president."

Xaud added: ""We came to play football, and what we saw from the moment we arrived was a completely anti-game," Xaud said.

"Even at this altitude of 4,000 meters, we played against the referees, the police, and the ball boys, who were taking the balls off the field and putting them on the field. It was a real mess.

"This isn't what we expect for world football or South American football. What we want is to grow even further. This kind of attitude, especially when playing at altitude, is difficult. I hope CONMEBOL takes action, precisely because we have everything recorded. This can't happen; it's absurd."

Xaud also complained about how local police treated their delegation since they arrival in Bolivia but offered no details.

"The police were horrible against the entire team, the entire coaching staff," he said. "It's something we don't expect. We welcome all the teams very warmly, we embrace them. We put everything at their disposal, and when we play outside of Brazil, especially here, the reception we receive here is absurd. I'm outraged."

Brazil ended the campaign fifth in the standings, with 28 points, their worst finish in their World Cup qualifying history.

Against Bolivia, Ancelotti, who took charge of the national team in May following the sacking of Dorival Júnior, made numerous changes to the side that beat Chile 3-0 last week.

Despite the loss, Ancelotti preferred to focus on the positives.

"That [World Cup] is the goal," Ancelotti said. "I think we'll do well in the World Cup.

"Based on the team's performance in the games, I have the utmost confidence in the team to make the World Cup a success and to fight every game."

Uruguay, Colombia and Uruguay were the final recent South American teams to qualify for next year's World Cup last week and the final round of the qualifiers was meant to decide the team to advance to the international playoff.

Colombia, who finished in third place, rolled past Venezuela with a big night from striker Luis Suárez, who scored four goals.

Suárez, a Sporting CP player, scored in the 42nd, 50th, 59th and 67th minutes. Yerry Mina in the 10th and Jhon Cordoba in the 75th also scored.

Also on Tuesday, Enner Valencia scored on a penalty kick late in the first half and Ecuador defeated reigning champions Argentina 1-0 in a feisty game in which both teams finished with 10 players on the field.

The 35-year-old Valencia converted in the 45th minute for the Ecuadorians, who finished second in the CONMEBOL standings with 29 points behind the Argentinians' 38.

Lionel Messi, who played his last official match at home last Thursday, did not feature.

Meanwhile, Uruguay finished the qualifying tournament with a scoreless draw against Chile, and Paraguay defeated Peru 1-0.