Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay qualify for the 2026 World Cup

MONTEVIDEO (AP) — Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay secured places at the 2026 World Cup in the next-to-last round of South American qualifiers.

The Uruguayans and Colombians had 3-0 wins Thursday, and the Paraguayans had a scoreless draw to advance to the global tournament along with already qualified Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador.

“It’s a good way to qualify. The team’s offensive play was strong, there were also many highlights in individual performances," Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said.

Peru, which needed wins in the last two rounds to advance, is now out of contention following the loss to Uruguay.

“It hurts to lose, it hurts because of the effort the players put in, but today the opponent outclassed us,” Peru coach Oscar Ibanez said.

James Rodriguez opened the scoring for Colombia in the 31st minute while John Cordoba and Juan Fernando Quintero added second-half goals to secure the win over Bolivia.

The Colombians return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It will be the Colombian team’s seventh appearance in the World Cup. After a debut in Chile in 1962, Colombia made three consecutive appearances between 1990 and 1998, and repeated in 2014 and 2018.

“This jersey has given me so much. I’m grateful for everything I’m doing,” said James, who is aiming to play in his third World Cup. “I’ve always given everything and I’ll keep the good things for myself.”

World Cup champion Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 with two goals by Lionel Messi and remained well clear at the top of the South American standings.

Also on Thursday, Estêvão, Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Guimaraes scored as Brazil got a 3-0 win over Chile to ascend to second place in the standings.

The 18-year old Estêvão, who plays for Chelsea, scored his first goal with the national team in the 38th, Paquetá followed with a strike in the 72nd and Guimaraes added one on the 76th.

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Paraguay's Alejandro Gamarra, back, and Junior Alonso embrace after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after their match against Ecuador at Defensores del Chaco in Asuncion, Paraguay, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Players of Colombia celebrate their team's 3-0 victory over Bolivia at the end of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Metropolitano stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombia's Juan Fernando Quintero (20) celebrates with teammate Johan Mojica after scoring his side's third goal against Bolivia during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match at Metropolitano stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Uruguay's Rodrigo Aguirre, right, celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Peru during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Uruguay's Rodrigo Aguirre, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Peru uring a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.

Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.

On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.

No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.

After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.

Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)