That expanded field means Argentina is already well on its way to a World Cup return, but the table is tightening as Brazil continue to recover after a slow start, while Colombia and Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay are dangerous but have had hiccups and Bolivia had won three in a row to thicken the plot in the race for the final

Uruguay will face Brazil this month, as well as Colombia, in what could be another slog for a nation that is rapidly faltering in this qualifying campaign, as the fallout from their Copa America exit, which resulted in numerous suspensions, and the comments from Luis Suarez towards manager Marcelo Bielsa not helping matters.