Venezuela has sacked head coach Fernando Batista and his entire technical crew following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The decision came, just a day after their 6-3 home defeat to Colombia, extinguished hopes of reaching the tournament for the first time.
President Nicolás Maduro, demanded a full restructuring of the national team setup after what he described as a “painful defeat.” Venezuela, known as La Vinotinto, remain the only CONMEBOL nation yet to qualify for a World Cup finals.
Despite FIFA’s 2026 World Cup tournaments expansion from 32 to 48 teams which gave Venezuela fresh hope of qualifying, they failed once again. Bolivia snatched the final playoff spot with a stunning 1-0 win over Brazil, leapfrogging Venezuela, who crashed out after a 6-3 defeat to Colombia.
Meanwhile, Peru also made changes at the top, sacking coach Oscar Ibanez after a disappointing campaign. Peru ended their qualifiers with just two wins, six goals, and ten losses from 18 matches.
