THE Venezuelan national team have been accused of using the dark arts to get over the line in their World Cup qualifier against Brazil. Venezuela had managed to keep the scores level against

Brazil's path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup hit a snag after only managing a 1–1 draw with Venezuela at the Estadio Monumental de Maturín.

Vinicius Júnior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday, leaving the Real Madrid star still without a goal in World Cup qualifying. Vinicius Júnior had the chance to score a potential winner after he earned the penalty in the 67th minute but his low spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Rafael Romo and the Brazil forward then shot wide from the rebound.

After a shaky start, Brazil currently sits in fourth place among the 10 CONMEBOL teams vying for spots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Seleção earned 16 points through its first 10 matches and capped off the October international break with victories over Chile and Peru.

Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela with Vinicius Junior missing a penalty in their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier on Thursday.