Bolivia rallies past Suriname 2-1 to reach a 2026 World Cup playoff final against Congo

By Canadian Press on March 26, 2026.

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Moises Paniagua and Miguel Terceros scored goals within a seven-minute span in the second half, and Bolivia rallied to beat Suriname 2-1 on Thursday to qualify for the final of the World Cup qualifying playoff against Congo.

Liam Van Gelderen put Suriname ahead in the 48th minute but Paniagua tied the score at the 72nd and Terceros had the winning goal in the 79th minute for the Bolivians, who are aiming for their second World Cup appearance.

The Bolivians have only previously played in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Suriname was looking to qualify for the first time.

Bolivia will play Congo next Tuesday in Monterrey. The winner will qualify for Group K in the tournament to join Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.

Congo, 48th in the FIFA world rankings, qualified for the playoff by defeating Nigeria in an African playoff, while Bolivia finished seventh place in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press

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