World Cup 2027 American Qualifiers: Chile Wire-to-Wire Past Venezuela

Chile's last outing at the Coliseo Evangelista Mora needed a miracle comeback to win. This one needed nothing of the sort. After an early 2-2 tie, Chile ripped off nine straight points and simply never let Venezuela back into it, cruising to a 78-66 win on July 6, 2026, and controlling the game for nearly 37 of the 40 minutes.
The margin swelled to 15 points twice in the third quarter, and while Venezuela managed a brief flurry six points in 11 seconds at one stretch it barely registered against Chile's steady control. Felipe Haase (206-F-1998, college: Southern Miss) did the heaviest lifting inside, going 6-of-8 from two on his way to 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Sebastian Herrera (193-G-1997, agency: LUMANI 10.7) added 12 points and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. Franco Morales rounded out a balanced effort with eight points, six rebounds and four assists. Yohanner Sifontes (192-G-1995) tried to carry Venezuela with 15 points, but an 0-of-6 night from three symbolized a rough afternoon for the visitors, who drop their second straight in this group after an earlier loss to Brazil.