Peru World Cup 2018
Peru required a play-off to reach Russia 2018, and book themselves a place in the finals for the first time since 1982.
History at the World Cup
Peru were one of the teams who competed in the first ever World Cup in 1930, losing to Romania and Uruguay to exit at the group stage. It was another forty years before they would appear at another finals tournament, in 1970, and they faired a lot better on that occasion. Victories over Bulgaria and Morocco saw them through to the Quarter Final, where they lost to eventual champions Brazil. Since then, Peru have appeared at two finals, in 1978 and 1982, going out in round two and round one respectively.
- World Cup Finals Appearances – 4
- Previous Best Performance – Quarter Final
How they qualified
Peru had a tough time during CONMEBOL qualifying, winning just one of their first six matches, and losing four, to see their hopes of reaching Russia slipping away. However, they turned a corner and the final twelve matches saw them win six, draw four, and lose just two. That was enough for them to pip Chile to fifth place, on goal difference after their rivals got beat 3-0 by Brazil in their final qualifier, and go through to an inter-confederation play-off against the first-placed team from the Oceania Football Confederation, New Zealand.
The first leg of that tie ended in a goalless draw, meaning Peru would have home advantage with the scores level for the second leg. They made that advantage count and ran out 2-0 winners, to book their place in Russia.
Coach/Manager
Former Argentina international, Ricardo Gareca, has been in-charge of the Peru national team since 2015.
Since he was appointed, Peru have reached the Quarter Finals of the Copa America Centenario, and finished third at the 2015 Copa America.
Gareca has been in management since 1996, gaining vast experience which he will hope stands him in good stead to lead a nation at a World Cup finals tournament for the first time.
Star Players
Peru will be without one of their biggest stars for the World Cup, as their all-time leading goal scorer Paolo Guerrero is banned after failing a drugs test. It’s a bitter blow for the entire nation, as Guerrero would have been a vital part of their plans.
He scored five goals in qualifying and his attacking prowess will be missed in Russia.
Fellow striker Jefferson Farfan, who sits fourth in the list of all-time Peru scorers and who netted three times in qualifying, will no doubt lead the attack.
One of Peru’s most exciting players is winger Edison Flores, who plays for Danish side AaB. The 23-year-old netted five times in qualifying and has the talent to be a game-changer.
Peru World Cup 2018: Assessing Their Chances
Peru have been drawn in a group with three teams who they have never played before, France, Denmark, and Australia. They are the second highest FIFA ranked nation in the group, currently one place higher than Denmark.
The bookmakers don’t rate Peru’s chances though and have them priced as 10/1 third favourites to top the group, and 12/5 to qualify for the next round.
It’ll be interesting to see how the other teams in the group adjust to playing a team they’ve never met before, who will likely adopt a style of play they are unfamiliar with.
Obviously, Peru’s failure to finish in the top four of the CONMEBOL region will count against them when it comes to being tipped to do well in Russia. However, they finished behind Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia, so it’s a massive achievement to have qualified in the first place.
At the time of writing this, Peru are ranked eleventh in the world by FIFA and regularly compete against some of the best nations in the world, so it would be foolish to write off their chances.
The 12/5 on offer for them to advance to the knock-out stages could be fantastic odds indeed. If they did make it through, it could lead to a last 16 meeting with an Argentina side they drew with twice during qualifying. So, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Peru could make it through to the Quarter Final.
Our Peru World Cup Prediction
Peru cannot be written off and we believe they will prove to be far better than their betting odds would suggest. Denmark are rising up the rankings and it’s understandable that they are fancied to go through, but we think Peru will more than give them a run for their money. If Peru can cope without their record scorer and adapt to the conditions in Russia, they could prove to be one of the surprise packages in this tournament.