Peru Calls Up Replacements After Losing Two Players to Injury

Peru’s Football Federation (FPF) reported that Álex Valera and Edison Flores will miss the final World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay due to muscle injuries. The forward and midfielder had been initially called up but were withdrawn following medical tests that confirmed their injuries.

Both players had attended the first training session at Lima’s Videna on Monday but were later sidelined. Valera acknowledged a recurring pubalgia and a muscle strain sustained in the recent classic against Alianza, which ended 0-0, while Flores also carried over issues from that match.

José Rivera, also from Universitario, has been added to the squad, reducing the list from 27 to 26 players. Coach Óscar Ibáñez will lead the team against Uruguay on September 4 in Montevideo and Paraguay on September 9 in Lima. Peru remains second-to-last in the South American standings with 12 points, six behind the seventh-place Venezuela, which would qualify for the intercontinental playoff.

Ibáñez emphasized that his team will fight until the end, noting that his players are used to high-pressure situations, as in the 2018 and 2022 qualifiers. To qualify, Peru must win both remaining matches and rely on favorable results for Venezuela and Bolivia, with goal difference potentially deciding their fate.