Chile's national volleyball coach, Eduardo Guillaume, said Peru hold no edge over his team ahead of the 2026 South American Volleyball Championship, adding that Chile's real target in the tournament is beating Colombia or Argentina.
Speaking on the program AquiTVO, Guillaume said Chile, Peru and Venezuela were essentially level with each other, capable of beating or losing to one another, while Colombia and Argentina beat all three of them, and Brazil beat everyone. He said Chile's plan for the tournament was to hold its own against teams at its own level, such as Peru and Venezuela, while trying to pull off an upset against Colombia or Argentina. He argued that qualifying for the World Championship required more than beating teams at Chile's level, it also demanded a striking result against sides Chile had never beaten before.
Closing the Gap With Peru
Guillaume said Chile had narrowed the gap it once had with Peru in volleyball over recent years and had levelled the playing field, pointing to Chile's recent win over Peru in Lima in the Copa Sudamericana.
He said reaching Chile's current level with Peru and Venezuela was a compliment and an achievement for his team. He acknowledged that this partly reflected difficult periods for Venezuelan and Peruvian volleyball, but said that was simply how sport worked.
Chile's Past Upsets Over Peru
Guillaume said beating Peru or Venezuela remained something extraordinary for him and his team. He recalled that in 2019, Chile beat Peru 3-0 in the under-16 final, a result nobody believed at the time. He said that in 2023, Chile beat Peru 3-2 at the senior South American Championship, a result he himself did not believe either, and he called that match against Peru the greatest source of enjoyment he had experienced as Chile's coach.
He said that beyond beating Peru and Venezuela, his objective now was to land a blow against Argentina or Colombia in order to secure one of the tickets to the 2027 World Championship.
Guillaume said Chile now takes the court knowing it can win or lose, but knowing that winning is possible. He said Chile has never taken a set off Argentina, and that beating the Panteras, as the Argentine team is known, would be impressive. He said Chile has already managed to beat Peru and Venezuela, so the team must not get careless, but should now try to go after Colombia or Argentina.
When Peru Play Chile
Peru and Chile will face each other in the final round of the South American Volleyball Championship. The match is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, starting at 1:00 p.m. Peruvian time.
The tournament serves as a qualifying competition for the next World Championship, giving added weight to results between closely matched sides such as Peru, Chile and Venezuela as they compete for a place among the region's top teams.
