Miguel Almirón — Paraguay World Cup 2026 Squad

Career Highlights

Miguel Almiron became the most expensive outgoing transfer in MLS history when Newcastle United paid Atlanta United $26 million in January 2019. At Atlanta he won the 2018 MLS Cup, was named to the MLS Best XI in 2017 and 2018, and scored 22 goals with 21 assists across two full seasons. His 13 goals and 11 assists in 2018 made him the most productive midfielder in the league. He has 72 caps for Paraguay, the most of any active Paraguayan midfielder, and scored 12 goals including 4 in World Cup qualifying across three cycles. His return to Atlanta in 2024 produced 8 goals in 20 MLS matches, showing his best form persists in familiar surroundings.

Club Career

Almiron came through Cerro Porteno in Paraguay and moved to Lanus in Argentina in 2015 for €2 million. After two seasons at Lanus — 7 goals in 48 appearances — Atlanta United signed him for $8 million in 2016 as a Designated Player. Under Tata Martino he flourished as a free-roaming number eight, forming a devastating partnership with Josef Martinez. Newcastle paid $26 million in 2019 but Almiron struggled to adapt to Premier League intensity, scoring just 6 goals in his first 50 appearances over two and a half seasons. Under Eddie Howe he improved, scoring 11 Premier League goals in 2022-23 from the right flank, but a loss of form in 2023-24 led to limited minutes. He returned to Atlanta United in 2024 and immediately looked like the player who dominated MLS five years earlier.

International Career & World Cup History

Almiron debuted for Paraguay at 19 against Costa Rica in 2015 and became a regular under Ramon Diaz. He started every match in the 2019 Copa America as Paraguay reached the quarter-finals. Paraguay have not qualified for a World Cup since 2010 — a 16-year absence — and Almiron has been part of three failed qualifying campaigns. In the 2026 cycle he scored 3 goals, including a crucial equaliser against Colombia in Asuncion that kept qualification hopes alive. His 12 international goals have come from midfield, a solid return for a player whose primary contribution is work rate.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

Paraguay return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence and Almiron will be 30, likely in his final international tournament. His value is not in what he does on the ball — though his pace and directness remain useful — but in the pressing he leads from the front. Manager Gustavo Alfaro uses a mid-block 4-4-2 where Almiron and Julio Enciso press the opposition back line, creating turnovers that Paraguay convert through quick transitions. The MLS environment is less demanding physically than European leagues, and Almiron fitness over a tournament month is a mild concern. But his familiarity with North American conditions — heat, altitude, artificial turf — could give Paraguay a small advantage in group matches played on familiar MLS surfaces.