Paraguay — World Cup 2026 Squad & Fixtures

Paraguay's best World Cup result came in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals for the first time, beating Japan on penalties before a 1-0 loss to eventual champions Spain: a match where Spain needed a David Villa goal in the 83rd minute to advance. They also reached the round of 16 in 1986, 1998, and 2002, a consistent knockout presence that exceeds what their population of seven million would predict. Seven World Cup appearances include five in which they advanced from the group stage, a rate that puts Paraguay among the most reliable group-stage performers in South American football. Their 2010 run remains the benchmark: organised, resilient, and frustrating to play against.

Paraguay qualified through CONMEBOL for 2026, finishing ahead of Chile and Colombia on goal difference in a region where the margins between qualification and elimination are measured in single points. The campaign included home wins over Brazil and Colombia that showed the team's ability to raise its level against stronger opponents. Manager Gustavo Alfaro installed a defensive structure that conceded fewer goals than any previous Paraguayan qualifying campaign, building on the same principles that took them to the 2010 quarter-finals.

Paraguay's identity is built on defensive discipline and set-piece efficiency: they do not concede cheap goals, and they score from dead balls when open play dries up. Group J pairs them with Senegal, Norway, and Jordan, a section where Paraguay's South American qualifying pedigree makes them one of the more experienced sides. Second place in the group is realistic if they keep clean sheets against Norway and Jordan, and a round-of-16 appearance would match the programme's consistent tournament history.

Miguel Almirón plays between the lines with a quickness that creates space in crowded defences: his pressing from the front sets the tone for Paraguay's defensive structure and his bursts into the box give the attack an edge it otherwise lacks. Oscar Cardozo scores from set pieces and crosses with a consistency that makes him Paraguay's primary aerial threat: his heading accuracy in the box has been the team's chief source of goals across two qualifying cycles.