Paraguay — WC 2026 Group D

Back at the World Cup After 16 Years

Paraguay are back. After missing four consecutive tournaments — 2014, 2018, 2022, and a generation of South Australian-time alarm clocks that never rang for them — La Albirroja booked their return to the FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 home win over Peru on Matchday 17 of CONMEBOL qualifying in September 2025. They finished sixth on 28 points (7W 7D 4L across 18 matches), edging into the last automatic South American slot ahead of Venezuela.

This is their first World Cup appearance since South Africa 2010, where they reached the quarter-finals — a run that remains the high-water mark for the country at a global tournament. For context, that team contained Roque Santa Cruz, Salvador Cabañas (pre-shooting), and Justo Villar. The 2026 squad is younger, more European-based, and arrives with much lower expectations. That suits the man in the dugout just fine.

For the full historical picture — every Paraguay World Cup appearance from 1930 to 2010 — see our dedicated Paraguay at the World Cup page. This profile is the current 2026 context only.

Current Form

Gustavo Alfaro, the 63-year-old Argentine appointed in August 2024, took over a Paraguay side stuck near the bottom of CONMEBOL and turned them into a defensively organised, set-piece-friendly counter-attacking unit. The qualifying numbers tell the story: just 10 goals conceded across 18 matches — the second-best defensive record in CONMEBOL behind Argentina.

Recent friendly results have been mixed, which is normal for a side fielding experimental XIs ahead of squad-naming deadlines:

• 31 Mar 2026 — Morocco 2, Paraguay 1 (Lens, France)
• 27 Mar 2026 — Paraguay 1, Greece 0
• 18 Nov 2025 — Paraguay 2, Mexico 1
• 15 Nov 2025 — USA 2, Paraguay 1 (a Group D dress rehearsal)
• 14 Oct 2025 — South Korea 2, Paraguay 0

The November 2025 loss to the USA is the most relevant warning sign — that 2-1 result in Chester, PA gives Mauricio Pochettino’s side a psychological edge heading into the Group D opener.

The 2026 Squad: Defensive Spine

Alfaro builds from the back. Captain Gustavo Gómez — Palmeiras’ Brazilian-league title-winning centre-back with 88+ caps — anchors a defence likely paired with Boca Juniors’ Junior Alonso and Getafe’s Omar Alderete. Veteran goalkeeper Antony Silva competes with MLS-based Carlos Coronel for the No. 1 shirt.

The midfield is functional rather than spectacular: Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andrés Cubas as the destroyer, São Paulo’s Damián Bobadilla as the carrier, and Brighton’s Diego Gómez — no relation to the captain — as the most technically gifted of the trio. Diego, 22, represents Paraguay’s pivot to a younger generation and is increasingly first-choice.

Up top, Paraguay lead with Miguel Almirón of Newcastle United — the country’s most recognisable face for a decade. Around him: Antonio Sanabria (Torino) as a target man, Ramón Sosa (Nottingham Forest) for direct pace, and the X-factor Julio Enciso — Brighton’s Paraguayan winger who, when fit and confident, scores the kind of long-range goals that change tournaments.

A handful of naturalised players — domestic-league prospects with Paraguayan heritage — were called up for the March 2026 European friendlies as Alfaro broadens the pool ahead of his final 26-man cut.

Group D Path — The Decider?

Paraguay’s three Group D fixtures, all in AEST:

1. USA vs Paraguay — Sat 13 Jun 2026, 11:00am AEST, SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles)
2. Türkiye vs Paraguay — Sat 20 Jun 2026, 1:00pm AEST, Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area)
3. Paraguay vs Australia — Fri 26 Jun 2026, 12:00pm AEST, Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area)

The shape of Paraguay’s tournament is heavily front-loaded. Lose the opener to the USA in Los Angeles and they are chasing points from Matchday 2 onwards. Win or draw, and the Türkiye game becomes a knockout-feel decider. By the time they meet Australia at Levi’s Stadium on 26 June, the qualification mathematics will likely be brutally clear for both sides.

See the full Group D fixture and AEST schedule for confirmed kick-off times, and our Socceroos path to the knockouts breakdown for the qualification scenarios.

Key Threats

Three names Australian fans need to know:

• Miguel Almirón — 31 years old, knows the Premier League’s physical tempo, Paraguay’s transition leader. He drifts inside from the right to create overloads. Aziz Behich’s matchup.
• Diego Gómez — the Brighton midfielder is press-resistant, comfortable in possession, and the most likely Paraguayan to dictate tempo against an Australian side that prefers to defend deep.
• Gustavo Gómez (set pieces) — Paraguay’s biggest aerial threat on attacking corners. With Alfaro’s set-piece coaching reputation, every dead ball into the Australian box is a danger.

For where they sit in the broader WC 2026 odds market, Paraguay are priced as Group D underdogs to qualify — but shorter than Australia in most markets, reflecting bookmaker respect for Alfaro’s defensive structure.

What Paraguay vs Australia Means

This is, almost certainly, the Socceroos’ decisive group match. Both nations are pitched in roughly the same tier of Group D — well behind the USA on home soil, broadly comparable to Türkiye on paper, and competing for the second qualifying slot (or, depending on Türkiye’s points, a best-third-place berth).

The Levi’s Stadium kick-off at 12:00pm AEST on Friday 26 June is a uniquely Australian-friendly slot — lunchtime on a working Friday, perfect for pub viewing and split-screen office TV. Expect strong Aussie expat support in the Bay Area.

Historically, Paraguay lead the head-to-head 2W 1D 0L from three previous meetings, all friendlies, the last in 2012. There is no recent competitive form between the sides. What matters is the points table on the morning of 26 June — and what Tony Popovic and Gustavo Alfaro have learned about each other from the first two matchdays.

If you back the Socceroos, our guide to the best Australian betting sites covers WC 2026 markets, free bets on the group stage, and where to find boosted Paraguay-vs-Australia outright odds.

More WC 2026 Reading

• Paraguay at the World Cup — all-time history — the full 1930-2010 record
• Socceroos’ path to the WC 2026 knockouts — qualification scenarios
• WC 2026 schedule in AEST — every Group D and Australian fixture
• WC 2026 outright odds — Group D market and golden boot pricing
• Australian betting sites for WC 2026 — bookmaker offers and free bets

Last verified: 14 May 2026. Squad and FIFA ranking refresh closer to the tournament squad-naming deadline. Match dates and venues sourced from the official FIFA WC 2026 schedule.