Paraguay lost 0-1 to France in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, exiting the tournament. The only goal came in the 37th minute when Kylian Mbappé finished a swift counterattack that exploited gaps between Paraguay’s defensive lines.
Despite the loss, Gustavo Alfaro’s side maintained its identity built on defensive solidity, high work-rate and physicality, as the coach himself stated: "They lean heavily on defensive structure, high work-rate and physicality to get results". Paraguay finished the group stage with one win, one draw and one loss, earning four points and placing third behind group winners United States and runners-up France.
According to official tournament data, Paraguay entered this match with a goal difference of -2 (2 goals scored, 4 conceded) and a recent form of LDDWL over their last five matches. Their prior result was a 0-0 draw against Australia in matchday three of the group stage.
Offensively, Paraguay averaged just 0.67 corners per game throughout the tournament, highlighting struggles to create danger from set pieces. However, they relied on set-piece specialists like Julio Enciso, who took penalties, free kicks and corners, while Miguel Almiron also contributed in those areas. Almiron, aged 32 with over 78 international caps, played a central role in midfield but failed to convert his chances into goals.
The defensive effort was anchored by Junior Alonso, who averaged more than one tackle per 90 minutes for Atlético Mineiro in the 2025 season and was booked in the match against the United States. Diego Gómez, the 23-year-old Brighton midfielder, registered Paraguay’s highest number of shots on target in the USA game with four attempts.
Historically, this exit contrasts with Paraguay’s best World Cup performance: in South Africa 2010, the team reached the quarter-finals scoring only three goals in the entire tournament - the lowest tally ever by a side that advanced that far, as the original report noted: "Paraguay reached the 2010 quarter finals despite scoring just three goals – the lowest ever total for a team that reached the quarter-final stage."
Moving forward, Paraguay will focus on qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, leaning on experienced players like Antonio Sanabria, who scored four goals in the 2026 qualifiers and has 49 appearances and seven goals for the national team at age 29. Fans can follow the team’s journey by checking our fixtures and reviewing the updated squad for the latest call-ups.
