Paraguay reaches World Cup last‑16 after historic win over Germany

Paraguay returned to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years at the 2026 tournament in the United States. After a 4‑1 opening loss to the hosts, the team rebounded with a 1‑0 victory over Turkey despite playing most of the match with ten men, then secured a 0‑0 draw with Australia to advance as the third‑place team.

In the knockout stage, Paraguay stunned Germany, winning 4‑3 on penalties after a 1‑0 extra‑time lead scored by Julio Enciso. Their run ended in the round of 16 when France eliminated them 1‑0 via a Kylian Mbappé penalty.

Manager Gustavo Alfaro was praised for the disciplined defensive set‑up. Key players highlighted were forward Julio Enciso (RC Strasbourg), midfielder Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United) who missed the final group match after a red card, defender Diego Gómez (Palmeiras) who missed the decisive penalty against France, and goalkeeper Orlando Gill who kept clean sheets in the latter stages.