Paraguay face a do-or-die Matchday 3 encounter against Australia in the 2026 World Cup. The situation in Group D is tight, where a victory would basically guarantee qualification for either side.
Paraguay arrive with a confidence boost after securing an agonizing victory against Turkiye. With that result, they climbed four spots in the official rankings, moving from 41st to 37th place with 1517.39 points. Now, they will look to extend their World Cup run and continue climbing the international standings.
Paraguay are coming off a 1-0 win over Turkiye, a match they played with a man down since the first half. That red card went to key player Miguel Almiron, meaning he will be unavailable today—a sensitive absence that could take a toll on the squad.
The ranking difference with Australia
On paper, Paraguay hold the advantage as the higher-ranked national team. Australia entered the World Cup in a good position in the rankings, but they have since climbed one spot to 26th place with 1584.55 points.
Nestory Irankunda #17 of Australia.
An 11-position gap divides the two sides, which is a notable factor when measuring their respective levels. However, this is the World Cup and anything can happen in these types of matches, especially considering Paraguay will be missing a vital piece of their puzzle.
Paraguay’s historical World Cup track record
The best performance for the Albirroja came in their last tournament appearance back in South Africa 2010, when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Previously, they reached the Round of 16 three times (Mexico 1986, France 1998, and Korea-Japan 2002) and were eliminated in the group stage on three other occasions (Brazil 1950, Sweden 1958, and Germany 2006).
Now, they look to capitalize on the opportunity for the best third-place teams to qualify, aiming to extend their path and target the best performance in their World Cup history with one of their finest generations, which is full of hungry and talented young players eager for success.
