Paraguay are one of the 48 national teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This marks a massive event that they return to for the first time since 2010. The South American country returns to soccer’s premier competition 16 years after its last appearance, following a sixth-place finish in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.
Paraguay achieved their best performance in a men’s World Cup in 2010. In the tournament held in South Africa, the Paraguayans managed to reach the quarterfinals. At that stage, the Albirroja were eliminated by Spain via a late goal from David Villa. The Spanish national team would ultimately go on to become world champions.
In the group stage, the Paraguayan national team drew against Italy—the reigning world champions from Germany 2006—defeated Slovakia, and drew again facing New Zealand. The South American team thus finished in first place in Group F, and in the Round of 16, it faced Japan, eliminating them in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw in regulation time. Oscar Cardozo’s spot-kick sealed the first qualification to the quarterfinals in Paraguay’s history.
How many World Cups have Paraguay appeared in?
The 2026 World Cup will be the ninth in Paraguay‘s history. The South American team was one of the 13 national teams that formed part of the first World Cup in 1930. Their next appearance was in Brasil 1950, where their participation concluded in the first stage. In Sweden 1958, they obtained their second World Cup victory, although they were once again eliminated in the opening round.
Miguel Almiron of Paraguay.
Paraguay would return to the World Cup in Mexico 1986, where the Guaraní team managed to reach the Round of 16. Following another absence, the Paraguayan national team returned to the World Cup for France 1998, where it once again reached the Round of 16.
This process continued with qualification for the 2002 World Cup, marking the first time in their history that they qualified for two consecutive World Cups. In that tournament, the squad repeated its performance by reaching the Round of 16. These were the best years on the international stage for Paraguayan soccer; between 1998 and 2010, they linked together four consecutive World Cups and won a silver medal at the Athens 2004 men’s Olympic tournament.
Who is Paraguay’s all-time World Cup top scorer?
With three goals scored, Nelson Cuevas is Paraguay’s all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cups. The former player opened his account with a brace in the Guaraníes’ match against Slovenia in the 2002 World Cup. The Paraguayan national team won that match 3-1, which was the final game of the group stage and secured its qualification to the next round. In the following World Cup in Germany 2006, Cuevas scored again in the group stage match against Trinidad and Tobago, a duel that ended in a 2-0 victory for the Albirroja.
