Paraguay PAR

Paraguay are back on the world stage for the first time in 12 years, arriving at the 2026 World Cup as CONMEBOL's 40th-ranked nation under the guidance of manager Gustavo Alfaro. The anticipation surrounding La Albirroja is genuine, and expectations of a deep run are building after more than a decade in the wilderness.

Alfaro has been deliberate in his approach, rebuilding the squad around what he calls "Paraguayan DNA — intensity and clean sheets." It is a philosophy rooted in grit rather than glamour, and it is precisely that mentality that carried them through a gruelling CONMEBOL qualifying campaign to reach this tournament.

The foundation of their game is a physical style underpinned by the kind of tenacity that grinds out results when the quality gap might suggest otherwise. Paraguay have shown throughout qualifying that they can make life deeply uncomfortable for opponents, and that resilience will be a genuine weapon at this level.

The concern, however, is at the other end of the pitch. Only two teams in CONMEBOL qualifying scored fewer goals than Paraguay, a statistic that points to a chronic problem in front of goal. Much of the creative burden falls on Julio Enciso, and an over-reliance on one player to both generate and convert chances could prove costly against the tournament's elite defences.

The squad Alfaro will call upon includes Roberto Junior Fernández, Gustavo Velázquez, Fabián Balbuena, Diego Gómez, Andrés Cubas, Matías Galarza, Gustavo Caballero, and Isidro Pitta alongside the influential Enciso. Whether that collective can find the goals to match their defensive resolve may well define how far Paraguay go in 2026.