Paraguay are back at the World Cup after almost two decades away and will face Australia, the USA and Turkey in Group D, a draw that turns a routine pool into a testing gauntlet for all four sides.
Gustavo Alfaro, the 63-year-old coach who took charge in August 2024, rebuilt a team that conceded just 10 goals in 18 qualifiers and lost only one away match. That run included a win over Brazil and a comeback victory against reigning world champions Argentina in Asunción — results that transformed Paraguay from underdogs into a side opponents now openly respect. Alfaro put it plainly: "I would love people to see Paraguay again as the team no one wants to face".
The headline evidence is defensive. Under Alfaro Paraguay used an almost unbreakable defence and excellent structural balance, often pressing through a 4-2-3-1 shape and dropping into a compact 4-4-2 when defending deep. Central defenders Omar Alderete and Gustavo Gómez have been outstanding, giving the team a spine that turned a previously mocked squad into one of the continent’s most stubborn outfits during qualification.
That solidity does not come with flash or gaudy numbers up front. Paraguay relied on rapid transitions and clinical accuracy rather than possession dominance or high scoring; they finished qualification as one of the stronger defensive teams but not a top-scoring one. That friction — feared for its organisation but not built around prolific attack — is the knot Group D teams must untie over three fixtures.
Midfield control and the first pass out of defence will matter more than long spells of possession. Andrés Cubas, who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps, is described as the heart of Paraguay’s midfield and will be central to cutting passing lanes and launching transitions. Creativity in the final third often funnels through Julio Enciso; Paraguay’s chance creation tends to be compact, sudden and efficient rather than sustained and expansive.
For Australia, the USA and Turkey the immediate concern is preparatory: breaking down a side that favours low-risk defending and then punishing the moment Paraguay commit numbers forward. The details are tactical and obvious — avoid getting drawn into a scramble, protect the channels that feed Alderete and Gómez, and be prepared for swift counters the moment Paraguay regain the ball. Alfaro’s men do not seek to outscore opponents; they seek to frustrate them into errors and finish clinically when chances arrive.
The timing of this return matters. Paraguay last reached the World Cup stage at South Africa 2010, where they made the quarter-finals, and their long absence had been followed by a dismal 2024 Copa América before Alfaro’s appointment. That sequence — poor continental showing, new coach in August 2024, and then a resilient qualifying campaign — explains why the team’s presence in the World Cup groups now feels different from past Paraguayan entries.
What to watch when the games begin is straightforward: the defensive compactness in moments of pressure, how often Paraguay force transitions rather than build through midfield, and whether Cubas can both shield the back four and spark the attacking outlet for Enciso. If Alderete and Gómez continue to dominate aerially and in positioning, Paraguay will remain a low-risk, low-allowance opponent that punishes mistakes.
The remaining question — and the one that will decide whether Paraguay are a headline-making force in Group D — is whether a defence-first, low-scoring template can outlast the tournament-level attacks of Australia, the USA and Turkey. Paraguay’s qualification form shows they are dangerous; the World Cup matches will show whether that danger is a short, sharp shock or the basis of a run beyond the group stage.
