Paraguay has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the ninth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They achieved their best World Cup finish in 2010. In the quarter-finals, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against eventual champions Spain.
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro announced the full squad today. The captain of the team is Gustavo Gómez. The 33-year-old Palmeiras centre-back is also the most experienced player with 88 caps for Paraguay. Another very important player on the squad is Miguel Almirón. The 32-year-old Atlanta United midfielder is one of the most recognizable names on the team. Other key players in the squad are Júnior Alonso (Atlético Mineiro), Diego Gómez (Brighton & Hove Albion), Omar Alderete (Sunderland), and Julio Enciso (Strasbourg).
Full Squad Paraguay For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Gatito Fernández (Cerro Porteño), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gastón Olveira (Olimpia)
Defenders: Juan Cáceres (Dynamo Moscow), Gustavo Gómez (Palmeiras), Gustavo Velázquez (Cerro Porteño), Fabián Balbuena (Grêmio), Júnior Alonso (Atlético Mineiro), Omar Alderete (Sunderland), José Canale (Lanús), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres)
Midfielders: Damián Bobadilla (São Paulo), Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Diego Gómez (Brighton & Hove Albion), Matías Galarza (Atlanta United), Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra (Al Ain), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City), Maurício Magalhães (Palmeiras)
Forwards: Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United), Isidro Pitta (Red Bull Bragantino), Ramón Sosa (Palmeiras), Gabriel Ávalos (Independiente), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Paraguay had to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the South American CONMEBOL group. The top 6 teams received a direct ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay went off to a horrible start with only one point in the first three games. On matchday 4, they finally got their first win at home against Bolivia (1-0). Paraguay kept struggling in the tough group and took only two points in the next three games. On matchday 8, Paraguay surprised Brazil at home. Diego Gómez scored the match-winner to give La Albirroja an unexpected three points.
After the win, they drew against Ecuador. With only ten points at the midway mark of the qualifiers, the Paraguayans sat in eighth place in the group. The second part of the qualification went much better for La Albirroja. Wins against Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina at home made the Paraguayans go into the top 6 of the group. Only Brazil was able to beat them in São Paulo. On September 4, 2025, Paraguay secured its ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a goalless draw in Asunción against Ecuador. Although the final group match had no bearing on the standings, Paraguay still secured a 1-0 away victory against Peru.
2026 FIFA World Cup
Paraguay will play their matches in Group D. La Albirroja will open their World Cup campaign on June 12 in Los Angeles, California, where they face hosts USA. Eight days later, they take on Turkey in Santa Clara, California. For their final group stage match, they remain in Santa Clara to take on hosts Australia on June 25. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Paraguay Schedule
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Paraguay Announces Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup appeared first on HEAVY.