Paraguay World Cup 2026: Early exit on the cards for La Albirroja

After a 16-year absence, Paraguay are back at the FIFA World Cup, drawn in Group D alongside Turkey, Australia and one of the host countries, the USA.

Below are my Paraguay World Cup 2026 predictions, including an assessment of their squad and chances of going far in North America.

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Goalkeepers: Roberto Junior Fernandez (Cerro Porteno), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gaston Olveira (Olimpia).

Defenders: Omar Alderete (Sunderland), Junior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro), Fabian Balbuena (Gremio), Juan Jose Caceres (Dinamo Moscow), Jose Canale (Lanus), Gustavo Gomez (Palmeiras), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres), Gustavo Velazquez (Cerro Porteno).

Midfielders: Damian Bobadilla (Sao Paulo), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth), Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Matias Galarza (Atlanta United), Diego Gomez (Brighton), Mauricio Magalhaes (Palmeiras), Briaian Ojeda (Orlando City), Alejandro Romero (Al Ain).

Forwards: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United), Gabriel Avalos (Independiente), Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Isidro Pitta (Bragantino), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Ramon Sosa (Palmeiras).

Paraguay's squad includes former Newcastle United winger Miguel Almiron, as well as Premier League duo Omar Alderete and Diego Gomez.

Former Brighton forward Julio Enciso is a name to note, too, having scored 12 goals across 42 appearances for Strasbourg in 2025/26.

World Cup Odds

Paraguay qualified for the World Cup after finishing in the sixth and final CONMEBOL automatic qualification berth, aided by a strong defensive record, with only Ecuador (five) conceding fewer goals than Gustavo Alfaro's side (10).

However, La Albirroja only scored 14 times in 18 qualifiers, with only the bottom two nations, Peru (six) and Chile (nine), netting fewer goals.

It looks likely, then, that Paraguay will rely heavily on their defence in North America, hoping to nick a 1-0 win here and there.

Group D Fixtures:

12 June 6pm local (13 June 2am BST) - vs USA (Inglewood)

19 June 8pm local (20 June 4am BST) - vs Turkey (San Francisco Bay Area)

25 June 7pm local (26 June 3am BST) - vs Australia (San Francisco Bay Area)

Player to watch: Diego Gomez

Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez is coming off the back of a positive first full season with the Seagulls, netting 10 times in 36 appearances across all competitions, and he's likely to play an integral role for his country at this year's World Cup.

The 23-year-old only scored once and registered two assists in 13 qualifiers, but he struck the only goal of the game in March as Paraguay beat Greece 1-0 in a friendly, and he may need to reprise the role of match-winner in North America, although Enciso and Almiron also have that in their locker when on form.

Football Odds

Prediction: Bottom of Group D

Paraguay are in one of the most competitive groups, and while I think their chances of qualifying to the knockout phase can't be discounted, I have them down as the weakest out of them, the USA, Australia and Turkey.

They'll keep things tight, with heavy defeats unlikely, but I don't see where the goals come from, really.