Inside Paraguay, the USMNT's next opponent on the road to the World Cup

An emotional World Cup history

Paraguay was present at the first World Cup in 1930, but it's been present at many others, too. 2026 will be its ninth official World Cup appearance and its first since 2010.

Paraguay's 2010 World Cup run was unforgettable. It stormed through South American qualifying to seize its spot in the competition, led by coach Tata Martino and striker Salvador Cabañas.

"Tata used to say, 'I put together the team and slot Salvador in as the final piece,'" said Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar. With Martino's guidance and Cabañas' goals, Paraguay had high hopes for the tournament finals.

Tragedy struck. In February 2010, just four months before the World Cup was due to begin, Cabañas was shot in the head during a nightclub altercation in Mexico City. Incredibly, Cabañas survived — and even returned to professional soccer after his recovery — but the injuries he sustained kept him out of Paraguay's 2010 World Cup journey. La Albirroja entered the tournament without its top scorer and clouded by the senseless tragedy of Cabañas' attack.

Instead of falling apart, though, Paraguay fought back. It cruised through the group stage undefeated, even drawing with defending-champion Italy and beat Japan on penalties in the Round of 16 to earn itself a matchup against Spain. Paraguay lost that match, but its quarterfinal finish was its best World Cup performance of all time.

Was it inspiring? Of course — but that 2010 run remains a bittersweet memory in Paraguay. It made it to the quarterfinals without its top goal scorer. How much further could it have gone if Cabañas hadn't been attacked?

An impressive rebirth

Paraguay's run to the 2026 World Cup was anything but simple. After crashing out of the 2024 Copa America and failing to gain traction in World Cup qualifiers, Paraguay turned to Argentinian coach Gustavo Alfaro for help. Alfaro took Ecuador to the World Cup against the odds in 2022; in Paraguay, he saw a team capable of repeating the feat.

Paraguay's record was 1-7-2 in the nine games before Alfaro's arrival; since then, his albirroja lineup has gone 6-2-6. It beat Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina and pulled itself back into South America's soccer elite.

"We are still far from the best version we can become," Alfaro said after Paraguay sealed World Cup qualification this summer. "But the players have taught me that, if previously there were no floors, now there are no ceilings to keep growing.”