Paraguay National Football Team Players Forge 10-Goal Road Back to World Cup

Paraguay national football team players are back at a World Cup after almost two decades away, and they arrive with the kind of defensive record that makes Group D opponents pay attention. Gustavo Alfaro has turned a side once mocked into one that conceded just 10 goals in 18 qualifiers.

Alfaro’s Paraguay revival

Alfaro arrived in August 2024 and quickly restored belief inside the squad. His first public message on taking over was simple: "I would love people to see Paraguay again as the team no one wants to face," and the results gave that line weight.

Paraguay defeated Brazil in qualification and came from behind to beat Argentina in Asunción. They lost just one away match in the campaign, finished alongside Ecuador and Argentina as one of the strongest teams in the competition, and turned a dismal 2024 Copa América into a sharper qualifying run.

Cubas, Alderete and Gómez

The structure starts in midfield with Andrés Cubas of the Vancouver Whitecaps, the defensive midfielder at the heart of the team. In front of him, Omar Alderete has been outstanding at central defender, while Gustavo Gómez remains one of the best centre-backs in South America.

Paraguay usually set up in a 4-2-3-1 during midfield pressing phases and drop into a compact 4-4-2 when defending deep. That shape has given Julio Enciso room to provide the creativity in attack, while the back line has done the work that kept opponents from turning possession into chances.

South Africa 2010 return

This is Paraguay’s first World Cup since South Africa 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Spain. That long gap is part of why the return carries weight: the team has gone from absence and tribulations to a place where Australia, the USA and Turkey have reasons to treat them as a difficult opponent.

Turkey may face more possession against Paraguay than Australia or the USA, but the core problem is the same. A team that conceded 10 goals in 18 qualifiers does not give much away, and Paraguay now travel into the tournament with a profile built on balance, discipline and a defence that held together under pressure.