Inside Paraguay's soccer team: A complete roster and more about 2026 World Cup squad

On Friday, Paraguay will begin its World Cup 2026 campaign against Team USA in Group D. 

The South American squad will be managed by Gustavo Alvaro and is playing in its first World Cup since 2010. La Albirroja has made nine World Cups in their team history, and their best finish was a defeat in the quarterfinals at the 2010 edition.

Paraguay has had an influx of young talent compared to recent years, and the team will look to utilize that to play with Team USA, Turkey, and Australia in the group stage.

Here's the rundown on the Paraguayan squad, who are in Team USA's Group D at the World Cup.

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Paraguay 2026 World Cup roster

Paraguay has rolled out a 26-man roster ahead of this year's World Cup in North America. Their squad has players who play in their local country's top flight, the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, and Brazil's Serie A, among other leagues around the world.

Here is the full roster that their manager shared with the soccer world.

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

Paraguay players to watch in 2026 World Cup

Despite only being 22 years old, forward Julio Enciso has already accumulated 32 caps for Team Paraguay and will be in the starting 11. Many around the world of soccer believe he is a large part of the international team's future, and for good reason. He tallied nine G/A through 27 appearances in France during the Ligue 1 season. For Paraguay, Enciso has four goals through 32 caps.

After moving out of the MLS to join the Premier League side, midfielder Diego Gomez has emerged as one of Paraguay's better young talents. He can be used around the midfield area and should be heavily utilized during the summer. Gomez has accumulated three goals through 24 caps with Paraguay.

Although he once was one of Paraguay's brightest talents, Miguel Almiron is now the eighth-oldest player on the squad. Manager Gustavo Alfaro will look to the Atlanta United captain for leadership on the pitch, along with providing goal-scoring opportunities throughout the tournament. Almiron has 10 goals during his 76 caps with Paraguay.

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Who is coaching Team Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup?

Gustavo Alfaro will manage Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup. After a brief playing career in the Argentine Primera Division, he chose to segue into a coaching role at his same club, Atletico de Rafaela. He bounced around various clubs in Argentina, his native country, from 1992 on before settling into his first national team role with Ecuador in 2020.

Despite forward Enner Valencia being near the top of the tournament's goal scoring charts and young phenom Moises Caicedo, Ecuador failed to get through their group of the Netherlands, Senegal, and Qatar. Through 35 total matches with the team, he finished with a 12W-14D-9L record. In 2023, he moved to Costa Rica and tallied a 5W-2D-4L record.

In August 2024, he took the Paraguay managerial position and has since coached them to a 9W-6D-4L record heading into the 2026 World Cup, their first since 2010.

Paraguay World Cup history

Throughout their team history, Paraguay has qualified for their ninth World Cup in 2026. Their first appearance came at the 1930 edition in Uruguay. Their best finish came in South Africa during the 2010 campaign, when they fell to eventual champion Spain 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

Here is the complete history of how Paraguay has fared at the World Cup. 

Paraguay World Cup 2026 schedule

Paraguay will play in Group D at this year's World Cup. In their group are Australia, Turkey, and the United States. Here is their schedule of group stage opponents at the 2026 tournament: