Paraguay has become the great story of the 2026 World Cup. La Albirroja eliminated Germany in the round of 32 and confirmed that its extraordinary campaign is not the product of chance, but of the work done since the arrival of Gustavo Alfaro, the coach who rescued a team that recently seemed doomed to be left out of the World Cup.
For much of the South American Qualifiers, Paraguay navigated the bottom of the standings. The team generated little football, had disappointing results and was seen as one of the candidates to miss the World Cup. The arrival of Alfaro completely changed the panorama.
The Argentine coach gave Albirroja its identity: a solid team in defense, intense in recovery, competitive in every divided ball and convinced that it could fight against anyone. Little by little the results began to arrive and a team that seemed eliminated ended up securing its ticket to North America 2026.
That growth carried over to the World Cup. Paraguay was placed in a complicated Group D, along with the host United States, Australia and Türkiye. Although many predicted an uphill road, the South Americans once again showed that they had changed. They competed as equals, achieved qualification for the knockout phase and confirmed that the process led by Alfaro went far beyond a good streak.
Germany awaited in the round of 32. Although the Mannschaft no longer lives the dominance of other times and had left some doubts during the group stage, it was still one of the most respected teams on the planet and started as favorite in the betting and statistical models. It was not the first time that Paraguay entered a match with little chance of victory.
However, Albirroja once again defied all the odds. With tactical order, discipline and a huge personality, he eliminated the four-time world champions and delivered one of the biggest blows of the tournament.
The outlook even changed in their favor with the surprise elimination of the Netherlands against Morocco. The draw was more open and Paraguay will face France in the round of 16, with the hope intact of continuing to make history. If he maintains the level shown since Alfaro’s arrival, the dream of reaching the semifinals and even playing in a final against giants like Brazil or Argentina no longer seems like an impossible fantasy.
Regardless of what happens in the next few games, the 2026 World Cup has already left an obvious conclusion: Gustavo Alfaro transformed a team that was on the verge of elimination into a competitive team, convinced and capable of facing any power. Paraguay is no longer the team that everyone gave up on before playing and today has earned, with football and results, the right to dream big.
