SAN FRANCISCO — Paraguay moved into a qualifying position in Group D at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after securing a key victory over Türkiye and remaining in contention to advance to the knockout stage ahead of its final group match, tournament standings and match results showed on Sunday.
Paraguay entered the tournament seeking its first World Cup appearance since 2010 and faced an early setback with a defeat to the United States in its opening group match. However, the South American side responded by defeating Türkiye in its second match, according to group-stage results published by FIFA and other tournament trackers.
The result left Paraguay competing with Australia for a top-two finish in Group D, while the United States had already secured progression from the group, according to published standings. Paraguay and Australia are scheduled to meet in their final group-stage match later this week in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Paraguay qualified for the expanded 48-team World Cup after finishing among the qualifying teams in South America's CONMEBOL competition. The team, known as La Albirroja, returned to the tournament after a 16-year absence, having last appeared at the 2010 World Cup, where it reached the quarter-finals, according to FIFA records and tournament data.
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro said before the tournament that Paraguay's objective was to compete strongly in a challenging group. “We are going to make ourselves an absolute nightmare to play against,” Alfaro said in comments reported ahead of the competition.
Türkiye, meanwhile, was eliminated from contention following its second defeat of the group stage, according to published results. The team will conclude its tournament campaign against the United States.
Under the tournament's expanded format, the top two teams in each of the 12 groups qualify automatically for the Round of 32, while several third-placed teams also advance based on overall group-stage rankings, according to FIFA regulations.
As of Sunday, Paraguay remained in position to determine its fate in the final round of group matches. The outcome of the match against Australia will decide whether Paraguay advances directly, remains dependent on third-place rankings, or exits the tournament. Tournament organizers said the Group D fixtures are scheduled for June 25.
