🏆 Paraguay national football team 2026 World Cup Squads

The Paraguay national football team, nicknamed La Albirroja, represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions, and are controlled by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (English: Paraguayan Football Association). Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. The Albirroja has qualified for nine FIFA World Cup competitions (1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2026), with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals. A regular participant at the Copa América, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions (in 1953 and 1979). Paraguay's highest FIFA World Ranking was 8th in March 2001 and their lowest was 103rd in May 1995. Paraguay was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996 for their rise in the FIFA World Ranking.

The national team's most successful period was under the coaching of Argentine Gerardo Martino, who was awarded with the South American Coach of the Year in 2007 and took Paraguay to the quarter-finals stage of the FIFA World Cup competition for the first time in history (in 2010) and also to the final of the 2011 Copa América, where Paraguay finished as runners-up. In Paraguay's entire history at the FIFA World Cup, only Carlos Gamarra and José Luis Chilavert hold the distinction of being selected as part of the All-Star Team, for their performances in the 1998 edition. Paulo da Silva holds the most appearances for the national team with 148 matches and Roque Santa Cruz is the all-time leading goalscorer with 32 goals. Denis Caniza, who was part of the national team from 1996 to 2010, is the only player to have represented Paraguay in four consecutive FIFA World Cup competitions (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010).