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Paraguay

Nickname(s)	Los Guaraníes La Albirroja (White and red)
Association	Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (APF)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	Eduardo Berizzo
Captain	Vacant
Most caps	Paulo da Silva (150)
Top scorer	Roque Santa Cruz (32)
Home stadium	Estadio Defensores del Chaco
FIFA code	PAR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	33 1 (7 February 2019)[1]
Highest	8 (March 2001)
Lowest	103 (May 1995)
Elo ranking
Current	39 13 (2 February 2019)[2]
Highest	4[3](21 February 1954)
Lowest	43[3](12 August 1962, 5 March 2014, 31 March 2015)
First international
Paraguay 1–5 Argentina  (Asunción, Paraguay; 11 May 1919)
Biggest win
Paraguay 7–0 Bolivia  (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 30 April 1949)  Hong Kong 0–7 Paraguay (Hong Kong; 17 November 2010)
Biggest defeat
Argentina 8–0 Paraguay (Santiago, Chile; 20 October 1926)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1930)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 2010
Copa América
Appearances	34 (first in 1921)
Best result	Champions, 1953 and 1979
Medal record Olympic medal record Men's football[4] 2004 Athens Team

Paraguay at the 1929 South American Championship.

The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association (Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol) and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. The Albirroja has qualified for eight FIFA World Cup competitions (1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010), 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 Rankings was 8th (March 2001) and their lowest was 103 (May 1995). Paraguay was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996 for their rise in the FIFA Rankings.

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-final stages of a 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 the entire national team's history at the FIFA World Cup, both Carlos Gamarra and José Luis Chilavert hold the distinction of being selected as part of the All-Star Team, being for the 1998 edition. Paulo da Silva holds the most appearances for the national team with 150 matches and Roque Santa Cruz is the all-time leading goal scorer with 32 goals. Denis Caniza, who was present with 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).

History

The beginning (1900–1930)

Soon after the introduction of football in Paraguay by Williams Paats, the Liga Paraguaya de Futbol (today Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol) was created in 1906. The first national football team was organized in 1910 when an invitation by the Argentine club Hércules of Corrientes was received to play a friendly match. Members of that first national team where F. Melián, G. Almeida, A. Rodríguez, M. Barrios, P. Samaniego, J. Morín, Z. Gadea, D. Andreani, C. Mena Porta, B. Villamayor, M. Rojas and E. Erico. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.^[5]

Because of the increasing number of invitations to play matches and international tournaments, the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol decided to officially create the national team and select the striped red and white jerseys that until this date remain as the official colours (taken from the Paraguayan flag). In late 1919, Paraguay accepted the invitation to play the 1921 Copa América and in order to prepare for that occasion a number of friendly matches were played between 1919 and the start of the tournament in 1921. The first of those friendly matches was a 5–1 loss against Argentina, and it marked the first international game by the Paraguayan national football team. When the 1921 Copa América finally arrived, Paraguay surprised everybody by beating then three-time South American champions Uruguay by 2–1, being this the first match in an official competition for the Paraguayan football team. Paraguay eventually finished fourth in the tournament and became a regular participant of the tournament for the next editions.

In 1930, Paraguay participated in the first World Cup, organized by Uruguay. In the first round, Paraguay debuted and lost to the United States (0–3), to then defeat Belgium (1–0) with a goal by Luis Vargas Peña. Only one team was to advance from the group stage, and the U.S. left Paraguay behind.

First taste of success (1930–1970)

After strong participations in the Copa América tournaments of 1929, 1947 and 1949 (where Paraguay finished in second place), Paraguay was ready for their next World Cup competition.

The return to the World Cup was in 1950, where Paraguay faced Sweden and Italy in Group 3. Paraguay failed to advance to the next round after a 2–2 draw against Sweden and a 2–0 loss against Italy.

The first big success came in 1953 when Paraguay won the Copa América disputed in Peru. In their road to the championship, Paraguay defeated Chile (3–0), Bolivia (2–1) and Brazil (2–1); and tied against Ecuador (0–0), Peru (2–2) and Uruguay (2–2). Since Paraguay and Brazil were tied in points at the end of the tournament, a final playoff match was played between them, with Paraguay winning the final by 3–2. Key players of the campaign included Ángel Berni, Heriberto Herrera and Rubén Fernández. The coach was Manuel Fleitas Solich.^[6]

For the 1958 World Cup, Paraguay surprisingly qualified ahead of Uruguay (beating them 5–0 in the decisive game) with a team that contained a formidable attacking lineup with stars such as Juan Bautista Agüero, José Parodi, Jorge Lino Romero, Cayetano Ré and Florencio Amarilla. In their first game in Sweden, Paraguay were 3–2 up against France in a game they lost 7–3. A 3–2 win over Scotland and a 3–3 draw with Yugoslavia saw Paraguay finish third in their group.

The departure of several of their stars for European football (mainly Spain) resulted in a weakening of Paraguay's football fortunes somewhat, but they were only edged out by Mexico in the 1962 qualifiers.

More continental success (1970–1990)

Paraguay fell short in subsequent World Cup qualifying campaigns, but Copa América success (and that of one of its premier clubs Olimpia in the Copa Libertadores) in 1979 shored up Paraguay as a solid player on the continent.

The 1979 Copa América was won by Paraguay after finishing first in Group C (which had Uruguay and Ecuador as well) with two wins and two draws. In the semi-finals, Paraguay defeated Brazil by an aggregate score of 4–3. In the finals, Paraguay defeated Chile by an aggregate score of 3–1 to claim its second continental crown. Players such as Romerito, Carlos Alberto Kiese, Alicio Solalinde, Roberto Paredes, Hugo Ricardo Talavera and Eugenio Morel where an important part of the team, coached by Ranulfo Miranda.^[7]

Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in 1986 with a team starring Roberto Fernández in goal; Cesar Zabala, Rogelio Delgado and Juan Bautista Torales in defence; Jorge Amado Nunes and Vladimiro Schettina in midfield; midfield playmaker Romerito and strikers Roberto Cabañas, Ramón Ángel María Hicks and Rolando Chilavert (the older brother of José Luis Chilavert). In first round matches, Paraguay defeated Iraq (1–0, goal scored by Romerito) and then tied Mexico (1–1, goal scored by Romerito) and Belgium (2–2, both goals scored by Roberto Cabañas). They reached the second round where they were beaten 3–0 by England.^[8]

The golden generation (1990–2011)

A drought followed once again, as Paraguay failed to reach the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.

In 1992, Paraguay won the South American Pre-Olympic tournament, which guaranteed a spot in the 1992 Summer Olympics football competition. In the Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group and were eliminated by Ghana in the quarter-finals.^[9] The most important aspect of that Paraguay team was the emergence of new young players like Carlos Gamarra, Celso Ayala, José Luis Chilavert, Francisco Arce and José Cardozo, which became part of the "golden generation" that led Paraguay to three-straight World Cups and good performances in continental competitions, establishing Paraguay as one of the top teams in South America alongside Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

1998 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay concluded the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup in second position, one point below Argentina.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Nigeria	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Spain	3	1	1	1	8	4	+4	4
Bulgaria	3	0	1	2	1	7	−6	1

The Albirroja returned to the FIFA World Cup final stages for the first time since 1986, coached by the Brazilian Paulo César Carpegiani. The squad featured experienced players. Paraguay were drawn into Group D, alongside Bulgaria; Nigeria; and also Spain.

On 12 June, Paraguay would face Bulgaria were the match would end in a 0–0 draw. On 19 June, Paraguay faced Spain as the two sides drew 0–0.^[10] Paraguay were then scheduled to face Nigeria in their last group stage fixture on 24 June. Nigeria were already through to the next round after winning their first two group-stage matches. The match concluded 3–1 in favour of Paraguay as they finished in second position of the table with five points, and they advanced to the Round of 16 to face hosts France.

On 28 June, France and Paraguay met. France were without their number #10 Zinedine Zidane, and were held 0–0 by Paraguay for 90 minutes. In the 114th minute of extra-time, Laurent Blanc scored for France, eliminating Paraguay via the golden goal rule.^[11] Defender Carlos Gamarra and goalkeeper and captain José Luís Chilavert were selected as part of the 1998 All-Star Team.

1999 and 2001 Copa América

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Paraguay	3	2	1	0	5	0	+5	7
Peru	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
Bolivia	3	0	2	1	1	2	−1	2
Japan	3	0	1	2	3	8	−5	1

Paraguay were hosts of the 1999 Copa América, played in four cities throughout the country. Head coach Ever Hugo Almeida selected an experienced squad, with the majority of the players having been present at the 1998 World Cup. Grouped with Bolivia, Japan and Peru, the Albirroja played their first match of the competition, drawing 0–0 against Bolivia. On 2 July, Paraguay faced Japan and sealed a 4–0 victory. In Paraguay's third and last group-stage fixture against Peru, Paraguay won 1–0. The Albirroja topped the group with seven points. Paraguay were drawn against Uruguay at the quarter-final stage. The match was decided via a penalty shootout, which saw Paraguay defeated 5–3. Following the conclusion of the competition, striker Roque Santa Cruz was awarded with the 1999 Paraguayan Footballer of the Year award.^[12]

In the 2001 Copa America, head coach Sergio Markarián selected a squad of mostly domestic based players. Paraguay were drawn against Peru, Mexico and Brazil. In their opening fixture on 12 July, the fixture ended 3–3. On 15 July, Paraguay drew 0–0 with Mexico in their second group stage fixture. Paraguay then faced Brazil on 18 July in their last group stage fixture. Brazil won 3–1 and eliminated Paraguay, who had obtained just two points at the competition.

2002 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay commenced began its 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in March 2000, suffering a 2–0 away defeat against Peru. One month later, they defeated Uruguay 1–0. On 3 June 2000, Paraguay secured a 3–1 home victory against Ecuador, before Paraguay were defeated 3–1 away against Chile. On 18 July 2000, Paraguay earned a 2–1 home victory against Brazil. Paraguay then drew the next two fixtures. Paraguay then earned four consecutive wins — against Venezuela, Colombia (2–0), Peru (5–1), and Uruguay (1–0) — to move into second position in qualifying.

Chilavert was a key figure during the qualifiers as Paraguay qualified for Korea-Japan 2002.

Paraguay fell 2–1 away against Ecuador. Paraguay defeated Chile 1–0. Paraguay were defeated 2–0 away against Brazil. Paraguay defeated Bolivia 5–1 at home. One month later Paraguay drew Argentina 2–2. Paraguay maintained second position in the table. Paraguay were then defeated 3–1 away against Venezuela and 4–0 against Colombia. Paraguay finished in fourth position after Round 18, with 30 points, qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Both José Saturnino Cardozo and Carlos Humberto Paredes were in the top 10 leading goal scorers of the qualifiers.^{[citation needed]} Cardozo ranking fifth, with six goals in fourteen matches, and Paredes ranking tenth, having scored five goals in sixteen matches.^{[citation needed]}

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	3	0	0	9	4	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
3	South Africa	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
4	Slovenia	3	0	0	3	2	7	−5	0

Paraguay came into the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament with most of their players from France 98, as José Luís Chilavert would captain the Albirroja at the tournament. Cesare Maldini's appointing as coach in January 2002 had caused controversy as domestic managers were overlooked (prompting the managers union to try to unsuccessfully expel him for immigration breaches).^[13][14]

Paraguay were drawn into Group B with Spain, South Africa and Slovenia. The Albirroja would face South Africa in their opening group stage match on 2 June, with a match that tied at 2–2. Paraguay faced Spain in their next fixture on 7 June. Spain defeated Paraguay 3–1. In Paraguay's third group stage fixture against Slovenia, Paraguay won the match at 3–1. Although Paraguay and South Africa had finished with four points each, the Albirroja progressed due to goal difference.^[15]
Paraguay were then drawn against Germany at the round of 16 stages. Germany, who had been the more dominant side throughout the match, scored in the 88th minute to win the match, ending Paraguay's tournament.^[16]

Nelson Haedo played at the 2004 Copa América.

2004 Copa América

Coach Carlos Jara Saguier took a relatively young squad to the 2004 Copa América, with the majority of players tied to clubs of the Primera División Paraguaya. Paraguay had been drawn into Group C, with Brazil, Costa Rica and Chile. A penalty sealed Paraguay's 1–0 victory in their first group-stage match against Costa Rica. Paraguay earned a 1–1 draw with Chile in the following match. In Paraguay's fixture against Brazil, Paraguay earned a 2–1 victory, which saw Paraguay top the group as undefeated, with seven points. Paraguay were drawn against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. A 3–1 Uruguay victory eliminated Paraguay from the competition.

2006 FIFA World Cup

Cardozo scored seven goals during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Paraguay began the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification with three wins in their first four fixtures in 2003. After losing 4–1 to Peru, Paraguay notched consecutive wins against Uruguay (4–1), Chile (1–0) to reach first position of the table. In 2004, Paraguay drew 0–0 against Brazil and lost 2–1 to Bolivia. Paraguay got their only win of 2004 against Venezuela a 1–0. Paraguay ended the year with a 1–0 defeat against Uruguay. In 2005, Paraguay lost to Ecuador and then defeated Chile 2–1. In their next fixture, Brazil defeated Paraguay 4–1. Paraguay defeated Bolivia 4–1, and Argentina 1–0 for Paraguay's first official victory over Argentina.^{[citation needed]} They defeated Venezuela 1–0. In round 18, Paraguay were defeated 1–0 at home against Colombia. Paraguay concluded the qualifiers in fourth position, qualifying for their third consecutive World Cup. José Cardozo finished second in goals scored with seven.^{[citation needed]}

Paraguay against England at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Sweden	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5
3	Paraguay	3	1	0	2	2	2	0	3
4	Trinidad and Tobago	3	0	1	2	0	4	−4	1

Head coach Aníbal Ruiz took with him 8 European based players and 11 South American based players, including captain Carlos Gamarra, to Germany for the 2006 tournament. This was Paraguay's third consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament, and the team had experienced players within the side.

Paraguay were drawn into Group B alongside England, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago. Paraguay faced England in their opening group stage match on 10 June. England managed to hold onto a 1–0 lead to earn a victory. They faced Sweden on 15 June in a match which Sweden eliminated Paraguay after just two group-stage matches without the Albirroja scoring a single goal. Paraguay's only compensation came in their third and last group stage fixture on against Trinidad and Tobago on 20 June, Paraguay's 2–0 victory. Paraguay finished third in their group. Paraguay's group stage elimination made them the only South American national team which did not advance beyond the first round.^{[citation needed]} Upon the conclusion of Paraguay's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign, Aníbal Ruiz resigned as head coach and Raúl Vicente Amarilla was assigned as the interim coach.

Gerardo Martino became the new coach as of January 2007.^[17]

Paraguay's national squad underwent a major transition after Germany 2006 because of the retirement of key players including José Luis Chilavert. In 2007, Argentine Gerardo "Tata" Martino was designated as head-coach.

2007 Copa América

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	3	0	0	9	3	+6	9
Paraguay	3	2	0	1	8	2	+6	6
Colombia	3	1	0	2	3	9	−6	3
United States	3	0	0	3	2	8	−6	0

Gerardo Martino took with him a relatively experienced squad to Venezuela, with Darío Verón, Claudio Morel Rodríguez, Carlos Bonet, Julio Manzur, Paulo da Silva, Aureliano Torres, Roque Santa Cruz and captain Julio César Cáceres all re-appearing for the national team, and newcomers Enrique Vera, Óscar Cardozo and the Argentine-born Jonathan Santana were appearing for Paraguay in their first major tournaments. The competition also proved to be one of the last national team involvements from veteran Nelson Cuevas. Paraguay were drawn into Group C, alongside Argentina, Colombia, and the USA. In Paraguay's first fixture, they would defeat Colombia 5–0 after a hat-trick from Roque Santa Cruz and a double from Salvador Cabañas.^[18] In Paraguay's second fixture against the USA, Édgar Barreto opened the scoring in the 29th minute just before the USA's Ricardo Clark would level the scores in the 35th minute. Paraguay would win the match 3–1 after a goal from Óscar Cardozo and a 92nd minute free kick from Salvador Cabañas would seal the game for the Albirroja.^[19] With both Paraguay and Argentina having obtained six points and qualifying from beyond their Group C, the two teams faced in their last group stage fixture with a less strengthened side, Roque Santa Cruz, Édgar Barreto, Cristian RIveros and Paolo da Silva all commencing on the bench as Nelson Cuevas would gain his first appearance of the competition and Aldo Bobadilla would play a full 90-minutes of the fixture, replacing Justo Villar for the second time in the tournament. A 79th minute Javier Mascherano goal was enough to seal a 1–0 victory for Argentina,^[20] as Paraguay advanced to the knock-out stages to face Mexico. Mexico had already beaten Brazil in the group stage and had finished in first place of their respective Group B with seven points. After Paraguayan goal keeper Aldo Bobadilla had earned a straight red card in the 3rd minute, Paraguay conceded a penalty in the 5th minute and eventually found themselves down 3–0 at half-time. Mexico would score another three more goals, thrashing Paraguay 6–0 and ending their Copa América campaign.^[21]

2010 FIFA World Cup

Coach Gerardo Martino regarded Salvador Cabañas as the Albirroja's best player,^[22] Martino also considered Cabañas as Paraguay's Lionel Messi.^[23][24]

Paraguay commenced their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 away draw against Peru.^[25] Paraguay followed this draw with four consecutive wins — against Urugauay (1–0), Ecuador (5–1), Chile (3–0), and Brazil (2–0). These victories placed Paraguay in first position of the CONMEBOL table in four matches,^[26][27] and Paraguay remained in first position of the CONMEBOL table for nine consecutive rounds (from round 4 to round 12). Paraguay lost for the first time in qualifying in a 4–2 away defeat against Bolivia.^[28]

Paraguay travelled to Argentina.^[29] 1–1 was how it finished. Days later, a 2–0 home victory against Venezuela as Paraguay remained in first position of the CONMEBOL table.^[30] Paraguay then earned two 1–0 victories against Colombia and Peru.^[31][32] The results keeping Paraguay in first place of the CONMEBOL table as 2008 concluded. Paraguay's qualification campaign in 2009 commenced with a 2–0 away loss against Uruguay^[33] and a 1–1 away draw against Ecuador,^[34] By June, Paraguay suffered a 2–0 home defeat at the hands of Chile,^[35] Paraguay were defeated 2–1 away against Brazil.^[36] In the last four matches of the qualification campaign, where which three of the four fixtures would be played at home, Paraguay earned a 1–0 home victory against Bolivia.^[37] Qualification was secured in the next fixture against Argentina on 9 September, when Paraguay won 1–0.^[38] Paraguay concluded the qualification campaign with a 2–1 away victory against Venezuela and a 2–0 home loss against Colombia.^[39][40] Paraguay concluded the qualification campaign with 33 points, as Salvador Cabañas finished in sixth position of the leading goal scorers, having scored six goals.^{[citation needed]}

The Albirroja vs. Italy on 14 June 2010

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Slovakia	3	1	1	1	4	5	−1	4
3	New Zealand	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
4	Italy	3	0	2	1	4	5	−1	2

Paraguay had an experienced side with Roque Santa Cruz, Édgar Barreto, Carlos Bonet, Enrique Vera, Cristian Riveros, Nelson Valdez and Paulo da Silva. Paraguay had qualified for their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup, and the 2010 edition proved to be a record fourth consecutive World Cup for Denis Caniza.^{[citation needed]} The final squad consisted of 9 European based players.^[41]
Paraguay were drawn into Group F alongside Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand. Paraguay would face Italy in their opening group stage match and would take a 1–0 lead in the 39th minute.^[42] Paraguay eventually drew 1–1 after conceding a goal in the second half. Paraguay faced Slovakia in their second group stage match and secured a 2–0 victory.^[43] In Paraguay's last group-stage fixture, they played out a 0–0 draw with New Zealand, and finish first of Group F.^[44]

Paraguay were drawn against Japan at the round of 16 stage. After 120 minutes, the match was tied at 0–0 and determined via a penalty shoot-out. Paraguay won the shoot out at 5–3.^[45] The win meant that Paraguay had advanced beyond the round of 16 for the first time in the national team's history.^{[citation needed]}
The Albirroja were drawn against Spain at the quarter-final stage. Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar saved a penalty kick, but Spain scored in the 83rd minute, for a 1–0 result, and went on to be crowned as World Champions in the final. The quarter-final appearance was recorded Paraguay's best ever performance.^[46] After the match, Gerardo Martino stated that he would be leaving his position at the end of his contract.

2011 Copa América

Paraguay's Justo Villar was voted best goalkeeper of the 2011 Copa America.

At the 2011 Copa America, Paraguay were drawn into Group B with Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. Paraguay drew their opening group stage match 0–0 with Ecuador. Paraguay leveled with Brazil 2–2, as Paraguay would settle for their second draw of the tournament. Paraguay played out a 3–3 draw with Venezuela. Paraguay concluded the group stage phase with three points from three matches, as the group's third-place finisher and the competition's second-best third-place finisher in the group stage.
Paraguay were drawn against Brazil at the quarter final stages. The match was decided via a penalty shoot out. Paraguay won the penalty shoot out 2–0. Paraguay then faced Venezuela in the semi-final. Paraguay won 5–3 via their second consecutive penalty shoot out, to send Paraguay to the final. Paraguay faced Uruguay in the final, the first time that Paraguay reached the final since the 1979 Copa América. Paraguay lost 3–0. Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was awarded as the Best goalkeeper of the tournament. Gerardo Martino resigned soon afterwards as coach of the Albirroja.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Francisco Arce was in charge of the Albirroja in 2011, following the departure of Gerardo Martino.

Francisco Arce took charge of the national team for the qualifiers. In Rounds 1 and 2 in October 2011, Paraguay were defeated 2–0 away.^[47] Four days later, Paraguay drew with Uruguay 1–1. Paraguay earned their first win of the qualifiers when they defeated Ecuador 2–1.^[48] Fourth position was the highest ranking that Paraguay achieved throughout the qualifiers, as the national team faced a series of losses.

Paraguay were defeated 2–0 against Chile and 3–1 to Bolivia.^[49]Francisco Arce departed as coach in 2012 after Paraguay's loss against Bolivia, and was replaced by Gerardo Pelusso. Paraguay were defeated 3–1 against Argentina, 2–0 against Venezuela, and 2–0 against Colombia.^[50] This string of losses placed Paraguay at the bottom of the table.

Roque Santa Cruz scored his 26th goal, becoming Paraguay's leading career scorer.

Paraguay ended their losing streak when they defeated Peru 1–0, only their second win of the qualifiers.^[51] Paraguay's then tied Uruguay 1–1.^[52] Paraguay were defeated 4–1 against Ecuador.^[53]
In Round 13, Paraguay lost 2–1 to Chile in a match where Roque Santa Cruz's goal brought his tally to 26 which made him the all-time leading goal scorer of the Paraguayan national team's history.^[54] By this time, Gerardo Pelusso had departed and coach Víctor Genes would ultimately be in charge until the qualifiers were concluded. Paraguay next defeated Bolivia 4–0.^[55] However, a 5–2 defeat against Argentina officially eliminated Paraguay from qualifying.

Paraguay's last two matches in October 2013 saw then face Venezuela and Colombia. The match concluded 1–1. In Paraguay's last fixture of the qualifiers in Round 18, they lost to Colombia 2–1. Paraguay finished in ninth position of the table, having gained just 12 points from three wins and having been defeated ten times.^[56] The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign proved to be unsuccessful. Throughout the duration of the qualifiers, Paraguay changed coaches three times.

2015 Copa América

Paraguay's campaign in the 2015 Copa América was much more successful than their qualifying campaign to Brazil. In this competition, Paraguay made it to the semi-finals, defeating Brazil in quarter-finals via penalty shootouts, after the score being 1–1, although they were eliminated by Argentina, by a score of 6–1.^[57]

2016 Copa América Centenario

Prior to the competition, the Paraguayan press had labeled Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Haedo, Paulo da Silva and Justo Villar as histórics, being the only four experienced and veteran players in the squad selected for the competition.^[58][59] Santa Cruz suffered an injured and was later replaced by Antonio Sanabria.^[60]

Following an unsuccessful campaign, Ramón Díaz announced his resignation as coach of the Albirroja in a press conference at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco after returning to the country.^[61][62] He had already received criticism from former Albirroja great José Luís Chilavert, who stated that the team was managed based on "friendship" in the federation due to corruption and opined that Díaz is more of an office person.^[63][64][65]José Cardozo, former Albirroja leading goal scorer and current coach of Chiapas in Mexico, also expressed his dissatisfaction with the Albirroja. He stated that: "There are players that do not even know our national anthem" and "We used to play until we would suffer severe injuries, and we performed because we loved the Albirroja. Today, someone has pain in their stomach and does not want to train". "Carlos Gamarra and Francisco Arce played many times with busted ankles, and I once played with a damaged knee" remembered Cardozo.^[66] Former Albirroja World Cup veteran Celso Ayala spoke to HOY.com and mentioned that "Any team beats us. In the Albirroja, we've stopped kicking, blocking and heading. Uruguay, for instance, never forgets about its roots, and we have to be like them".^[67]

Results and fixtures

The tables below include matches from the past 12 months as well as any future scheduled matches.

See also 2017 Paraguay national team results and 2018 Paraguay national team results.

2017

Mexico  v  Paraguay

1 July Friendly	Mexico	2–1	Paraguay	Seattle, United States
17:00 (UTC−7)	Pizarro  19' E. Hernández  26' (pen.)	Report	Bareiro  45+2'	Stadium: CenturyLink Field Referee: Ted Unkel (United States)

Chile  v  Paraguay

31 August 2018 WCQ	Chile	0–3	Paraguay	Santiago, Chile
19:30 CLT		Report	Vidal  24' (o.g.) Cáceres  55' Ortiz  90+2'	Stadium: Estadio Monumental David Arellano Attendance: 43,000 Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)

Paraguay  v  Uruguay

5 September 2018 WCQ	Paraguay	1–2	Uruguay	Asunción, Paraguay
20:00 PYT	Á. Romero  88'	Report	Valverde  76' Gómez  80' (o.g.)	Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)

Colombia  v  Paraguay

5 October 2018 WCQ	Colombia	1–2	Paraguay	Barranquilla, Colombia
18:30 UTC−5	Falcao  79'	Report	Cardozo  89' Sanabria  90+2'	Stadium: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez Attendance: 47,000 Referee: Ricardo Marques (Brazil)

Paraguay  v  Venezuela

10 October 2018 WCQ	Paraguay	0–1	Venezuela	Asunción, Paraguay
20:30 UTC−3		Report	Herrera  84'	Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco Attendance: 38,786 Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

2018

United States  v  Paraguay

27 March Friendly	United States	1–0	Paraguay	Cary, North Carolina[68]
19:30 ET (UTC−5)	Wood  45' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 9,895 Referee: Kimbett Ward (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Japan  v  Paraguay

12 June Friendly	Japan	4–2	Paraguay	Innsbruck, Austria
15:05 CEST (UTC+2)	Inui  51', 63' Santander  77' (o.g.) Kagawa  90+1'	Report	Romero  32' Ortiz  90'	Stadium: Tivoli-Neu Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Oliver Drachta (Austria)

South Africa  v  Paraguay

20 November Friendly	South Africa	1–1	Paraguay	Durban, South Africa
19:00 SAST (UTC+2)	Tau  90+3'	Report	Santander  32'	Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium Attendance: 8,868 Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

2019

Peru  v  Paraguay

22 March Friendly	Peru	v	Paraguay	Harrison, New Jersey
				Stadium: Red Bull Arena

Paraguay  v  Mexico

26 March Friendly	Paraguay	v	Mexico	Santa Clara, California
				Stadium: Levi's Stadium

Paraguay  v  Qatar

16 June 2019 Copa América	Paraguay	v	Qatar	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19:00				Stadium: Maracanã Stadium

Argentina  v  Paraguay

19 June 2019 Copa América	Argentina	v	Paraguay	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
21:30				Stadium: Mineirão Stadium

Colombia  v  Paraguay

23 June 2019 Copa América	Colombia	v	Paraguay	Salvador, Brazil
16:00				Stadium: Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova

Players

Current squad

The following 24 players have been called up for the Friendly Match against South Africa in November 20, 2018.^[68]
Caps and goals current as of 20 November 2018 after the match against South Africa.
.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player thbackground-color:inherit;border:0.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player tdtext-align:center;border:0

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Antony Silva	(1984-02-27) 27 February 1984 (age 34)	26	0	Huracán
12	1GK	Alfredo Aguilar	(1988-07-18) 18 July 1988 (age 30)	1	0	Olimpia
22	1GK	Santiago Rojas	(1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 22)	0	0	Nacional
5	2DF	Bruno Valdez	(1992-10-06) 6 October 1992 (age 26)	23	1	América
13	2DF	Júnior Alonso	(1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 26)	19	1	Boca Juniors
4	2DF	Fabián Balbuena	(1991-08-23) 23 August 1991 (age 27)	8	0	West Ham United
2	2DF	Juan Patiño	(1989-11-29) 29 November 1989 (age 29)	3	0	Olimpia
17	2DF	Lorenzo Melgarejo	(1990-08-10) 10 August 1990 (age 28)	2	0	Spartak Moscow
3	2DF	Juan Escobar	(1995-07-03) 3 July 1995 (age 23)	1	0	Cerro Porteño
14	2DF	Omar Alderete	(1996-12-26) 26 December 1996 (age 22)	1	0	Huracán
21	2DF	Santiago Arzamendia	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 20)	0	0	Cerro Porteño
6	3MF	Richard Ortiz	(1990-05-22) 22 May 1990 (age 28)	32	6	Olimpia
8	3MF	Rodrigo Rojas	(1988-04-09) 9 April 1988 (age 30)	17	0	Cerro Porteño
15	3MF	Celso Ortiz	(1989-01-26) 26 January 1989 (age 30)	15	0	Monterrey
23	3MF	Miguel Almirón	(1994-02-10) 10 February 1994 (age 25)	14	0	Newcastle United
19	3MF	Cecilio Domínguez	(1994-08-11) 11 August 1994 (age 24)	11	0	Independiente
18	3MF	Alejandro Romero Gamarra	(1995-01-11) 11 January 1995 (age 24)	2	0	New York Red Bulls
16	3MF	Cristhian Paredes	(1998-05-18) 18 May 1998 (age 20)	2	0	Portland Timbers
20	3MF	Héctor Villalba	(1994-07-26) 26 July 1994 (age 24)	1	0	Atlanta United
24	3MF	Blas Cáceres	(1990-08-02) 2 August 1990 (age 28)	0	0	General Díaz
10	4FW	Derlis González	(1994-03-20) 20 March 1994 (age 24)	30	4	Santos
9	4FW	Federico Santander	(1991-06-04) 4 June 1991 (age 27)	17	2	Bologna
11	4FW	Ángel Romero	(1992-07-04) 4 July 1992 (age 26)	13	2	Corinthians
7	4FW	Antonio Sanabria	(1996-03-04) 4 March 1996 (age 22)	12	1	Genoa

Recent call-ups

The following players have received a call-up within the past 12 months:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Gerardo Ortiz	(1989-03-25) 25 March 1989 (age 29)	0	0	Sol de América	Training Camp, October 2018
GK	Roberto Junior Fernández	(1988-03-29) 29 March 1988 (age 30)	6	0	Botafogo	v.  United States, 27 March 2018
DF	Gustavo Gómez	(1993-05-06) 6 May 1993 (age 25)	29	2	Palmeiras	Training Camp, October 2018
DF	Jorge Moreira	(1990-02-01) 1 February 1990 (age 29)	17	0	Portland Timbers	Training Camp, October 2018
DF	Danilo Ortiz	(1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 26)	3	0	Banfield	Training Camp, October 2018
DF	Blas Riveros	(1998-02-03) 3 February 1998 (age 21)	1	0	Basel	Training Camp, October 2018
DF	Rolando García	(1990-02-10) 10 February 1990 (age 29)	0	0	Lanús	Training Camp, October 2018
DF	Alan Benítez	(1994-01-25) 25 January 1994 (age 25)	2	0	Libertad	v.  Japan, 12 June 2018
DF	Luis de la Cruz	(1991-03-23) 23 March 1991 (age 27)	0	0	Guaraní	v.  United States, 27 March 2018
MF	Óscar Romero	(1992-07-04) 4 July 1992 (age 26)	36	3	Shanghai Shenhua	Training Camp, October 2018
MF	Hernán Pérez	(1989-02-25) 25 February 1989 (age 29)	31	1	Espanyol	Training Camp, October 2018
MF	Juan Iturbe	(1993-06-04) 4 June 1993 (age 25)	9	0	UNAM	Training Camp, October 2018
MF	Robert Piris Da Motta	(1994-07-26) 26 July 1994 (age 24)	5	0	Flamengo	Training Camp, October 2018
MF	Jesús Medina	(1997-04-30) 30 April 1997 (age 21)	1	0	New York City	Training Camp, October 2018
MF	Antonio Bareiro	(1989-04-24) 24 April 1989 (age 29)	4	1	Libertad	v.  Japan, 12 June 2018
MF	William Mendieta	(1989-01-09) 9 January 1989 (age 30)	2	0	Olimpia	v.  Japan, 12 June 2018
MF	Ángel Cardozo	(1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 24)	1	0	Libertad	v.  Japan, 12 June 2018
MF	Richard Sánchez	(1996-03-29) 29 March 1996 (age 22)	1	0	Olimpia	v.  Japan, 12 June 2018
MF	Cristian Riveros	(1982-10-16) 16 October 1982 (age 36)	101	16	Libertad	v.  United States, 27 March 2018
MF	Néstor Camacho	(1987-10-15) 15 October 1987 (age 31)	9	1	Olimpia	v.  United States, 27 March 2018
FW	Sergio Díaz	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 20)	1	0	Corinthians	Training Camp, October 2018
FW	Cristian Colmán	(1994-02-26) 26 February 1994 (age 24)	0	0	Dallas	Training Camp, October 2018
FW	Roberto Ovelar	(1985-12-01) 1 December 1985 (age 33)	0	0	Millonarios	v.  United States, 27 March 2018

• 
  ^PRE Preliminary squad.

Records

As of 12 June 2018

Players in bold are still active at international level.

Technical staff

Head Coach: Eduardo Berizzo ^[64]

Kit providers

Kit provider	Period
Adidas	1979-1985
Rainha	1986
Sportman	1987–1990
Textil Paraná	1991–1992
Enerre	1993–1994
Reebok	1995–1998
Puma	1999–2006
Adidas	2007–present

Tournament records

Head to head

World Cup record

2010 FIFA World Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Group stage	9th	2	1	0	1	1	3		Qualified as invitees
1934	Did not enter									Declined participation
1938
1950	Group stage	11th	2	0	1	1	2	4		Qualified automatically
1954	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	8	6
1958	Group stage	12th	3	1	1	1	9	12		4	3	0	1	11	4
1962	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	1
1966										4	1	1	2	3	5
1970										6	4	0	2	6	5
1974										4	2	1	1	8	5
1978										4	1	2	1	3	3
1982										4	1	0	3	3	6
1986	Round of 16	13th	4	1	2	1	4	6		8	3	3	2	14	8
1990	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	6	7
1994										6	1	4	1	6	7
1998	Round of 16	14th	4	1	2	1	3	2		16	9	2	5	21	14
2002		16th	4	1	1	2	6	7		18	9	3	6	29	23
2006	Group stage	18th	3	1	0	2	2	2		18	8	4	6	23	23
2010	Quarter-finals	8th	5	1	3	1	3	2		18	10	3	5	24	16
2014	Did not qualify									16	3	3	10	17	31
2018										18	7	3	8	19	25
2022	To be determined									To be determined
2026
Total	Quarter-finals	8/23	27	7	10	10	30	38		154	66	30	58	201	189

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Copa América record

South American Championship
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA
1916	Did not enter
1917
1919
1920
1921	Fourth place	4th	3	1	0	2	2	7
1922	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	5	3
1923	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	4	6
1924	Third place	3rd	3	1	1	1	4	4
1925	Third place	3rd	4	0	0	4	4	13
1926	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	8	20
1927	Did not enter
1929	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	9	4
1935	Did not enter
1937	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	8	16
1939	Third place	3rd	4	2	0	2	9	8
1941	Did not enter
1942	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	11	10
1945	Did not enter
1946	Third place	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	8
1947	Runners-up	2nd	7	5	1	1	16	11
1949	Runners-up	2nd	8	6	0	2	21	13
1953	Champions	1st	7	4	2	1	14	8
1955	Fifth place	5th	5	1	1	3	7	14
1956	Fifth place	5th	5	0	2	3	3	8
1957	Did not enter
1959	Third place	3rd	6	3	0	3	12	12
1959	Fifth place	5th	4	0	1	3	6	11
1963	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	13	7
1967	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	9	13
Total	1 Title	20/29	97	41	13	43	173	196

Copa América
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA
1975	Group stage	7th	1	1	1	2	5	5
1979	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	9	3
1983	Semi-finals	3rd	2	0	2	0	1	1
1987	Group stage	9th	2	0	1	1	0	3
1989	Fourth place	4th	7	3	1	3	9	10
1991	Group stage	6th	4	2	0	2	7	8
1993	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	2	7
1995	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	1	1	6	5
1997	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	2	5
1999	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	2	0	6	1
2001	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	4	6
2004	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	5	5
2007	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	0	2	8	8
2011	Runners-up	2nd	6	0	5	1	5	8
2015	Semi-finals	4th	6	1	3	2	6	12
2016	Group stage	12th	3	0	1	2	1	3
2019	To be determined
Total	1 Title	16/16	68	22	28	21	76	90

FIFA Ranking

Titles

Preceded by 1949 Brazil	South American Champions 1953 (First title)	Succeeded by 1955 Argentina
Preceded by 1975 Peru	South American Champions 1979 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1983 Uruguay

See also

• Paraguay women's national football team


• Paraguay national under-23 football team


• Paraguay national under-20 football team


• Paraguay national under-17 football team


• Paraguay national futsal team


• Football in Paraguay

References

^[1]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paraguay national football team.

• Official site of the Paraguayan Football Association


• RSSSF archive of results 1919–2004


• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup


• Planet World Cup archive of squads in the World Cup


• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup qualifiers


• Paraguayan Football Site