World Cup 2026: Paraguay set up defensively against Mbappé-led France
Paraguay line up in a defensive 5-4-1 against a Mbappé-led France side in a 4-2-3-1 for their 2026 World Cup round-of-16 clash in Philadelphia.
SUMMARY
The 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match between Paraguay and France takes place on July 4, 2026, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 10:00 p.m. local time (GMT+1). This knockout clash pits two teams with contrasting tactical approaches that should shape the rhythm of the match.
Paraguay opt for a solid defensive setup in a 5-4-1 system led by Gustavo Alfaro, while France rely on a more attacking 4-2-3-1 structure under Didier Deschamps. The growing influence of key players such as Kylian Mbappé for Les Bleus and the defensive discipline of Gustavo Gómez alongside his Paraguayan teammates could make the difference in this contest.
This stage of the tournament marks a crucial step, with each team looking to win and reach the quarter-finals. Paraguay want to capitalise on a compact organisation and quick transitions launched by Miguel Almirón and Julio Enciso. France, with their deep squad and the experience of their senior players, are counting on attacking creativity and the pace of their midfielders and centre-forward Mbappé.
The kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field sets up a tactical battle, with lineups that could tip the balance in this South American-versus-European duel.
Reading Paraguay’s XI
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro deploys a 5-4-1 formation focused on defensive solidity and balance.
Goalkeeper Orlando Gill will be the last line of defence behind a five-man back line made up of Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Velázquez, Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete and Junior Alonso. This setup is designed to limit space against the French attack.
The four-man midfield will include Diego Gómez and Andrés Cubas as ball-winners, while Miguel Almirón and Matías Galarza will have a more attacking role on the flanks. Up front, Julio Enciso will carry the attacking threat, supported by a compact block that prioritises tactical discipline and quick counter-attacks.
Among the substitutes, Roberto Fernández is ready to provide cover in goal, and the squad also has attacking options such as Antonio Sanabria or Gabriel Ávalos to add dynamism if needed.
Reading France’s XI
Didier Deschamps names a clear 4-2-3-1, built around the defensive spine and attacking creativity.
Mike Maignan starts in goal behind a four-man defence of Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Lucas Digne. In midfield, the young Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot will handle ball-winning and transitions.
The attacking trio lined up behind Kylian Mbappé will consist of Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola. This group will bring pace, technique and disruption in the opposition half. Mbappé will wear the armband and represents the main danger with his experience and ability to get behind the defence.
On the bench, Didier Deschamps has several quality options such as Ibrahima Konaté, N’Golo Kanté, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Marcus Thuram to adjust the balance depending on how the match unfolds.
This lineup reflects France’s desire to control the game and pose a major attacking challenge to Paraguay’s defensive block.
The starting lineups
- 12 Orlando Gill Goalkeeper
- 4 Juan Cáceres Defender
- 2 Gustavo Velázquez Defender
- 15 Gustavo Gómez Defender
- 3 Omar Alderete Defender
- 6 Junior Alonso Defender
- 8 Diego Gómez Midfielder
- 14 Andrés Cubas Midfielder
- 23 Matías Galarza Midfielder
- 10 Miguel Almirón Midfielder
- 19 Julio Enciso Forward
- 22 Gastón Olveira
- 1 Roberto Fernández
- 5 Fabián Balbuena
- 13 José Canale
- 26 Alexandro Maidana
- 11 Mauricio
- 16 Damián Bobadilla
- 20 Braian Ojeda
- 24 Gustavo Caballero
- 17 Alejandro Romero
- 7 Ramón Sosa
- 9 Antonio Sanabria
- 18 Alex Arce
- 21 Gabriel Ávalos
- 25 Isidro Pitta
- 16 Mike Maignan Goalkeeper
- 5 Jules Koundé Defender
- 4 Dayot Upamecano Defender
- 17 William Saliba Defender
- 3 Lucas Digne Defender
- 6 Manu Koné Midfielder
- 14 Adrien Rabiot Midfielder
- 7 Ousmane Dembélé Midfielder
- 11 Michael Olise Midfielder
- 12 Bradley Barcola Midfielder
- 10 Kylian Mbappé Forward
- 23 Robin Risser
- 1 Brice Samba
- 2 Malo Gusto
- 15 Ibrahima Konaté
- 19 Theo Hernández
- 21 Lucas Hernández
- 26 Maxence Lacroix
- 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
- 13 N'Golo Kanté
- 18 Warren Zaïre-Emery
- 24 Rayan Cherki
- 25 Maghnes Akliouche
- 9 Marcus Thuram
- 20 Désiré Doué
- 22 Jean-Philippe Mateta
FranceLe fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
- 20'Carton jaune - R. Halhal
- 22'Remplacement - I. Saibari (remplace S. Rahimi)
- 40'Carton jaune - A. Hakimi
- 40'Carton jaune - R. Laryea
- 43'Carton jaune - J. David
- 45'Carton jaune - A. Ounahi
- 45+6'Carton jaune - B. El Khannouss
- 49'Carton jaune - L. De Fougerolles
- 50'But - A. Ounahi (passe A. Hakimi)
- 63'Remplacement - A. Bouaddi (remplace S. Amrabat)
- 63'Remplacement - B. El Khannouss (remplace C. Talbi)
- 63'Remplacement - T. Oluwaseyi (remplace C. Larin)
- 67'Carton jaune - C. Larin
- 78'Remplacement - A. Ahmed (remplace P. David)
- 79'Remplacement - R. Laryea (remplace J. Shaffelburg)
- 82'But - A. Ounahi (passe B. Diaz)
- 87'Remplacement - I. Diop (remplace M. Saadane)
- 87'Remplacement - A. Ounahi (remplace S. El Mourabet)
- 87'Remplacement - T. Buchanan (remplace J. Nelson)
- 87'Remplacement - N. Sigur (remplace J. Osorio)
- 90+8'But - S. Rahimi (passe B. Diaz)
- 16 Maxime Crépeau Goalkeeper
- 2 Alistair Johnston Defender
- 15 Moise Bombito Defender
- 4 Luc De Fougerolles Defender
- 22 Richie Laryea Defender
- 17 Tajon Buchanan Midfielder
- 23 Niko Sigur Midfielder
- 7 Stephen Eustaquio Midfielder
- 20 Ali Ahmed Midfielder
- 10 Jonathan David Forward
- 12 Tani Oluwaseyi Forward
- 18 Owen Goodman
- 1 Dayne St. Clair
- 5 Joel Waterman
- 19 Alphonso Davies
- 3 Alfie Jones
- 13 Derek Cornelius
- 21 Jonathan Osorio
- 6 Mathieu Choinière
- 14 Jacob Shaffelburg
- 25 Nathan-Dylan Saliba
- 11 Liam Millar
- 24 Promise David
- 9 Cyle Larin
- 26 Jayden Nelson
- 1 Yassine Bounou Goalkeeper
- 2 Achraf Hakimi Defender
- 14 Issa Diop Defender
- 25 Redouane Halhal Defender
- 3 Noussair Mazraoui Defender
- 6 Ayyoub Bouaddi Midfielder
- 24 Neil El Aynaoui Midfielder
- 10 Brahim Díaz Midfielder
- 8 Azzedine Ounahi Midfielder
- 23 Bilal El Khannouss Midfielder
- 11 Ismael Saibari Forward
- 12 Munir El Kajoui
- 22 Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti
- 26 Anass Salah-Eddine
- 5 Marwane Saadane
- 13 Zakaria El Ouahdi
- 19 Youssef Belammari
- 18 Chadi Riad
- 17 Amine Sbai
- 4 Sofyan Amrabat
- 15 Samir El Mourabet
- 7 Chemsdine Talbi
- 16 Gessime Yassine
- 20 Ayoub El Kaabi
- 9 Soufiane Rahimi
- 21 Ayoube Amaimouni Echghouyab
- Tirs cadres : Canada 2 / Morocco 2
- Tirs : Canada 6 / Morocco 2
- Possession : Canada 39% / Morocco 61%
- Corners : Canada 7 / Morocco 1
- Fautes : Canada 19 / Morocco 8
- Cartons jaunes : Canada 4 / Morocco 4
- Passes : Canada 268 / Morocco 440
- Precision des passes : Canada 75% / Morocco 85%
- xG : Canada 0.56 / Morocco 0.09
- Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco) : note 7.3, 1 but(s), 1 carton(s) jaune(s)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) : note 7, 1 passe(s) decisive(s), 1 carton(s) jaune(s)
- Yassine Bounou (Morocco) : note 7, 2 arret(s)
- Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) : note 7.5
- Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada) : note 7.3
- Issa Diop (Morocco) : note 7.3
- Stephen Eustaquio (Canada) : note 7.2
- Redouane Halhal (Morocco) : note 6.9, 1 carton(s) jaune(s)
- I. Koné : Canada · Missing Fixture · Fracture Of Lower Leg
- 01/12/2022 Canada 1-2 Morocco (World Cup)
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
- 12 Orlando Gill Goalkeeper
- 4 Juan Cáceres Defender
- 2 Gustavo Velázquez Defender
- 15 Gustavo Gómez Defender
- 3 Omar Alderete Defender
- 6 Junior Alonso Defender
- 8 Diego Gómez Midfielder
- 14 Andrés Cubas Midfielder
- 23 Matías Galarza Midfielder
- 10 Miguel Almirón Midfielder
- 19 Julio Enciso Forward
- 22 Gastón Olveira
- 1 Roberto Fernández
- 5 Fabián Balbuena
- 13 José Canale
- 26 Alexandro Maidana
- 11 Mauricio
- 16 Damián Bobadilla
- 20 Braian Ojeda
- 24 Gustavo Caballero
- 17 Alejandro Romero
- 7 Ramón Sosa
- 9 Antonio Sanabria
- 18 Alex Arce
- 21 Gabriel Ávalos
- 25 Isidro Pitta
- 16 Mike Maignan Goalkeeper
- 5 Jules Koundé Defender
- 4 Dayot Upamecano Defender
- 17 William Saliba Defender
- 3 Lucas Digne Defender
- 6 Manu Koné Midfielder
- 14 Adrien Rabiot Midfielder
- 7 Ousmane Dembélé Midfielder
- 11 Michael Olise Midfielder
- 12 Bradley Barcola Midfielder
- 10 Kylian Mbappé Forward
- 23 Robin Risser
- 1 Brice Samba
- 2 Malo Gusto
- 15 Ibrahima Konaté
- 19 Theo Hernández
- 21 Lucas Hernández
- 26 Maxence Lacroix
- 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
- 13 N'Golo Kanté
- 18 Warren Zaïre-Emery
- 24 Rayan Cherki
- 25 Maghnes Akliouche
- 9 Marcus Thuram
- 20 Désiré Doué
- 22 Jean-Philippe Mateta
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
- 02/06/2017 France 5-0 Paraguay (Friendlies)
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Le fil du match s affichera au coup d envoi.
Line-ups will be published before kickoff.
Aucune statistique collective n est encore disponible dans les donnees du match.
Key players will be highlighted during the match.
No confirmed absence yet.
No reliable head-to-head available yet.
Comments