Paraguay

Paraguay have a proud World Cup history built around toughness, discipline and a habit of making stronger teams work for everything. La Albirroja first appeared at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and have produced some memorable tournament sides over the years, especially during their run of four straight appearances from 1998 to 2010.

Their best World Cup performance came in 2010, when Paraguay reached the quarter-finals in South Africa. That team topped a group containing Italy, beat Japan on penalties in the Round of 16, and were eventually edged out by Spain, the side that went on to become world champions. It remains one of the proudest chapters in Paraguayan football history.

The 2026 World Cup marked Paraguay’s long-awaited return. Under Gustavo Alfaro, the team rebuilt belief through a strong qualifying campaign and entered Group D against the United States, Australia and Turkey. It was not an easy group, but Paraguay stayed compact, defended well and did enough to reach the knockout rounds, where a penalty shoot-out win over Germany gave the country another famous World Cup night.

United States were Paraguay’s opening opponents and one of the host nations. With home support, pace and a talented generation led by players such as Christian Pulisic, the USA brought pressure and energy from the first whistle and won 4-1.

Australia brought physicality, organisation and tournament experience. The Socceroos are rarely easy to play against, and the final group match finished 0-0, a point that was enough to send both teams through.

Turkey completed the group and brought technical quality, emotion and serious attacking talent. With players such as Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız, Turkey had enough individual quality to hurt anyone, but Paraguay kept the match under control and won 1-0.

Red, white and blue — Paraguay’s national-team identity is built around the famous red-and-white striped shirt. The Albirroja look is one of South America’s most recognisable kit styles, clean and traditional but still bold enough to stand out at a World Cup.

For mystery shirt fans, Paraguay are a strong pull because the shirt carries proper South American football character. It is not the obvious glamour of Brazil or Argentina, but that is exactly the appeal. A Paraguay shirt feels tough, classic and full of tournament grit — the kind of country that makes a World Cup Mystery Shirt Box feel more interesting.