Paraguay National Football Team
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The Paraguay national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Paraguay), nicknamed ''La Albirroja,'' represents
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
in men's international
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
competitions, and are controlled by the
Paraguayan Football Association The Paraguayan Football Association ( es, Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol ; APF) ( Guarani: ''Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu''), is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal a ...
(Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol). Paraguay is a member of
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
. The Albirroja has qualified for eight
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
competitions (
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
,
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
,
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
,
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
,
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
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), with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals. A regular participant at the
Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions (in
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
and
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
). Paraguay's highest
FIFA World Rankings The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
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 Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing a ...
, who was awarded with the
South American Coach of the Year The South American Coach of the Year ( es, Entrenador del año en Sudamérica) is an annual association football award presented to the best coach of a club or national team in South America over the previous calendar year. The award has been prese ...
in 2007 and took Paraguay to the quarter-finals stage of the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
competition for the first time in history (in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) and also to the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...
, where Paraguay finished as runners-up. In Paraguay's entire history at the FIFA World Cup, only
Carlos Gamarra Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón () (born 17 February 1971) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level and was for a long time the most capped player ...
and
José Luis Chilavert José Luis Félix Chilavert González (; born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Pe ...
hold the distinction of being selected as part of the All-Star Team, being for the
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
edition.
Paulo da Silva Paulo César da Silva Barrios (born 1 February 1980) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for 12 de Octubre in Paraguay, as a centre-back. He has previously played top-flight football in Paraguay, Italy, Argentina, England and ...
holds the most appearances for the national team with 148 matches and
Roque Santa Cruz Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team, ...
is the all-time leading goal scorer with 32 goals.
Denis Caniza Denis Ramón Caniza Acuña (born 29 August 1974) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a defender. Career Born in Bella Vista, Amambay, Caniza started his career in Olimpia of Paraguay. He also played in Lanús of Argentina, Santo ...
, 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 William Paats (b. ''Friedrich Wilhelm Paats Hantelmann'', 12 January 1876, Rotterdam – d. 28 August 1946, Asunción) was a Dutch-born Paraguayan sports instructor. Often regarded as "the father of Paraguayan football", Paats' family moved to ...
, the Liga Paraguaya de Futbol (today
Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol The Paraguayan Football Association ( es, Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol ; APF) (Guarani language, Guarani: ''Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu''), is the omnibus governing body of football (soccer), football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan f ...
) was created in 1906. The first national football team was organized in 1910 when an invitation by the Argentine club Hércules of
Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...
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. 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 Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, and it marked the first international game by the Paraguay national football team. When the 1921 Copa América finally arrived, Paraguay surprised everybody by beating then three-time South American champions
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
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 A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, organized by Uruguay. In the first round, Paraguay debuted and lost to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(0–3), to then defeat
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
(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 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
,
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
and
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
(where Paraguay finished in second place), Paraguay was ready for their next World Cup competition. The return to the World Cup was in
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
, where Paraguay faced
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
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 The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
disputed in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
. In their road to the championship, Paraguay defeated
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
(3–0),
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
(2–1) and
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(2–1); and tied against
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
(0–0),
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
(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 Ángel Antonio Berni Gómez (9 January 1931 – 24 November 2017) was a football striker. Career Berni started his career at the youth divisions of Olimpia Asunción in 1945, and in 1949 he made the debut for Olimpia's first team. In 1951 h ...
,
Heriberto Herrera Heriberto Herrera Udrizar (24 April 1926 – 26 July 1996) was a footballer and manager who played international football for both Paraguay and Spain as a defender. Career Herrera played for Club Nacional of Paraguay and for several Spanish t ...
and Rubén Fernández. The coach was
Manuel Fleitas Solich Manuel Fleitas Solich (30 December 1900 – 24 March 1984) was a Paraguayan football player and coach. He was known as "El Brujo" (the Wizard). Career as a player Fleitas Solich played for Club Nacional of Paraguay where he won two Paraguayan ...
. For the
1958 World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
, 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 Juan Bautista Agüero Sánchez (24 June 1935 – 27 December 2018) was a Paraguayan football striker. Career He started his career at Olimpia Asunción, which was at time coached by the great Aurelio González. There, Agüero won some nationa ...
,
José Parodi Silvio José del Rosario Parodi Rojas (30 August 1932 – 22 August 2006) was a Paraguayan football player and coach. Parodi was born in Luque. He played for Sportivo Luqueño, Calcio Padova, Genoa, UD Las Palmas, Nîmes Olympique and FC Mul ...
,
Jorge Lino Romero Jorge Lino Romero Santa Cruz (born 23 September 1937) is a Paraguayan football forward who played for Paraguay in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
,
Cayetano Ré Cayetano Ré Ramírez (7 February 1938 – 26 November 2013) was a Paraguayan professional football player and manager. Career Ré began his career in Asunción, playing for Cerro Porteño before signing for Spanish side Elche CF in 1959. Afte ...
and
Florencio Amarilla Florencio Amarilla Lacasa (3 January 1935 – 25 August 2012) was a Paraguayan footballer, coach and later actor. He played as a striker. Amarilla was born in Bogado, Paraguay. He started his career in with Club Nacional in Paraguay before bei ...
. In their first game in Sweden, Paraguay were 3–2 up against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in a game they lost 7–3. A 3–2 win over
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and a 3–3 draw with
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
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 Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the
1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
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 The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
) in 1979 shored up Paraguay as a solid player on the continent. The
1979 Copa América The 1979 edition of the Copa América association football tournament was played between 18 July and 12 December. It was not held in a particular country, all matches were played on a home and away basis. Defending champions Peru were given a bye ...
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 Alicio Ignacio Solalinde Miers (born February 1, 1952) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a forward and works as a coach. Career Born in Villeta, Solalinde began playing football for local side Olimpia de Villeta. He also played fo ...
,
Roberto Paredes Rubén Roberto Paredes Vera (born 28 September 1955 in Asunción, Paraguay) is a former centre back. Honours Club * Olimpia ** Paraguayan Primera División: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 ** Copa Libertadores: 1979 **Copa Interamericana The Copa I ...
, Hugo Ricardo Talavera and
Eugenio Morel Eugenio Félix Morel Bogado (born 2 February 1950) is a retired professional footballer. He has been characterized as a very fast, talented left-footed player who scored many goals playing the left forward position. Childhood and youth Morel ...
where an important part of the team, coached by Ranulfo Miranda. Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
with a team starring Roberto Fernández in goal;
Cesar Zabala Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...
,
Rogelio Delgado Rogelio Wilfrido Delgado Casco (born 12 October 1959) is a retired football central defender from Paraguay. Club career At the club level, Delgado played for Olimpia Asunción, where he won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in ...
and Juan Bautista Torales in defence;
Jorge Amado Nunes Jorge Amado Nunes Infrán (born 18 October 1961) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player. He played as a midfielder and has been a member of the Paraguay national team. Club career Nicknamed "El Cenizo", Nunes played in several ...
and
Vladimiro Schettina Vladimiro Schetina Chepini (born 8 October 1955, in Asunción) is a Paraguayan former football defender. He played his club football for Club Guaraní and was also a regular international for his country, appearing in the 1986 FIFA World Cu ...
in midfield; midfield playmaker Romerito and strikers
Roberto Cabañas Roberto Cabañas González (11 April 1961 – 9 January 2017) was a Paraguayan footballer who played as a forward. Career During his career, Cabañas played for Cerro Porteño of Paraguay, Stade Brestois and Olympique Lyonnais of France, the ...
, Ramón Ángel María Hicks and
Rolando Chilavert Rolando Marciano Chilavert González (born 22 May 1961 in Luque) is a retired football midfielder from Paraguay. Career Throughout his career he played for several Paraguayan clubs such as Guaraní (where he was part of the 1984 team that won ...
(the older brother of
José Luis Chilavert José Luis Félix Chilavert González (; born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Pe ...
). In first round matches, Paraguay defeated
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.


The golden generation (1998–2011)

A drought followed once again, as Paraguay failed to reach the
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
and
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
World Cups. In 1992, Paraguay won the South American Pre-Olympic tournament, which guaranteed a spot in the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
football competition. In the Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group and were eliminated by
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
in the quarter-finals.Since 1992, squads for
Football at the Summer Olympics Football at the Summer Olympics, referred to as the Olympic Football Tournament, has been included in every Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition sport, except 1896 (the inaugural Games) and 1932 (in an attempt to promote the new FIFA Wor ...
have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
The most important aspect of that Paraguay team was the emergence of new young players like
Carlos Gamarra Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón () (born 17 February 1971) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level and was for a long time the most capped player ...
,
Celso Ayala Celso Rafael Ayala Gavilán (; born 20 August 1970) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. Career With 85 caps and six goals, Ayala one of the most capped players in the Paraguay national team. Ayal ...
,
José Luis Chilavert José Luis Félix Chilavert González (; born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Pe ...
,
Francisco Arce Francisco Javier "Chiqui" Arce Rolón (; born 2 April 1971) is a retired Paraguayan footballer and coach. He played at the right defender position, competing a total of 61 times for the Paraguay national team between 1995 and 2004. He is curre ...
and
José Cardozo José Saturnino Cardozo Otazú (; born 19 March 1971) is a Paraguayan football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a striker and spent 10 years of his career playing for Toluca and is the club's all-time top goalscorer. He ...
, 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. Coached by the Brazilian
Paulo César Carpegiani Paulo César Carpegiani (born 7 February 1949, in Erechim) is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Playing career Carpegiani began his professional career at Sport Club Internacional of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Su ...
, the ''Albirroja'' returned to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986. The squad featured experienced players. Paraguay were drawn into Group D, alongside
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Paraguay drew their first two matches 0–0, against Bulgaria and Spain. They then faced to face Nigeria, who has already qualified for the second round after winning their first two matches. Paraguay won 3–1 and finished in second position in the group. Paraguay met France in the second round on 28 June. France were without
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
, and were held 0–0 by Paraguay for 90 minutes. In the 114th minute of extra-time,
Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
scored to eliminate Paraguay on the golden goal rule. 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

Paraguay were hosts of the
1999 Copa América The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from 29 June to 18 July. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body. There was no qualifying for the final tournament. Mexico and Japan were invited to ...
, played in four cities throughout the country. Head coach
Ever Hugo Almeida Ever Hugo Almeida Almada (born 1 July 1948) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current manager of Ecuadorian club El Nacional. Almeida was born in Salto, Uruguay, but became a naturalized ...
selected an experienced squad, with the majority of the players having been present at the 1998 World Cup. Grouped with Bolivia,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
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 The Paraguayan Footballer of the Year is an award given to the best Paraguayan professional football player every year. The award began officially in 1997 and it is presented by Paraguayan newspaper '' ABC Color''. Players that participate in thi ...
award. In the
2001 Copa America 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, head coach
Sergio Markarián Sergio Apraham Markarián Abrahamián (born 1 November 1944) is a Uruguayan-Argentine former football coach of Armenian descent. In 2015, he was the head coach of the Greece national football team. Early life Markarián lived in Argentina durin ...
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 began its
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America ...
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. 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. Cardozo ranking fifth, with six goals in fourteen matches, and Paredes ranking tenth, having scored five goals in sixteen matches. Paraguay came into the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament with most of their players from France 98, as
José Luís Chilavert José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
would captain the Albirroja at the tournament.
Cesare Maldini Cesare Maldini (; 5 February 1932 – 3 April 2016) was an Italian professional football manager and player who played as a defender. Father to Paolo Maldini and grandfather to Daniel Maldini, Cesare began his career with Italian side Triestin ...
'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). Paraguay were drawn into
Group B Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...
with
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. 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 and a goal difference of 0, the Albirroja progressed due to having scored 6 goals while South Africa scored 5. Paraguay were then drawn against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
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.


2004 Copa América

Coach
Carlos Jara Saguier Carlos de los Santos Jara Saguier (born 25 August 1950 in Asunción) is a former Paraguayan football player who works as a coach. Carlos is one of the seven Jara Saguier brothers that played professional football in Paraguay. Career Born in As ...
took a relatively young squad to the 2004 Copa América, with the majority of players tied to clubs of the
Primera División Paraguaya Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...
. 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

Paraguay began the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification with three wins in their first four fixtures in 2003. After losing 4–1 to
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
, Paraguay notched consecutive wins against
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
(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. 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. Head coach
Aníbal Ruiz Aníbal Ruiz Leites (30 December 1942 – 10 March 2017) was a Uruguayan association football coach. Death On March 10, 2017, while serving as assistant manager to lead manager José Cardozo at Puebla, Ruiz collapsed on the pitch of the Luis ...
took with him 8 European based players and 11 South American based players, including captain
Carlos Gamarra Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón () (born 17 February 1971) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level and was for a long time the most capped player ...
, 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 Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...
alongside
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. 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. Upon the conclusion of Paraguay's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign,
Aníbal Ruiz Aníbal Ruiz Leites (30 December 1942 – 10 March 2017) was a Uruguayan association football coach. Death On March 10, 2017, while serving as assistant manager to lead manager José Cardozo at Puebla, Ruiz collapsed on the pitch of the Luis ...
resigned as head coach and
Raúl Vicente Amarilla Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
was assigned as the
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
coach. Paraguay's national squad underwent a major transition after Germany 2006 because of the retirement of key players including
José Luis Chilavert José Luis Félix Chilavert González (; born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Pe ...
. In 2007, Argentine Gerardo "Tata" Martino was designated as head-coach.


2007 Copa América

Gerardo Martino took with him a relatively experienced squad to Venezuela, with
Darío Verón Darío Anastacio Verón Maldonado (born 26 July 1979) is a former Paraguayan professional footballer that last played as a centre-back. He also holds Mexican citizenship. Career Verón joined Pumas in 2003, on a transfer from the Chilean clu ...
,
Claudio Morel Rodríguez Claudio Marcelo Morel Rodríguez (born 2 February 1978) is a Paraguayan former footballer. He holds the player record for Copa Sudamericano wins with three - with San Lorenzo in 2002, and Boca Juniors in 2004 and 2005. He also played ...
,
Carlos Bonet Carlos Bonet Cáceres (born 2 October 1977) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a right back. He is the current sporting director of Nacional Asunción. Bonet was chosen to represent his country in the 2002, 2 ...
,
Julio Manzur Julio César Manzur Caffarena (born 22 January 1981) is a Paraguayan former footballer who last played for Rubio Ñu of the Paraguayan Primera División. Club career Manzur started his career at Cerro Corá in his native country before mov ...
,
Paulo da Silva Paulo César da Silva Barrios (born 1 February 1980) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for 12 de Octubre in Paraguay, as a centre-back. He has previously played top-flight football in Paraguay, Italy, Argentina, England and ...
,
Aureliano Torres Aureliano Torres Román (born 16 June 1982) is a Paraguayan former footballer who last played for 12 de Octubre in the Paraguayan División Intermedia. At club level, Torres achieved the 2002 Emperor's Cup in Japan, the Torneo Clausura of th ...
,
Roque Santa Cruz Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team, ...
and captain
Julio César Cáceres Julio César Cáceres López (; born 5 October 1979) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a defender. Cáceres played in the Paraguay national team for nearly 11 years, being part of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FI ...
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 Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Colombia national football team, Colombia, and the United States men's national soccer team, 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. In Paraguay's second fixture against the US, 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. 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, as Paraguay advanced to the knock-out stages to face
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Mexico had already beaten
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
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.


2010 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay commenced their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 away draw against
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
. 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, 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 , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. Paraguay travelled to
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. 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. Paraguay then earned two 1–0 victories against Colombia and Peru. 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 and a 1–1 away draw against Ecuador, By June, Paraguay suffered a 2–0 home defeat at the hands of Chile, Paraguay were defeated 2–1 away against Brazil. 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. Qualification was secured in the next fixture against Argentina on 9 September, when Paraguay won 1–0. Paraguay concluded the qualification campaign with a 2–1 away victory against Venezuela and a 2–0 home loss against Colombia. Paraguay concluded the qualification campaign with 33 points, as Salvador Cabañas finished in sixth position of the leading goal scorers, having scored six goals. Paraguay had an experienced side with
Roque Santa Cruz Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team, ...
, Édgar Barreto,
Carlos Bonet Carlos Bonet Cáceres (born 2 October 1977) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a right back. He is the current sporting director of Nacional Asunción. Bonet was chosen to represent his country in the 2002, 2 ...
, Enrique Vera, Cristian Riveros, Nelson Valdez and
Paulo da Silva Paulo César da Silva Barrios (born 1 February 1980) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for 12 de Octubre in Paraguay, as a centre-back. He has previously played top-flight football in Paraguay, Italy, Argentina, England and ...
. 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 Denis Ramón Caniza Acuña (born 29 August 1974) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a defender. Career Born in Bella Vista, Amambay, Caniza started his career in Olimpia of Paraguay. He also played in Lanús of Argentina, Santo ...
. The final squad consisted of 9 European based players. Paraguay were drawn into 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F, Group F alongside
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Slovakia national football team, Slovakia and New Zealand men's national football team, New Zealand. Paraguay faced Italy in their opening match and drew 1–1, after taking the lead in the 39th minute. They then beat Slovakia 2–0 and played out a 0–0 draw with New Zealand, to finish first in the group. Paraguay were drawn against
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the second round, and won a penalty shoot-out 5–3 after a 0–0 draw. The win meant that Paraguay advanced to the last eight for the first time. The Albirroja were drawn against
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
at the quarter-final stage. Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar saved a penalty kick, but Spain scored in the 83rd minute to win 1–0, and went on to win the tournament. After the match, Gerardo Martino stated that he would be leaving his position at the end of his contract.


2011 Copa América

At the
2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...
, Paraguay were drawn into 2011 Copa América Group B, Group B with
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Venezuela national football team, Venezuela and
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
. 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, and 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 Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
in the final, the first time that Paraguay reached the final since the
1979 Copa América The 1979 edition of the Copa América association football tournament was played between 18 July and 12 December. It was not held in a particular country, all matches were played on a home and away basis. Defending champions Peru were given a bye ...
. Despite losing 3–0, Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was awarded as the 2011 Copa América#Awards, Best goalkeeper of the tournament. Gerardo Martino resigned soon afterwards as coach of the Albirroja.


2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Francisco Arce Francisco Javier "Chiqui" Arce Rolón (; born 2 April 1971) is a retired Paraguayan footballer and coach. He played at the right defender position, competing a total of 61 times for the Paraguay national team between 1995 and 2004. He is curre ...
took charge of the national team for the qualifiers. In Rounds 1 and 2 in October 2011, Paraguay were defeated 2–0 away. Four days later, Paraguay drew with Uruguay 1–1. Paraguay earned their first win of the qualifiers when they defeated Ecuador 2–1. 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.
Francisco Arce Francisco Javier "Chiqui" Arce Rolón (; born 2 April 1971) is a retired Paraguayan footballer and coach. He played at the right defender position, competing a total of 61 times for the Paraguay national team between 1995 and 2004. He is curre ...
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. This string of losses placed Paraguay at the bottom of the table. Paraguay ended their losing streak when they defeated Peru 1–0, only their second win of the qualifiers. Paraguay's then tied Uruguay 1–1. Paraguay were defeated 4–1 against Ecuador. 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 Paraguay national team's history. 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. 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 (i.e. last) position of the table, having gained just 12 points from three wins and having been defeated ten times. 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.


Copa América Centenario

Prior to the competition, the Paraguayan press had labeled
Roque Santa Cruz Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team, ...
, Nelson Haedo,
Paulo da Silva Paulo César da Silva Barrios (born 1 February 1980) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for 12 de Octubre in Paraguay, as a centre-back. He has previously played top-flight football in Paraguay, Italy, Argentina, England and ...
and Justo Villar as histórics, being the only four experienced and veteran players in the squad selected for the competition. Santa Cruz suffered an injured and was later replaced by Antonio Sanabria. 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. He had already received criticism from former Albirroja great
José Luís Chilavert José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
, 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.
José Cardozo José Saturnino Cardozo Otazú (; born 19 March 1971) is a Paraguayan football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a striker and spent 10 years of his career playing for Toluca and is the club's all-time top goalscorer. He ...
, former Albirroja leading goal scorer and current coach of Chiapas F.C., 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 Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón () (born 17 February 1971) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level and was for a long time the most capped player ...
and
Francisco Arce Francisco Javier "Chiqui" Arce Rolón (; born 2 April 1971) is a retired Paraguayan footballer and coach. He played at the right defender position, competing a total of 61 times for the Paraguay national team between 1995 and 2004. He is curre ...
played many times with busted ankles, and I once played with a damaged knee" remembered Cardozo. Former Albirroja World Cup veteran
Celso Ayala Celso Rafael Ayala Gavilán (; born 20 August 1970) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. Career With 85 caps and six goals, Ayala one of the most capped players in the Paraguay national team. Ayal ...
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."


Team image

Paraguay traditionally wears red and white shirts and blue shorts and socks and away colours are originally blue but they wear all white since they wear manufactured by Germany, German brand Puma (brand), Puma after their termination from the Adidas brand. They never used their away colours when they were playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.


Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.


2023


2024


2025


Coaching staff


Players


Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2024 Copa América. ''Caps and goals current as of 2 July 2024, after the match against Costa Rica national football team, Costa Rica.''


Recent call-ups

The following players have received a call-up within the past 12 months: COV Withdrew due to COVID-19
INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Suspended
WD Withdrew from the squad


Player records

:''Players in bold are still active at international level.''


Most caps


Most goals


Competitive record


FIFA World Cup

Champions   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place   :''*Draws include knockout matches decided via Penalty shoot-out (association football), penalty shoot-out.''


Copa América


Pan American Games


Head-to-head record

Below is a result summary of all matches Paraguay have played against FIFA recognized teams.


Honours


Official

* Copa América, South American Championship/Copa América ** Champions (2):
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
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1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
** Runners-up (6): 1922 South American Championship, 1922,
1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
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1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
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1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
, 1963 South American Championship, 1963, 2011 Copa América, 2011 ** Third place (7): 1923 South American Championship, 1923, 1924 South American Championship, 1924, 1925 South American Championship, 1925, 1939 South American Championship, 1939, 1946 South American Championship, 1946, 1959 South American Championship (Argentina), 1959 (Argentina), 1983 Copa América, 1983 ** Fourth place (7): 1921 South American Championship, 1921, 1926 South American Championship, 1926, 1937 South American Championship, 1937, 1942 South American Championship, 1942, 1967 South American Championship, 1967, 1989 Copa América, 1989, 2015 Copa América, 2015


South American Tournaments

* Copa Chevallier Boutell (vs ) ** Winners (2): 1925 (shared), 1945 (II) * Copa Félix Bogado (vs ) ** Winners (2): 1977, 1983 * Copa Trompowski (vs ) ** Winners: 1950 * Copa Artigas (vs ) ** Winners: 1975 (shared) * Copa Paz del Chaco (vs ) ** Winners (6): 1963, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 2003


Friendlies

* Copa Boquerón ** Winners: 1988 * Lunar New Year Cup ** Winners: 1968


See also

*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


External links

*
Paraguay FIFA profile
*[http://www.albigol.com Paraguayan Football Site] {{DEFAULTSORT:Paraguay National Football Team Paraguay national football team, South American national association football teams Football in Paraguay