World Cup 2026: Paraguay are Closer to Their Main Goal

Paraguay vs Uruguay

Paraguay are suddenly on the cusp of qualifying for the World Cup 2026 because they have picked up form in their last few matchdays of the CONMEBOL qualifiers. After a slow start in the tournament, La Albirroja find themselves in the Top 6 of the standings, which means direct qualification for the football showpiece event in North America next year. Paraguay are fifth in the table with 21 points, level with fourth-seeded Brazil and third-seeded Uruguay.

In contrast, Uruguay are in a worrying run of form. Marcelo Bielsa’s men haven’t won a game since a 3-2 result against Colombia last November 2024. They come into this game fresh from two draws against Brazil and Bolivia, and one loss against Argentina.

Valuable points are up for grabs in the Defensores del Chaco Stadium this Thursday, so SBOTOP football fans should watch this contest with great interest. Read more below to learn more about these two nations.

 

Talking Points

Not many changes for Paraguay

Head coach Gustavo Alfaro will likely stick to the same core players he had last March, with Alex Arce and Saul Salcedo the only players to miss out this time around. Mathias Villasanti is poised to reach 50 caps this international break. Ruben Lezcano, Ronaldo de Jesus, and Rodney Redes are called up to the national team for the first time.

Paraguay might go for a classic smash-and-grab against Uruguay, and they have the weapons to help them do it. Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria will lead up front for La Albirroja, while Isidro Pltta is the most in-form attacker of the team right now, having notched three goals and one assist in his last 125 minutes in action for Bragantino.

Diego Gomez will not be available since he must continue to serve his suspension for his straight red card against Bolivia last November. Miguel Almiron plans to regain his mojo with La Albirroja. Omar Alderete, Fabian Balbuena, Junior Alonso, and Juan Caceres will form the back four to cover goalkeeper Gatito Fernandez.

 

Uruguay lose key stars for different reasons

Uruguay are slightly undermanned this international break. Fede Valverde has withdrawn from the national team since he plans to focus on Real Madrid’s Club World Cup campaign. Giorgian de Arrascaeta will likely take Valverde’s place in the middle of the park since he has been in superb form at Flamengo, leading the Brazilian Serie A in scoring with nine league goals. Joining de Arrascaeta in midfield is Manuel Ugarte, fresh from his Asian tour with Manchester United, and Rodrigo Bentancur, who recently won the Europa League with Tottenham. 

La Celeste need to kick things up a notch in the final third after scoring only one goal in their last three games, very atypical for a Marcelo Bielsa team. Uruguay will rely on Facundo Pellistri, Cristian Olivera, Brian Rodriguez, Maximiliano Araujo, and Facundo Torres to score since Darwin Nunez must continue to serve his suspension after CAS rejected the team’s appeal.

 

History

Paraguay and Uruguay shared the spoils in a goalless draw during the seventh matchday of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers last September 2024. Uruguay are on a 11-game unbeaten run against Paraguay (W6, D5). La Celeste’s last defeat against La Albirroja was a 1-0 result during a World Cup qualifiers contest in October 2007.

Paraguay aim to book their tickets to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, where they went all the way to the quarterfinals, losing 1-0 to Spain. On the other hand, Uruguay aim to qualify for the World Cup for the fifth consecutive time. They failed to get out of the group stage in 2022. However, La Celeste are one of the few countries to have won the World Cup trophy twice (1930 and 1950).

 

Betting Tip

The World Cup 2026 odds expect a close fight between Paraguay and Uruguay this Thursday. Because they’ve been in better recent form and they’re playing at home, Paraguay have a slight edge at 2.32, whereas Uruguay aren’t far behind at 3.14, and a draw is at 2.84 in the 1X2 market.

Uruguay can use this game to get back on track, but Paraguay have been a tough nut to crack. We don’t expect too many World Cup 2026 highlights from these two sides, hence our recommended bet. Bettors can also go for options like Under 1.75 at 2.04 and Total Goal 0-1 at 2.25. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 0-0 – the result of their last qualifiers encounter – has a decent 5.70 offer.

   

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