Result Paraguay vs France, Saturday, 4 July 2026, World Cup Round of 16

France has made it to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Paraguay in the Round of 16. The match was held on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The standout player was Kylian Mbappé, who secured the win by converting a penalty, which was also the only goal of the match. This victory keeps France in the tournament, with their next game scheduled against Morocco on July 9 in Boston.

France showcased its offensive prowess, scoring a total of 13 goals in four matches and achieving an impressive goal differential of 13–2. AC Milan's goalkeeper Mike Maignan delivered a stellar performance, maintaining a clean sheet throughout the match.

Paraguay came into this match after a surprising win against Germany and employed a highly defensive strategy that effectively stifled France's strong offense. Despite dominating possession with 76%, France found it challenging to penetrate the defensive setup until substitute Désiré Doué was fouled by Diego Gómez in the 70th minute. Kylian Mbappé successfully converted the penalty, marking his seventh goal of the tournament and tying with Argentina's Lionel Messi as the leading scorer.

This match featured 5 players from Serie A. France's AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone, and AC Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot all played the full match, while Inter's forward Marcus Thuram was on the bench as a substitute. On the Paraguay side, Cremonese forward Antonio Sanabria was also named as a substitute.



 

FIFA Ranking

France enters the match as the top team in the FIFA Men's World Ranking, while Paraguay holds the No. 34 position. The live leaderboard before the match showcases the progression of the tournament's knockout stage, emphasizing the significant difference in rankings.

 

How did they reach the Round of 16?

France advanced to the round of 16 after winning Group I with an impeccable 3-0 record, defeating Senegal, Iraq, and Norway, and then eliminating Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32. Paraguay finished third in Group D but pulled off a stunning upset by knocking out Germany in a shootout during the round of 32.

France has been a dominant force in the tournament, showcasing a powerful, high-scoring offense. Group Stage Group I: They finished first with 9 points, outscoring their opponents 10-2. They triumphed over Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1. Round of 32: They defeated Sweden 3-0, with Kylian Mbappé scoring two goals and Bradley Barcola adding one. Captain Kylian Mbappé netted 6 goals overall, while Michael Olise emerged as the tournament's key playmaker.

Paraguay battled through a challenging group by defeating the 2014 world champions. Group Stage Group D: They finished third with 4 points (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss). They started with a 4-1 defeat to the USA, bounced back with a 1-0 victory against Türkiye, and ended with a 0-0 draw against Australia. Round of 32: They achieved the tournament's biggest upset by eliminating Germany. After a 1-1 draw (with Julio Enciso scoring), goalkeeper Orlando Gill clinched the victory in a thrilling 4-3 penalty shootout.



 

✅    Serie A players called up for  🇵🇾   the Paraguay National team World Cup 2026 Squad:

• Cremonese forward Antonio Sanabria

✅    Serie A players called up for   🇫🇷    the France National team World Cup Squad:

• AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan


•  AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone


• AC Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot


• Inter forward Marcus Thuram

 



 

👉   Click here for  Full 2026 World Cup Squad Lists – Confirmed rosters for all 48 teams.

👉  Click here for  2026 World Cup Group Stage Standings.

 

🇵🇾 Paraguay 0 - 1 France 🇫🇷 ⚽️ Kylian Mbappé netted a vital penalty in the 70th minute. The penalty was granted after a VAR review determined that Diego Gómez had fouled Désiré Doué in the box. Mbappé skillfully placed his penalty into the bottom right corner, while Paraguay's goalkeeper Orlando Gill dove in the opposite direction. Mbappé is now tied with Lionel Messi, both having scored 7 goals.





 



 

 

   Paraguay World Cup Squad:  

• Goalkeepers: Roberto Junior Fernandez (Cerro Porteno), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gaston Olveira (Olimpia).


• Defenders: Omar Alderete (Sunderland), Junior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro), Fabian Balbuena (Gremio), Juan Jose Caceres (Dinamo Moscow), Jose Canale (Lanus), Gustavo Gomez (Palmeiras), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres), Gustavo Velazquez (Cerro Porteno).


• Midfielders: Damian Bobadilla (Sao Paulo), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth), Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Matias Galarza (Atlanta United), Diego Gomez (Brighton), Mauricio Magalhaes (Palmeiras), Briaian Ojeda (Orlando City), Alejandro Romero (Al Ain).


• Forwards: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United), Gabriel Avalos (Independiente), Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Isidro Pitta (Bragantino), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Ramon Sosa (Palmeiras).

 

   France World Cup 2026 Squad:

• Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes).


• Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Paris St-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).


• Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Fenerbache), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St-Germain).


• Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Man City), Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain), Desire Doue (Paris St-Germain), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Jean-Phillipe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Marcus Thuram (Inter).

 

Paraguay's official starting lineup against France

France's official starting lineup against Paraguay

 



 

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World Cup Round of 16

Date: Saturday, 4 July 2026
Time: 2:00 PM PT (5:00 PM ET)
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia, PA, USA

Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko UZB
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin UZB
Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Al Jassim QAT
Reserve AR: Taleb Al Marri QAT
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Joe Dickerson USA



 

Click the video to watch Paraguay 0 - 1 France highlights on Saturday, 4 July 2026