Paraguay are back at a World Cup after almost two decades away, ending a stretch of absence and tribulations that once seemed to define the national team. The return restores them to the tournament for the first time since South Africa 2010, where they reached the quarter-finals, and gives Paraguay National Football Team Players a stage they had not reached in 16 years.
That is why the name Paraguay national football team players is drawing attention now. This side has been rebuilt into something far harder to face, and the change has been led by Gustavo Alfaro since his appointment in August 2024. He said he wanted Paraguay to be seen again as the team no one wants to face, and the qualifiers gave that idea weight: Paraguay beat Brazil, came from behind to defeat reigning world champions Argentina in Asunción and lost just one away match, to Brazil.
The numbers tell the story of the turnaround. Paraguay conceded 10 goals in 18 qualifiers, a record built on shape and discipline rather than fireworks. In midfield pressing phases they used a 4-2-3-1, then dropped into a compact 4-4-2 when defending deep. That structure helped restore old strengths in defence and balance, with Omar Alderete outstanding in central defence and Gustavo Gómez still among the best centre-backs in South America.
Andrés Cubas is at the centre of that work. The 1.66m midfielder, who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps, has been described as the heart of the team, a player whose size never tells the full story of his influence. Alongside him, Julio Enciso gives Paraguay a sharper edge going forward, even if this is not a side built to overwhelm opponents with volume or goals. They are feared because they are difficult, organized and stubborn, not because they flood matches with chances.
That is the friction in Paraguay’s return and the reason Group D will test the team in a different way. Australia, the United States and Turkey will all see a revived opponent that has rediscovered its defensive identity, but the World Cup will also ask whether a side so defined by control and restraint can turn that into results on the biggest stage again. For now, Paraguay’s return is the bigger answer: after nearly two decades, the team that once slipped from view is back where it believes it belongs.
