Maurício could step onto a World Cup field for Paraguay before Brazil even plays its first match. The Palmeiras midfielder, born in São Paulo, was called up by Gustavo Alfaro for the 2026 World Cup and is in line to face the United States in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.
That date matters because Paraguay opens Group D against the United States, giving Maurício a real chance to make his first World Cup appearance on Saturday, while Brazil’s debut comes later against Morocco. For a player who built his career in Brazilian football and rose through the spotlight at Internacional and Palmeiras, the sight of him in Paraguay colors would be one of the tournament’s sharper twists.
Maurício is also a naturalized Paraguayan, and his decision to represent Paraguay internationally puts him among the growing number of dual-nationality players choosing a path outside the country where they were born. It is a familiar World Cup storyline, but this one lands with extra weight because the man in the middle of it grew up in São Paulo and could be on the field in Los Angeles before Brazil has even kicked off.
Paraguay’s squad under Alfaro reflects that broader pattern. The group includes seven players who compete in Brazil, among them Gustavo Gómez, Junior Alonso, Damián Bobadilla, Fabián Balbuena, Isidro Pitta and Ramón Sosa, a reminder of how closely South American national teams now overlap with the Brazilian league. That depth gives Paraguay more options, but it also means Maurício’s place in the lineup is not guaranteed.
The open question is whether Alfaro uses him against the United States or keeps him in reserve for later in Group D. What is already clear is that Maurício’s World Cup story is no longer about whether he will belong on this stage. It is about whether his first step comes in Los Angeles on Friday, in a shirt that says Paraguay.
