Paraguay national football team

Paraguay national football team

The Paraguay national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Paraguay; Guarani: Poravo Paraguáigua Vakapipopo pegua), nicknamed La Albirroja, represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions, and are controlled by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (English: Paraguayan Football Association). Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. The Albirroja has qualified for ten FIFA World Cup competitions ((/wiki/1930FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/1950FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/1958FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/1986FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/1998FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2002FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2006FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2010FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2026FIFAWorldCup) and (/wiki/2030FIFAWorldCup)), with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals. A regular participant at the Copa América, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions (in (/wiki/1953SouthAmericanChampionship) and (/wiki/1979CopaAmérica)). Paraguay's highest FIFA World Ranking was 8th in March 2001 and their lowest was 103rd in May 1995. Paraguay was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996 for their rise in the FIFA World Ranking.

The national team's most successful period was under the coaching of Argentine Gerardo Martino, who was awarded with the South American Coach of the Year in 2007 and took Paraguay to the quarter-finals stage of the FIFA World Cup competition for the first time in history (in (/wiki/2010FIFAWorldCup)) and also to the final of the 2011 Copa América, where Paraguay finished as runners-up. In Paraguay's entire history at the FIFA World Cup, only Carlos Gamarra and José Luis Chilavert hold the distinction of being selected as part of the All-Star Team, for their performances in the (/wiki/1998FIFAWorldCup) edition. Paulo da Silva holds the most appearances for the national team with 148 matches and Roque Santa Cruz is the all-time leading goalscorer with 32 goals. Denis Caniza, who was part of 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)

Paraguay at the 1929 South American Championship

Soon after the introduction of football in Paraguay by Williams Paats, the Liga Paraguaya de Fútbol (today Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol) was created in 1906. The first national football team was organized in 1910 when an invitation by the Argentine club Hércules of Corrientes was received to play a friendly match that 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, to this day, remain as the official colours (taken from the Paraguayan flag). In late 1919, Paraguay accepted an invitation to play the 1921 South American Championship; in order to prepare for that event, a number of friendly matches were played between 1919 and 1921. The first of those friendly matches was a 5–1 loss against Argentina, the first international match played by Paraguay. When the 1921 South American Championship began, Paraguay defeated three-time South American champions Uruguay 2–1, with this being 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.

First taste of success (1930–1970)

In 1930, Paraguay participated in the first World Cup, organized by Uruguay. In the first round, Paraguay lost to the United States 0–3, before defeating Belgium 1–0 with a goal by Luis Vargas Peña. Only one team per group advanced from the first round, and the U.S. left Paraguay behind.

After participating in the (/wiki/1929SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1947SouthAmericanChampionship) and 1949 South American Championships (where Paraguay finished in second place), Paraguay returned to the World Cup in (/wiki/1950FIFAWorldCup), facing Sweden and Italy 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. Paraguay won their first South American Championship in 1953, played in Peru, after winning against Chile (3–0), Bolivia (2–1) and Brazil (2–1), and drawing Ecuador (0–0), Peru (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 3–2.

For the 1958 World Cup, Paraguay 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, José Parodi, Jorge Lino Romero, Cayetano Ré and Florencio Amarilla. In their first game in Sweden, Paraguay were 3–2 up against France in a game they lost 7–3. A 3–2 win over Scotland and a 3–3 draw with Yugoslavia 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 in the (/wiki/1962FIFAWorldCup) qualifiers.

More continental success (1970–1990)

With players such as Romerito, Carlos Alberto Kiese, Alicio Solalinde, Roberto Paredes, Hugo Ricardo Talavera and Eugenio Morel and manager Ranulfo Miranda, Paraguay won the 1979 Copa América after finishing first in Group C (which consisted of 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 final, Paraguay defeated Chile by an aggregate score of 3–1 to claim its second continental crown.

Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in (/wiki/1986FIFAWorldCup); during their time in Mexico, the team defeated Iraq 1–0, and drew the hosts 1–1 and Belgium 2–2. They reached the second round where they were beaten 3–0 by England.

The golden generation (1998–2011)

A drought followed once again, as Paraguay failed to reach the (/wiki/1990FIFAWorldCup) and (/wiki/1994FIFAWorldCup) World Cups.

In 1992, Paraguay won the South American pre-Olympic tournament, which guaranteed a spot in the 1992 Summer Olympics football competition. In the Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group and were eliminated by Ghana in the quarter-finals. Despite this, new players such as Carlos Gamarra, Celso Ayala, José Luis Chilavert, Francisco Arce and José Cardozo emerged, becoming part of the "golden generation" that led Paraguay to three straight World Cups and noteworthy performances in continental competitions.

1998 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay concluded the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup by finishing second, one point below Argentina.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Nigeria	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6	Advance to knockout stage
2	Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
3	Spain	3	1	1	1	8	4	+4	4
4	Bulgaria	3	0	1	2	1	7	−6	1

Coached by the Brazilian Paulo César Carpegiani, the Albirroja returned to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986. Paraguay were drawn into Group D, alongside Bulgaria, Nigeria and Spain. Paraguay drew their first two matches 0–0, against Bulgaria and Spain. Nigeria, who had already qualified for the second round after winning their first two matches, lost 3–1 to Paraguay, who finished second in the group.

Paraguay met hosts France (without Zinedine Zidane) in the round of 16 on 28 June, with a goalless 90 minutes. In the 114th minute of extra-time, Laurent Blanc scored to eliminate Paraguay with a golden goal. 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

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Paraguay (H)	3	2	1	0	5	0	+5	7
Peru	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
Bolivia	3	0	2	1	1	2	−1	2
Japan	3	0	1	2	3	8	−5	1

Paraguay were hosts of the 1999 Copa América, played in four cities throughout the country. Many of the 1998 World Cup players returned, to be coached by Ever Hugo Almeida. Grouped with Bolivia, Japan 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 lose 5–3. Following the conclusion of the competition, striker Roque Santa Cruz was awarded with the 1999 Paraguayan Footballer of the Year award.

In the 2001 Copa América, head coach Sergio Markarián selected a squad of mostly domestic based players. Paraguay were drawn against Peru, Mexico and Brazil. Their 12 July match against Peru ended 3–3. On 15 July, Paraguay drew 0–0 with Mexico, before Brazil's 3–1 win three days later in Paraguay's last group stage fixture.

2002 FIFA World Cup

José Luis Chilavert was a key figure during the qualifiers as Paraguay qualified for Korea-Japan 2002.

Paraguay placed fourth in the 2002 World Cup qualifying process, qualifying for the tournament.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	3	0	0	9	4	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
3	South Africa	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
4	Slovenia	3	0	0	3	2	7	−5	0

Cesare Maldini being appointed as coach in January 2002 caused controversy as domestic managers were overlooked (prompting the managers union to try to unsuccessfully expel him for immigration breaches). They were in Group B with Spain, South Africa and Slovenia. The Albirroja would face South Africa in their opening group stage match on 2 June, with a match that ended in a 2–2 draw, before Spain defeated Paraguay 3–1 on 7 June. In the third group stage fixture against Slovenia, Paraguay won 3–1. Although Paraguay and South Africa had finished with four points each with a goal difference of 0, the Albirroja progressed due to having scored six goals while South Africa scored five. Paraguay then faced Germany, who dominated the match, scoring in the 88th minute on their way to the final.

Nelson Valdez played at the 2004 Copa América.

2004 Copa América

Coach Carlos Jara Saguier took a relatively young squad to the 2004 Copa América, with the majority of players tied to clubs of the Primera División Paraguaya. Having been drawn in 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 then drew 1–1 with Chile, then earned a 2–1 victory against Brazil, finishing undefeated in their group with seven points. Paraguay were drawn against Uruguay in the quarter-finals, being eliminated after losing 3–1.

2006 FIFA World Cup

José Saturnino Cardozo scored seven goals during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Paraguay began the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign in 2003, completing the process by finishing fourth two years later, qualifying for their third consecutive World Cup.

Paraguay (right, in blue) against England (left, in white) before their match at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Sweden	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5
3	Paraguay	3	1	0	2	2	2	0	3
4	Trinidad and Tobago	3	0	1	2	0	4	−4	1

The team was drawn into Group B alongside England, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago. Paraguay faced England in their opening group stage match on 10 June, with the Three Lions winning 1–0. Paraguay failed to score against Sweden on 15 June, and were eliminated after just two group stage matches, with their only compensation being a 2–0 win against Trinidad and Tobago. Paraguay finished third in their group, and were the only South American team that did not advance past the first round. Upon the conclusion of Paraguay's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign, Aníbal Ruiz resigned as head coach and Raúl Vicente Amarilla was assigned as the interim coach.

Gerardo Martino became the new coach as of January 2007.

2007 Copa América

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	3	0	0	9	3	+6	9
Paraguay	3	2	0	1	8	2	+6	6
Colombia	3	1	0	2	3	9	−6	3
United States	3	0	0	3	2	8	−6	0

Group C included Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, and the United States. 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 United States, Édgar Barreto opened the scoring in the 29th minute just before the USA's Ricardo Clark equalized 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.

With both Paraguay and Argentina having obtained six points and qualifying from Group C, the two teams faced in their last group stage fixture with a second-string team. A 79th minute Javier Mascherano goal was enough to seal a 1–0 victory for Argentina, as Paraguay advanced to the knockout stages to face Mexico. Mexico had already beaten Brazil in the group stage and had finished in first place in Group B. After Paraguayan goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla was sent off in the third minute, Paraguay conceded a penalty in the fifth 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

Coach Gerardo Martino regarded Salvador Cabañas as the Albirroja's best player, Martino also considered Cabañas as Paraguay's Lionel Messi.

Paraguay commenced their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 away draw against Peru. They followed this draw with four consecutive wins — against Urugauay (1–0), Ecuador (5–1), Chile (3–0), and Brazil (2–0) — to take the team to first place in the CONMEBOL standings after four matches, staying there for nine consecutive rounds. Paraguay lost for the first time in qualifying in a 4–2 away defeat against Bolivia. They eventually concluded qualifying with 33 points.

The Albirroja vs. Italy on 14 June 2010

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Paraguay	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Slovakia	3	1	1	1	4	5	−1	4
3	New Zealand	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
4	Italy	3	0	2	1	4	5	−1	2

The 2010 World Cup saw Paraguay drawn into Group F alongside defending champions Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand, with the team facing Italy in their opening match and drawing 1–1, after taking the lead in the 39th minute. They then beat Slovakia 2–0 and drew New Zealand 0–0, to finish first in the group.

Paraguay then eliminated Japan in the round of 16, as they won a penalty shoot-out 5–3 after a 0–0 draw. Paraguay advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time. The Albirroja were drawn against Spain 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

Paraguay's Justo Villar (centre, in yellow) was voted best goalkeeper of the 2011 Copa América.

At the 2011 Copa América, Paraguay were paired with Group B with Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador, drawing all three matches to end up as the group's third-place team.

As one of the best third-placed teams that advanced, Paraguay won the rematch against Brazil. The match was decided via a penalty shoot out, with Paraguay winning in order to meet Venezuela in the semi-final. With another penalty shoot out, Paraguay won 5–3 to advance to their first final since (/wiki/1979CopaAmérica), where they lost to Uruguay. Despite the loss, Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was awarded as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Gerardo Martino resigned soon afterwards as coach of the Albirroja.

2011–present

Francisco Arce was in charge of the Albirroja in 2011, following the departure of Gerardo Martino.

Throughout the duration of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Paraguay changed coaches three times, only to end up last in qualifying. The 2015 Copa América eventually saw Paraguay reach the semi-finals, after defeating Brazil in the quarter-finals on penalties. They were eliminated by Argentina by a score of 6–1.

Paraguay finished last in their group in a special Copa América Centenario, and would eventually qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup 16 years later.

Team image

Paraguay national football team

Paraguay traditionally wears red and white shirts and blue shorts and socks.

Kit provider	Period
Adidas	1979–1980
Textil Paraná	1981–1983
Rainha	1984–1986
Sportman	1987–1990
Textil Paraná	1991–1992
Ennerre	1993–1994
Reebok	1995–1998
Puma	1999–2006
Adidas	2007–2019
Puma	2020–present

Results and fixtures

Paraguay national football team

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

Coaching staff

Paraguay national football team

Position	Name
Head coach	Gustavo Alfaro
Assistant coach	Carlos Gonzalez
Assistant coach	Claudio Cristofanelli
Fitness coach	Sergio Omar
Fitness coach	Pedro Ignacio
Video analyst	Alejandro Juan
Goalkeeping coach	Diego Carranza
First-team Doctor	Justo Tapia
Physiotherapist	Luis Canteros
Academy manager	Elvio Paolorosso

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the friendly matches against Greece and Morocco on 27 and 31 March 2026, respectively. Caps and goals current as of 31 March 2026, after the match against Morocco.

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Pos.</th><th>Player</th><th>Date of birth (age)</th><th>Caps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Club</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>GK</td><td>Roberto Fernández</td><td>29 March 1988</td><td>30</td><td>0</td><td>Cerro Porteño</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>GK</td><td>Orlando Gill</td><td>11 June 2000</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>San Lorenzo</td></tr><tr><td>22</td><td>GK</td><td>Gastón Olveira</td><td>21 April 1993</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>Olimpia</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>DF</td><td>Gustavo Velázquez</td><td>17 April 1991</td><td>12</td><td>1</td><td>Cerro Porteño</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>DF</td><td>Omar Alderete</td><td>26 December 1996</td><td>35</td><td>3</td><td>Sunderland</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>DF</td><td>Juan Cáceres</td><td>1 June 2000</td><td>16</td><td>0</td><td>Dynamo Moscow</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>DF</td><td>Fabián Balbuena</td><td>23 August 1991</td><td>47</td><td>2</td><td>Grêmio</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>DF</td><td>Júnior Alonso</td><td>9 February 1993</td><td>70</td><td>3</td><td>Atlético Mineiro</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>DF</td><td>Alan Benítez</td><td>25 January 1994</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>Libertad</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>DF</td><td>Gustavo Gómez (captain)</td><td>6 May 1993</td><td>88</td><td>4</td><td>Palmeiras</td></tr><tr><td>25</td><td>DF</td><td>José Canale</td><td>20 July 1996</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>Lanús</td></tr><tr><td>26</td><td>DF</td><td>Alexandro Maidana</td><td>26 July 2005</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>Talleres</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>MF</td><td>Ramón Sosa</td><td>31 August 1999</td><td>28</td><td>1</td><td>Palmeiras</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>MF</td><td>Diego Gómez</td><td>27 March 2003</td><td>23</td><td>3</td><td>Brighton & Hove Albion</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>MF</td><td>Miguel Almirón</td><td>10 February 1994</td><td>75</td><td>9</td><td>Atlanta United</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>MF</td><td>Maurício Magalhães</td><td>22 June 2001</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Palmeiras</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>MF</td><td>Lucas Romero</td><td>29 August 2002</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Universidad de Chile</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>MF</td><td>Damián Bobadilla</td><td>11 July 2001</td><td>19</td><td>1</td><td>São Paulo</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>MF</td><td>Braian Ojeda</td><td>27 July 2000</td><td>16</td><td>0</td><td>Orlando City</td></tr><tr><td>23</td><td>MF</td><td>Matías Galarza</td><td>11 February 2002</td><td>14</td><td>2</td><td>Atlanta United</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>FW</td><td>Antonio Sanabria</td><td>4 March 1996</td><td>47</td><td>7</td><td>Cremonese</td></tr><tr><td>18</td><td>FW</td><td>Álex Arce</td><td>16 June 1995</td><td>14</td><td>1</td><td>Independiente Rivadavia</td></tr><tr><td>19</td><td>FW</td><td>Julio Enciso</td><td>23 January 2004</td><td>31</td><td>4</td><td>Strasbourg</td></tr><tr><td>21</td><td>FW</td><td>Gabriel Ávalos</td><td>9 July 1991</td><td>22</td><td>2</td><td>Independiente</td></tr><tr><td>24</td><td>FW</td><td>Gustavo Caballero</td><td>21 September 2001</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>Portsmouth</td></tr></tbody></table>

Recent call-ups

The following players have received a call-up within the past 12 months:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Aldo Pérez	3 November 2000	0	0	Guaraní	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
GK	Juan Espínola	2 November 1994	1	0	Barracas Central	v.  South Korea, 14 October 2025
GK	Carlos Coronel	29 December 1996	9	0	São Paulo	v.  Peru, 9 September 2025
DF	Blas Riveros	3 February 1998	15	0	Cerro Porteño	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
DF	Agustín Sández	16 January 2001	5	0	Rosario Central	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
DF	Alexis Duarte	12 March 2000	1	0	Libertad	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
DF	Ronaldo Dejesús	21 April 2001	0	0	Lanús	v.  Brazil, 10 June 2025
MF	Alejandro Romero Gamarra	11 January 1995	32	5	Al Ain	v.  Greece, 27 March 2026 WD
MF	Andrés Cubas	22 May 1996	32	0	Vancouver Whitecaps	v.  Greece, 27 March 2026 INJ
MF	Diego González	7 January 2003	4	0	Atlas	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
MF	Hugo Cuenca	8 January 2005	3	0	Burgos	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
MF	Diego León	3 April 2007	1	0	Manchester United	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
MF	Mathías Villasanti	24 January 1997	51	0	Grêmio	v.  Brazil, 10 June 2025
MF	Rubén Lezcano	9 February 2004	0	0	Olimpia	v.  Brazil, 10 June 2025
FW	Ronaldo Martínez	25 April 1996	4	0	Talleres	v.  Mexico, 18 November 2025
FW	Ángel Romero	4 July 1992	51	8	Boca Juniors	v.  South Korea, 14 October 2025
FW	Adrián Alcaraz	28 September 1999	0	0	Olimpia	v.  Peru, 9 September 2025
FW	Rodney Redes	22 February 2000	0	0	LDU Quito	v.  Peru, 9 September 2025
FW	Isidro Pitta	14 August 1999	5	0	Red Bull Bragantino	v.  Brazil, 10 June 2025
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

Paraguay national football team

As of 18 November 2025. Players in bold are still active at international level.

Most caps

Paulo da Silva is Paraguay's most-capped player with 148 international appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Paulo da Silva	148	3	2000–2017
2	Justo Villar	120	0	1999–2018
3	Roque Santa Cruz	112	32	1999–2016
4	Carlos Gamarra	110	12	1993–2006
5	Cristian Riveros	101	16	2005–2018
6	Roberto Acuña	100	5	1993–2011
Denis Caniza	100	1	1996–2010
8	Gustavo Gómez	86	4	2013–present
9	Celso Ayala	85	6	1993–2003
10	José Saturnino Cardozo	82	25	1991–2006

Most goals

Roque Santa Cruz is Paraguay's all-time top scorer with 32 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Roque Santa Cruz	32	112	0.29	1999–2016
2	José Saturnino Cardozo	25	82	0.3	1991–2006
3	Cristian Riveros	16	101	0.16	2005–2018
4	Saturnino Arrúa	13	26	0.5	1969–1980
Julio César Romero	13	32	0.41	1979–1986
Nelson Haedo Valdez	13	77	0.17	2004–2017
7	Óscar Cardozo	12	58	0.21	2006–2023
Carlos Gamarra	12	110	0.11	1993–2006
9	Roberto Cabañas	11	28	0.39	1981–1993
Miguel Ángel Benítez	11	29	0.38	1996–1999

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record		Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Group stage	9th	2	1	0	1	1	3	Squad	Qualified as invitees
1934	Did not enter	Declined participation
1938
1950	Group stage	11th	2	0	1	1	2	4	Squad	Qualified automatically
1954	Did not qualify	4	2	0	2	8	6
1958	Group stage	12th	3	1	1	1	9	12	Squad	4	3	0	1	11	4
1962	Did not qualify	2	0	1	1	0	1
1966	4	1	1	2	3	5
1970	6	4	0	2	6	5
1974	4	2	1	1	8	5
1978	4	1	2	1	3	3
1982	4	1	0	3	3	6
1986	Round of 16	13th	4	1	2	1	4	6	Squad	8	3	3	2	14	8
1990	Did not qualify	4	2	0	2	6	7
1994	6	1	4	1	6	7
1998	Round of 16	14th	4	1	2	1	3	2	Squad	16	9	2	5	21	14
2002	16th	4	1	1	2	6	7	Squad	18	9	3	6	29	23
2006	Group stage	18th	3	1	0	2	2	2	Squad	18	8	4	6	23	23
2010	Quarter-finals	8th	5	1	3	1	3	2	Squad	18	10	3	5	24	16
2014	Did not qualify	16	3	3	10	17	31
2018	18	7	3	8	19	25
2022	18	3	7	8	12	26
2026	Qualified	18	7	7	4	14	10
2030	Qualified as commemorative match hosts	Qualified as commemorative match hosts
2034	To be determined	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	9/22	27	7	10	10	30	38	—	190	76	44	70	227	225

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Copa América

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1916	Not a CONMEBOL member
1917
1919
1920
1921	Fourth place	4th	3	1	0	2	2	7	Squad
1922	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	1	2	5	6	Squad
1923	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	4	6	Squad
1924	Third place	3rd	3	1	1	1	4	4	Squad
1925	Third place	3rd	4	0	0	4	4	13	Squad
1926	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	8	20	Squad
1927	Did not enter
1929	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	9	4	Squad
1935	Did not enter
1937	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	8	16	Squad
1939	Third place	3rd	4	2	0	2	9	8	Squad
1941	Did not enter
1942	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	11	10	Squad
1945	Did not enter
1946	Third place	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	8	Squad
1947	Runners-up	2nd	7	5	1	1	16	11	Squad
1949	Runners-up	2nd	8	6	0	2	21	13	Squad
1953	Champions	1st	7	4	2	1	14	8	Squad
1955	Fifth place	5th	5	1	1	3	7	14	Squad
1956	Fifth place	5th	5	0	2	3	3	8	Squad
1957	Did not enter
1959	Third place	3rd	6	3	0	3	12	12	Squad
1959	Fifth place	5th	4	0	1	3	6	11	Squad
1963	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	13	7	Squad
1967	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	9	13	Squad
1975	Group stage	7th	4	1	1	2	5	5	Squad
1979	Champions	1st	9	4	4	1	13	7	Squad
1983	Third place	3rd	2	0	2	0	1	1	Squad
1987	Group stage	9th	2	0	1	1	0	3	Squad
1989	Fourth place	4th	7	3	1	3	9	10	Squad
1991	Group stage	6th	4	2	0	2	7	8	Squad
1993	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	2	7	Squad
1995	6th	4	2	1	1	6	5	Squad
1997	7th	4	1	1	2	2	5	Squad
1999	6th	4	2	2	0	6	1	Squad
2001	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	4	6	Squad
2004	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	5	5	Squad
2007	5th	4	2	0	2	8	8	Squad
2011	Runners-up	2nd	6	0	5	1	5	8	Squad
2015	Fourth place	4th	6	1	3	2	6	12	Squad
2016	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	1	3	Squad
2019	Quarter-finals	8th	4	0	3	1	3	4	Squad
2021	6th	5	2	1	2	8	6	Squad
2024	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	3	8	Squad
Total	2 Titles	39/44	180	64	43	73	267	311	—

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	5	14
1955	Did not participate
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987	Preliminary round	9th	3	0	2	1	1	8
1991	Did not qualify
1995	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	0	2	4	3
Since 1999	See Paraguay national under-23 football team
Total	Fourth place	3/12	11	3	2	6	10	25

Head-to-head record

Paraguay national football team

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

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Argentina	108	17	35	56	113	219	−106	15.7%
Armenia	2	1	0	1	3	2	+1	50%
Australia	5	0	3	2	2	4	−2	0%
Austria	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Bahrain	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%
Belgium	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	33.3%
Bolivia	71	36	19	16	137	76	+61	50.7%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100%
Brazil	85	12	22	51	68	184	−116	14.1%
Bulgaria	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	50%
Cameroon	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%
Canada	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Chile	69	30	8	31	94	96	−2	43.4%
China	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	33.3%
Colombia	51	18	10	23	55	61	−6	35.2%
Costa Rica	10	3	3	4	7	7	0	30%
Czech Republic	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0%
Denmark	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Ecuador	42	22	8	12	72	52	+20	52.3%
El Salvador	6	6	0	0	11	1	+10	100%
England	3	0	0	3	0	8	−8	0%
France	5	0	2	3	4	14	−10	0%
Georgia	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Germany	2	0	1	1	3	4	−1	0%
Greece	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3	100%
Guadeloupe	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100%
Guatemala	11	9	2	0	25	10	+15	81.8%
Honduras	7	2	4	1	9	6	+3	37.5%
Hong Kong	2	1	1	0	8	1	+7	50%
Hungary	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Indonesia	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	100%
Iran	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Iraq	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Italy	3	0	1	2	2	6	−4	0%
Ivory Coast	2	0	2	0	3	3	0	0%
Jamaica	6	4	0	2	11	7	+4	66.6%
Japan	12	2	5	5	12	17	−5	16.6%
Jordan	1	1	0	0	4	2	+2	100%
Martinique	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100%
Mexico	22	6	5	11	19	38	−19	27.2%
Morocco	2	0	1	1	1	2	−1	0%
Netherlands	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	0%
New Zealand	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	66.6%
Nicaragua	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100%
Nigeria	2	1	1	0	4	2	+2	50%
North Korea	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
North Macedonia	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Norway	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	0%
Oman	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Panama	6	5	1	0	10	1	+9	83.3%
Peru	60	25	16	19	79	67	+12	41.6%
Poland	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	100%
Portugal	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Qatar	4	1	2	1	6	5	+1	25%
Republic of Ireland	2	0	0	2	1	4	−3	0%
Romania	2	1	0	1	4	3	+1	50%
Saudi Arabia	3	0	3	0	1	1	0	0%
Scotland	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	100%
Serbia	4	1	1	2	6	6	0	25%
Slovakia	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2	50%
Slovenia	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100%
South Africa	5	1	3	1	6	7	−1	20%
South Korea	8	2	3	3	8	9	−1	25%
Spain	4	0	2	2	1	4	−3	0%
Sweden	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	33.3%
Togo	1	1	0	0	4	2	+2	100%
Trinidad and Tobago	3	1	2	0	5	3	+2	33.3%
Turkey	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
United Arab Emirates	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	50%
United States	9	2	2	5	7	12	−5	22%
Uruguay	79	26	20	33	96	116	−20	32.9%
Venezuela	29	19	5	5	51	25	+26	65.5%
Wales	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Total (73)	795	281	210	304	1019	1116	−97	35%

Honours

Continental

• South American Championship / Copa América • Champions (2): (/wiki/1953SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1979CopaAmérica) • Runners-up (6): (/wiki/1922SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1929SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1947SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1949SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1963SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/2011CopaAmérica) • Third place (7): (/wiki/1923SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1924SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1925SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1939SouthAmericanChampionship), (/wiki/1946SouthAmericanChampionship), 1959-I, (/wiki/1983CopaAmérica)

Friendly

• Copa Chevallier Boutell (2): 1925s, 1945 • Copa Trompowski (1): 1950 • Copa Paz del Chaco (6): 1963, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 2003 • Lunar New Year Cup (1): 1968 • Copa Artigas (1): 1975s • Copa Félix Bogado (2): 1973, 1983 • Copa Boquerón (1): 1988

Summary

Competition				Total
CONMEBOL Copa América	2	6	7	15
Total	2	6	7	15