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Paraguay to Face Germany in World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with "Humility and Joy," Says Coach Alfaro
🇵🇦 Panama /Sports

Paraguay to Face Germany in World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with "Humility and Joy," Says Coach Alfaro

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Paraguay will face Germany in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, with coach Gustavo Alfaro emphasizing "humility and joy."
  • Alfaro acknowledged Germany as a favorite but expressed confidence in his team's ability to compete.
  • Paraguay's qualification for the 2026 World Cup marks their return after a 16-year absence.

Paraguay's national football team coach, Gustavo Alfaro, stated that his team will approach their upcoming Round of 16 match against Germany in the 2026 World Cup with "humility and joy." The match is scheduled to take place in Foxborough, near Boston. Germany is considered a strong favorite in the tournament.

We have a very complex match ahead of us, very difficult, and we have great joy in playing this stage.

— Gustavo AlfaroParaguay's coach comments on the upcoming World Cup match against Germany.

Alfaro, an Argentine, acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming match, describing it as "very complex and very difficult." However, he expressed great happiness for his team to reach this stage. He stressed that despite Germany's strong pedigree as four-time world champions, the Paraguayan team, known as 'La Albirroja,' will aim to compete with the "humility and simplicity" that characterize his players. "We will try to be up to the challenge, trusting in who we are," Alfaro added.

Paraguay secured their spot in the World Cup and advanced past the group stage, despite an initial 4-1 loss to co-host United States. They followed that with a 1-0 victory over Turkey and a goalless draw against Australia. Alfaro highlighted that regardless of the outcome against Germany, Paraguay has already qualified for the next World Cup, and facing Germany will be a valuable learning experience.

We will try to be up to the challenge, trusting in who we are.

— Gustavo AlfaroParaguay's coach expresses confidence in his team's ability to compete against Germany.

Looking ahead, Paraguay is set to co-host a World Cup match in 2030 as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations, alongside Argentina and Uruguay. Alfaro also touched upon his potential future with the team, suggesting that the key lies in whether the country is prepared to commit to a long-term development process for its national teams. The winner of the Paraguay-Germany match will advance to face the victor of the game between France and Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Paraguay is already qualified for the next World Cup, and facing Germany will be a good learning experience.

— Gustavo AlfaroParaguay's coach reflects on the team's achievement of qualifying for future World Cups.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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