Paraguay and France have named their starting sides for their World Cup 2026 last-16 meeting in Philadelphia on Saturday. Didier Deschamps side have won all four of their matches at the finals, beating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0 and Norway 4-1 during the group stage before cruising past Sweden 3-0 in the first knockout round.La Albirroja recorded a major upset by beating Germany on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the last 32, having taken four points to finish as one of the best third-placed teams during the group stage.The winners of the tie will meet Morocco in the quarter-finals in Boston on Thursday (21:00 BST), followed by a potential semi-final against Portugal, Spain, the USA or Belgium in Dallas on July 14 (20:00). Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Paraguay confirmed team vs FranceWorld Cup 2026: France full line up vs ParaguayWhere to watch Paraguay vs France: TV channel, online live streamWorld Cup 2026: Paraguay vs France statsWorld Cup 2026: Paraguay confirmed team vs FranceDiego Gomez returns from suspension as one of three new faces in Paraguays line-up alongside Gustavo Velazquez and Omar Alderete.Jose Canale, Damian Bobadilla and Gabriel Avalos move to the bench.Paraguay starting XI: Orlando Gill, Gustavo Velazquez, Omar Alderete, Juan Jose Caceres, Junior Alonso, Gustavo Gomez, Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Matias Galarza, Julio EncisoParaguay substitutes: Gatito Fernandez, Gaston Olveira, Fabian Balbuena, Jose Canale, Alexandro Maidana, Ramon Sosa, Mauricio, Damian Bobadilla, Braian Ojeda, Gustavo Caballero, Antonio Sanabria, Alejandro Romero Gamarra, Alex Arce, Gabriel Avalos, Isidro PittaWorld Cup 2026: France full line up vs ParaguayManu Kone replaces Aurlien Tchouameni, who has a groin issue, in Frances one change from their dismantling of Blagult.France starting XI: Mike Maignan, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Bradley BarcolaFrance substitutes: Brice Samba, Robin Risser, Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ngolo Kante, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche, Marcus Thuram, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe MatetaWhere to watch Paraguay vs France: TV channel, online live streamKick-off on Saturday is at 22:00 BST (17:00 ET / 14:00 PT). In the UK, live TV coverage is on BBC One.Streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the BBC iPlayer app and BBC Sport website.World Cup 2026: Paraguay vs France statsLes Bleus are the highest-scoring team at the finals, with 12 goals, and have netted at least three times in each of their last four World Cup matchesKylian Mbappe has six goals in four appearances at the tournament, putting the Real Madrid striker one behind top scorer Lionel Messi, having contributed two more assists than the Arentina captainMichael Olise has five assists and is one away from matching Peles World Cup record of six at a single tournamentFrance have won 15 of their 18 World Cup matches since the start of the 2018 tournamentDidier Deschamps has recorded 18 World Cup victories as a manager, which is the most in tournament historyNow 57, Deschamps was captain when France beat Paraguay in the last 16 on their way to glory on home soil at the 1998 finals, winning 1-0 through a 113th-minute Laurent Blanc goalParaguay had only progressed from a World Cup knockout tie once previously, winning 5-3 on penalties against Japan in the 2010 last 16La Albirroja have lost one of their four matches at the World Cup 2026 but have not beaten France in five previous meetings (D2 L3), losing both such matches at the World CupThey have not scored more than once in any of their last seven matches at the World CupWith 33 goals in 31 World Cup matches (1.1 per game), Paraguay have the lowest average of any nation to have played at least 30 matches at the finals apart from South Korea (41 in 41).Julio Encisos opener against Germany was Paraguays first-ever goal in the knockout stage of the finals, having failed to score in their five previous such ties Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Adrien Rabiot Aurelien Tchouameni Dayot Upamecano Didier Deschamps FIFA World Cup France National Football Team Ibrahima Konate Jean-Philippe Mateta Kylian Mbapp Michael Olise N'Golo Kante Ousmane Dembele Paraguay national football team Rayan Cherki William Saliba World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 Canada v Morocco: World Cup 2026 live text commentary, updates, goals and stats as it happened Jon Fisher 4th July, 2026 World Cup 2026: Canada 0-3 Morocco Report, result, goals as great finishes by Ounahi and Rahimi send Atlas Lions to quarter finals Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 England vs Mexico: World Cup 2026 confirmed time and full details after talks over game being moved, latest news and why football bosses wanted fixture kick off rescheduled to Sunday Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Real concern for Morocco vs Canada as crestfallen Atlas Lions hero Saibari suffers early injury in last-16 tie Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 4th July, 2026
