France talisman Kylian Mbappe pushed Andres Cubas to start a mass confrontation as Paraguay held firm to ensure their last-16 tie against the tournament favourites reached half-time goalless in Philadelphia. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Cubas brought six-goal Mbappe down not far from the Paraguay penalty area, causing the Real Madrid forward to shove him in the chest before numerous players from both sides squared up to each other.Its a clear foul from Cubas, former England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Sport. I dont know how its not a yellow card, actually.Theyre under [Frances] skin. Thats exactly what they want. They want that reaction. They want retaliation. It means that France are frustrated.Table of ContentsFrance vs Paraguay: Mbappe irritated at World CupWorld Cup 2026: Paraguay team vs FranceWorld Cup 2026: France team vs ParaguayWhere to watch Paraguay vs France: TV channel, online live streamWorld Cup 2026: Paraguay vs France statsFrance vs Paraguay: Mbappe irritated at World CupParaguay took four points in their group before knocking Germany out on penalties but were considerable underdogs against a Bleus side who scored 13 goals across four opening wins.Cubas, who appeared to share a cordial joke with Mbappe shortly afterwards, was not the only Paraguay player to apply rough treatment to the 27-year-old, who started the game one goal behind finals top scorer Lionel Messi.Its unlike Kylian Mbappe to be frustrated, but its another tactical foul, said Warnock, adding that Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro would have dreamt and hoped for his teams first-half showing.Its slowing the play down. Its frustrating the French. Mbappe wasnt going to allow the referee to be the only one who had a say about it.That will delight Paraguay, because they know that France are getting just a little bit irritated by proceedings.World Cup 2026: Paraguay team vs FranceDiego Gomez returned 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 moved 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 team vs ParaguayManu Kone replaced Aurelien Tchouameni, who had a groin issue, in Frances one change from their dismantling of Sweden in the last 32.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 was 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 statsMichael Olise has five assists at the finals for France 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 Canada boss Marsch takes dig at Morocco after World Cup 2026 exit: Id rather be us than them Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 LIVE Paraguay v France: World Cup 2026 text commentary, updates, goals and stats as Kone starts and Albirroja make three changes Jon Fisher 4th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Paraguay vs France confirmed teams and full line ups as Kone replaces Tchouameni, TV channel, online live stream and stats Jon Fisher 4th July, 2026 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
