World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Group D
Paraguayvs
Australia
0–0
Full time · Thursday, June 25, 2026 · 10:00 p.m. ET · San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi's Stadium), Santa Clara, CA
Result
Paraguay and Australia played out a goalless draw in Santa Clara that left both clinging to qualification hopes. The Socceroos shaded the chances but could not find a breakthrough, and the point lifted Australia to second in Group D while Paraguay slipped to third and into the scramble for a best-third-placed berth.
Paraguay 5-3-23-4-2-1 AustraliaParaguaySubstitutions
At this Stage
The goalless night in Santa Clara was that rare 0-0 that decided exactly what it needed to. Australia and Paraguay arrived level on three points with second place the prize, and the stalemate served the Socceroos just as the tiebreak promised: both close on four, Australia's level goal difference beats Paraguay's minus-two, and Popovic's side take the round-of-32 berth while Paraguay slip into the third-place pool, their summer now dependent on other groups' results. Above them, the USA won Group D on six points despite a 3-2 defeat to Türkiye — whose first victory of the tournament came three games too late to lift them off the bottom. Paraguay, missing the suspended Miguel Almirón, needed one goal all night and never found it; Australia, needing none, defended like they knew it.
Group D
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 USA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
| Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 4 |
| Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
 Türkiye | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.
What we know now
Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Attendance: 68,827
Watch: FS1 in English (stream on Fox One with a TV provider) and Universo in Spanish (stream on Peacock); the free Tubi simulcast carries the Spanish feed.
What I said beforehand
The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.
Honours even — this is the tightest call of the matchday. Paraguay and Australia arrive level on three points, each having beaten Türkiye and lost to the USA, with Australia holding the goal-difference tiebreak (0 to Paraguay's -2). That maths matters: a draw would send Australia through, so Tony Popovic's side can afford caution while Paraguay, without the suspended Miguel Almirón, must find a way to win. Expect a cagey, nervy decider in the Bay Area. I'll call it a draw — which would break Paraguayan hearts. 1-1.
My locked pick: Draw ✓ RIGHT
“A tight, evenly matched decider: Paraguay and Australia are both on three points, each having beaten Türkiye and lost to the USA, with Australia holding the goal-difference tiebreak (0 to Paraguay's -2). A draw would send Australia through, so expect a cautious game. Honours even.”
Locked 2026-06-24 10:01 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
The case for Paraguay
33% to winParaguay have been gritty and organised under Gustavo Alfaro, beating Türkiye even after going down to ten men, and Gustavo Gómez marshals a back line that has conceded only to the USA. Losing the suspended Almirón hurts their cutting edge, but Julio Enciso and Diego Gómez carry enough quality to manufacture the win they need, and a partisan South American following will lift them in the Bay Area.
The case for Australia
33% to winAustralia know a draw is enough, and Tony Popovic's side are built to grind out exactly that: a back five anchored by Harry Souttar, disciplined midfield runners and a counter-attacking threat in the pace of Nestory Irankunda. They defended resolutely in their two games and, with the tiebreak in their favour, can sit in, frustrate Paraguay and either nick it on the break or see out the point that takes them through.
Both cases written 2026-06-24, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 34% belongs to the draw.
Storylines
- A straight shootout for second in Group D: both on three points, with Australia holding the goal-difference edge, so a draw sends the Socceroos through.
- Paraguay are without leading scorer Miguel Almirón, suspended after his red card against Türkiye.
- Australia's Mathew Leckie is a muscle-injury doubt, with Cristian Volpato pushing to start.
- Played in the open air at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for the late kickoff.
The coaches
Gustavo Alfaro Paraguay
The Argentine has Paraguay hard-working and well-organised, set up to defend deep and strike on the counter.
Tony Popovic Australia
He has Australia compact and resilient in a back five, content to defend a result and break at pace.
Availability
| Miguel Almirón | Out — suspended after a red card against Türkiye; the squad's leading scorer is a significant loss on the right of attack | Sports Mole |
| Mathew Leckie | Doubt — a muscle injury suffered against the USA leaves him in doubt, with Cristian Volpato in line to come in | Sports Mole |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Weather: Open-air at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for the late kickoff — mild, dry Northern California evening conditions. (NWS Bay Area seasonal climatology (specific forecast not yet cleanly available), as of 2026-06-24)
Referee: Clément Turpin (France). (FIFA match appointment via ESPN match officials, 25 Jun 2026, as of 2026-06-26)
Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi's Stadium), Santa Clara, CA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.