Issued on: 04/07/2026 - 21:47Modified: 05/07/2026 - 10:53

France edged past Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the World Cup 2026, maintaining their perfect tournament record and moving one step closer to another global title. Les Bleus’ dominant group stage performances have established them as genuine contenders, while Paraguay’s resistance was eventually broken by a Kylian Mbappé penalty after a tense and physical contest. Relive our liveblog for minute-to-minute commentary.

Official lineups

Paraguay: Gill - Cáceres, Gómez (c), Velázquez, Alderete, Alonso - Cubas - Almirón, Gómez, Galarza - Enciso

France: Maignan - Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne - Koné, Rabiot - Dembélé, Olise, Barcola - Mbappé (c).

And it's a wrap

Here's our recap:

10 minutes of added time

No bookings yet for Paraguay - Why?

It’s hard to believe, but there have been no yellow cards for Paraguay so far in this match.

This match will certainly be studied closely

Dembélé makes way for Cherki

Standing ovation for the Ballon d'Or holder

Koné booked after a late tackle

Manu Koné goes into the challenge a bit too strongly and catches his opponent, with the referee showing an immediate yellow card

Time for another cooling break

Euphoria in Paris as France score

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLL

Penalty confirmed by VAR!

bappé getting ready

Fans cheering in Paris bar

This has to be a penalty

The referee finally ends up checking VAR after pretending not to see anything

Deschamps trying to shake things up

Bradley Barcola makes way for Désiré Doué in search of more attacking spark

Double substitution for Paraguay

Play is stopped as Gustavo Caballero comes on to replace the injured Julio Enciso

Omar Alderete is also forced off with injury, with José Canale introduced by Gustavo Alfaro to reinforce the back line

Barcola slaloms forward but is stopped in front of the box

Bradley Barcola weaves his way past several challenges with a good dribble, but the Paraguayan defence eventually gets the ball away

Koné denied by a superb save

Manu Koné finds space and unleashes a decent long-range effort aimed at the top right corner, but Orlando Gill produces a brilliant save to keep it out

Paraguay survive another scare

The warning signs keep coming for the defence, but they stay alive as the ball flashes past the post

Rabiot fires over once again from distance

Adrien Rabiot tries his luck from range, but his effort sails high over the crossbar

Second half underway

Shade has overtaken most of the pitch! Good news for Les Bleus with this terrible heat

Players are back on the pitch

France topped their group with an impressive unbeaten campaign, securing three consecutive victories before dismantling Sweden 3-0 in their opening knockout match. Didier Deschamps' side have showcased attacking prowess and tactical discipline throughout the tournament, establishing themselves as one of the competition's elite sides. Their passage to the quarter-finals saw them eliminate the Scandinavians with clinical efficiency, Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to extend his remarkable World Cup tally.

Paraguay, meanwhile, earned their Round of 16 berth after finishing as one of the best-performing third-place finishers and eliminating an unrecognisable Germany. The winner will face Morocco in a quarter-final encounter next Thursday.

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