Key events
Preamble
What’s the biggest upset you can remember from a World Cup knockout round?
Not the group stage. The record books are full of teams that lost their first games to an unheralded underdog but went on to reach the final.
But the knockout round? Morocco and Croatia have pulled off a few surprises in the last two World Cups. Host nations occasionally pull off a shocker.
If Paraguay were to eliminate France today, that might raise the bar.
Weather can sometimes be a great equalizer, and it’s currently 100 degrees. That’s Fahrenheit, or else water would be boiling at midfield. In Celsius, that’s 37.7778, but it’s July 4, so we’re using US degrees. Also, “100” has a nicer ring to it than “37.7778.”
So, ordinarily, you might say France could win this game without breaking a sweat. That seems unlikely today, given the weather if not the opposition.
Didier Deschamps’ players have been far and away the best team in the tournament so far. But he says Les Bleus won’t be taking Paraguay lightly today.
“They are not here by chance. Germany are a top side, and they have that South American DNA, which means they get stuck in,” Deschamps said. “And they have good players too. You can’t just qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup like that by chance.”
The US are now one of only two-co-hosts left in the World Cup after Canada went down to defeat to Morocco, who will face the winners of this game. You can pick over the Canada match report here:
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a brief guide today’s game:
What to watch for
France might be unstoppable. Didier Deschamps’ side have flattened every opponent they have faced at the 2026 World Cup so far with their forward line of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise scoring and creating goals for fun. Les Bleus are playing like favorites.
Paraguay, however, know what it takes to upset the odds having already knocked out Germany. The South Americans have never beaten France in four previous meetings spanning 68 years, but have a game plan that could make it difficult for the World Cup favorites to break them down.
Player to watch: Michael Olise, France – By registering a brace of assists in the win over Sweden, Olise highlighted his importance to France as their creator-in-chief. He might be even better as a number 10 than a right winger.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/04/france-v-paraguay-world-cup-last-32-live
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