Paraguay

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After football was introduced to Paraguay under the leadership of Williams Paats, the Liga Paraguaya de Futbol (today Asociacion Paraguaya de Futbol) was founded in 1906. The first national team was formed in the year 1910, when an invitation from The Argentine club Hercules from Corrientes was accepted to play an informal match. The players of the first national team were F. Melian, G. Almeida, A. Rodriguez, M. Barrios, P. Samaniego, J. Morin, Z. Gadea, D. Andreani, C. Mena Porta, B. Villamayor, M. Rojas and E. Erico. The game ended in an 0-0 draw.

In light of the increase of invitations to play games and international tournaments and international tournaments, it was the Asociacion Paraguaya de Futbol decided to establish the official national team. They chose the red and white striped jerseys, which until today remain the official colors (taken directly from the Paraguayan flag). In the latter part of 1919, Paraguay accepted the invitation to play in the 1921 Copa America and in order to prepare for the event, there were a few friendly matches that were held between 1919 and the beginning of the competition in 1921. The first of these matches ended in a loss of 5-1 against Argentina that was the first time that an international match was played for the Paraguayan national team of football. In 1921, when the Copa America finally arrived, Paraguay stunned everyone by defeating the then third-time South American champions Uruguay by 2 to 1, marking the first time that a match was played in a competition that was officially sanctioned by Paraguayan footballers. Paraguay was eventually fourth in the competition and then became a regular part in the following editions.

in 1930 Paraguay took part in their first World Cup, organized by Uruguay. In the opening phase, Paraguay debuted and lost to the United States (0-3), and then lost to Belgium (1-0) thanks to the goal scored by Luis Vargas Pena. Only one team could get past the group stage as that was U.S. left Paraguay behind.

After having a strong performance at three Copa America tournaments of 1929 1947, 1929 in 1949 and 1929 (where Paraguay finished in second third place), Paraguay was ready to go on the future World Cup competition.

The last time Paraguay played in the World Cup was in 1950 in which Paraguay played Sweden in Group 3 and Italy in Group 3. Paraguay was not able to progress into the next round following an 2-2 draw with Sweden and a loss of 2-0 against Italy.

The first significant win came in 1953, when Paraguay took home their first Copa America disputed in Peru. While advancing to the title, Paraguay defeated Chile (3-0), Bolivia (2-1) and Brazil (2-1) while remaining tied with Ecuador (0-0), Peru (2-2) and Uruguay (2-2). Because Paraguay as well as Brazil were tied on points at the conclusion game, the game of playoffs was held between the two which ended with Paraguay taking the title 3-1. The most important players of the tournament were Angel Berni, Heriberto Herrera and Ruben Fernandez. Coach was Manuel Fleitas Solich.

In 1958, for the World Cup, Paraguay surprisingly got into the tournament before Uruguay (beating the Uruguayan team 5-1 in the game that was decisive) with a squad which featured a formidable attack team that featured stars like Juan Bautista Aguero, Jose Parodi, Jorge Lino Romero, Cayetano Re and Florencio Amarilla. In their first match at Sweden, Paraguay were 3-2 ahead against France in a match that which they fell 7-3. A win of 3-2 against Scotland and a draw of 3-3 against Yugoslavia was enough to see Paraguay end up third overall in the group.

The departure of a number players to European soccer (mainly Spain) resulted in an erosion of Paraguay's football fortunes, however they were not eliminated by Mexico during the 1962 qualifying matches.

Paraguay did not make it to the next World Cup qualifying campaigns, however, Copa America success (and that of one of its top club Olimpia during the Copa Libertadores) in 1979 was a boost to Paraguay as an effective international player.

1979 Copa America was won by Paraguay after they finished top of Group C (which also included Uruguay as well as Ecuador too) with two draws and two wins. In the semi-finals Paraguay defeated Brazil with 4-3 in aggregate. At the end of the tournament, Paraguay beat Chile by 3-1 in aggregate to win its second crown in the continent. Some of the players included Romerito, Carlos Alberto Kiese, Alicio Solalinde, Roberto Paredes, Hugo Ricardo Talavera and Eugenio Morel were an integral part of the team led by Ranulfo Miranda.

Paraguay has returned after a 28-year absence from World Cup in 1986 with the team that featured Roberto Fernandez in goal; Cesar Zabala, Rogelio Delgado and Juan Bautista Torales in the defensive line; Jorge Amado Nunes and Vladimiro Schettina in midfield; midfielder Romerito and forwards Roberto Cabanas, Ramon Angel Maria Hicks and Rolando Chilavert (the older brother of Jose Luis Chilavert). In the first round of matches, Paraguay defeated Iraq (1-0 and score achieved from Romerito) and later tied Mexico (1-1 with score that was scored through Romerito) as well as Belgium (2-2 with each goal achieved from Roberto Cabanas). They made it to the second round, where they were defeated by 3-0 England.

Another drought was followed and Paraguay did not make it to in the 90 and 1994 World Cups.

The year 1992 saw Paraguay took home Paraguay's place in the South American Pre-Olympic tournament that secured a place at the 1992 Summer Olympics football competition. In the 1992 Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group but was defeated from the competition by Ghana in the quarterfinals. One of the most significant aspects of the Paraguay group was the rise of young players such as Carlos Gamarra, Celso Ayala, Jose Luis Chilavert, Francisco Arce and Jose Cardozo that made up the "golden generation" which led Paraguay to three consecutive World Cups and good performances in continental competitions, which established Paraguay as among the best players throughout South America alongside Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Paraguay finished its qualifying to this year's 1998 World Cup in second position, one point lower than Argentina.

Led by Paulo Carpegiani Brazilian Paulo Cesar Carpegiani, the Albirroja returned to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986. The team was comprised of experienced players. Paraguay were a part of the group D along with Bulgaria, Nigeria and Spain.

Paraguay had two draws in their initial matches , 0-0, with Bulgaria as well as Spain. They then had to play Nigeria which has been selected for the second round following having won their first two matches. Paraguay beat Nigeria 3-1, and finished at the second spot in the group.

Paraguay played France during the 2nd round of play on June 28. France did not have Zinedine Zidane and were held to a 0-0 draw to Paraguay over 90 minutes. At the end of the second half in extra-time, Laurent Blanc scored to end the game for Paraguay by using Golden Goal Rule. The defender Carlos Gamarra and goalkeeper and captain Jose Luis Chilavert were selected for the 1998 All-Star Team.

Paraguay was the host of 1999's Copa America, played in four cities across the country. The head manager Ever Hugo Almeida selected an experienced team and the majority of players who were there at the 1998 World Cup. In a group alongside Bolivia, Japan and Peru The Albirroja took on their first match in the tournament and drew 0-0 with Bolivia. On July 2, Paraguay faced Japan and secured a win of 4-0. In Paraguay's last and third group-stage match with Peru, Paraguay won 1-0. The Albirroja was the top team in points with 7. Paraguay were in the draw against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. The match was decided through penalty shootout that resulted in Paraguay losing 5-3. At the end of the match the player Roque Santa Cruz was awarded with the 1999 Paraguayan Footballer of the Year prize.

At the 2001 Copa America, head coach Sergio Markarian selected a squad consisting of mostly players from the domestic market. Paraguay were selected against Peru, Mexico and Brazil. In their opening match on the 12th of July, the match ended in a 3-3 draw. On July 15, Paraguay drew 0-0 with Mexico in their second group stage game. Paraguay was then set to play Brazil on the 18th of July in their final group stage match. Brazil beat Paraguay 3-1 to eliminate Paraguay which had scored only two points from the contest.

Paraguay was able to begin their 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in March 2000, but suffered an away loss of 2-0 against Peru. The following month they beat Uruguay with a 1-0 score. The 3rd of June in 2000 Paraguay achieved a 3-1 victory at home against Ecuador and then Paraguay were defeated 3-1 on the road against Chile. On July 18, 2000 Paraguay won a 1-1 home win over Brazil. Paraguay was then drawn in the following two matches. Paraguay has since scored four consecutive victories -- in the games against Venezuela, Colombia (2-0), Peru (5-1), and Uruguay (1-0) -which helped them move up to the second spot in the qualifying phase.

Paraguay was defeated 2-1 by Ecuador. Paraguay beat Chile by 1-0. Paraguay lost 2-0 away against Brazil. Paraguay beat Bolivia 5-1 in their home. The following month, Paraguay was able to draw Argentina 2 - 2. Paraguay was able to maintain second place on the league table. Paraguay lost 3-1 at home in Venezuela and 4-0 in the match against Colombia. Paraguay ended up in fourth place in the 18th round, with 30 points, and was able to qualify for 2002's FIFA World Cup. The two players Jose Saturnino Cardozo and Carlos Humberto Paredes were among the top 10 goalscorers in the qualifying matches. Cardozo placed fifth with six goals in 14 matches and Paredes being ranked tenth having scored five goals over 16 matches.

Paraguay entered their 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament with many of their players hailing originate from France the 98th, as Jose Luis Chilavert would captain the Albirroja at the World Cup. Cesare Maldini's appointment to coach the team in January created controversy when the domestic coaches were not given the time they deserved (prompting the union representing managers to seek to expel him due to his immigration violations).

Paraguay were dragged into Group B along with Spain, South Africa and Slovenia. The Albirroja were scheduled to play South Africa in their opening group stage game on June 2 which ended in a tie at 22-2. Paraguay played Spain during their following match on the 7th of June. Spain defeated Paraguay 3-1. In Paraguay's third game of the group stage with Slovenia, Paraguay won the game 3-1. Even though Paraguay along with South Africa had finished with four points each but the Albirroja gained ground because of the goal different. Paraguay were later playing Germany in the 16th stage of the round. Germany were the most dominant side throughout the game was able to score within the final minute of the game of the game to beat Paraguay, and end the tournament for Paraguay.

The coach Carlos Jara Saguier took a quite young team for at the 2004 Copa America, with the majority of the players belonging to clubs from the Primera Division Paraguaya. Paraguay had been drafted into the group C which included Brazil, Costa Rica and Chile. Paraguay won 1-0 thanks to a penalty. victory in their opening group-stage encounter in the group stage against Costa Rica. Paraguay was able to draw 1-1 against Chile in the subsequent match. In Paraguay's match with Brazil, Paraguay earned a win of 2-1 that was enough to see Paraguay lead the group unbeaten with seven points. Paraguay were playing Uruguay in the quarterfinals. The 3-1 Uruguay victory was enough to remove Paraguay from the tournament.

Paraguay began their year 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification with three wins from their first four games in 2003. Following a 4-1 loss to Peru, Paraguay notched consecutive victories against Uruguay (4-1), Chile (1-0) to move into the top spot in the table. In 2004 Paraguay was unable to draw 0-0 with Brazil and then lost 2-1 to Bolivia. Paraguay had their only win of the year against Venezuela with a 1-1. Paraguay concluded the year with a loss of 1-0 against Uruguay. As of 2005 Paraguay was defeated by Ecuador before then beating Chile by a score of 2-1. The next time they played, Brazil defeated Paraguay 4-1. Paraguay beat Bolivia 4-1 and Argentina scored a 1-0 win for the first time that Paraguay has won an official victory against Argentina. They beat Venezuela with a score of 1-0. In the 18th round, Paraguay were defeated 1-0 in their home stadium against Colombia. Paraguay ended the qualifying matches in fourth place, and qualified for the third time in a row to go through their World Cup. Jose Cardozo finished second in goals scoring with seven goals.

Anibal Ruiz, the head coach, brought with him eight European players with European roots along with Anibal Ruiz accompanied 11 South American based players, including captain Carlos Gamarra, to Germany to participate in the 2006 tournament. The Paraguayan team was playing in its third FIFA World Cup tournament, and the team was stocked with established players in the team.

Paraguay were drafted into Group B along with England, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago. Paraguay played England in their first match of the group stage on June 10. England were able to hold an 1-0 advantage to secure an impressive victory. They played Sweden on June 15 in a game that Sweden eliminated Paraguay in just two group stage matches , without Albirroja scoring one goal. Paraguay's sole compensation was in their final group stage match the 20th of June against Trinidad and Tobago on 20 June, when Paraguay won 2-0. Paraguay placed 3rd in the group. Paraguay's elimination in the group stage was the sole South American national team which didn't advance past in the initial round. Following the end of the Paraguayan 2007 FIFA World Cup campaign, Anibal Ruiz was dismissed as the head coach, as well Raul Vicente Amarilla was appointed as interim coach.

Paraguay's national team went through significant changes following Germany 2006 following the departure of some important players, including Jose Luis Chilavert. In 2007 Argentine Gerardo "Tata" Martino was named head coach.

Gerardo Martino brought with him an experienced team to Venezuela and the team included Dario Veron Claudio Morel Rodriguez, Carlos Bonet, Julio Manzur, Paulo da Silva, Aureliano Torres, Roque Santa Cruz and captain Julio Cesar Caceres all re-appearing in the national team and also newcomers Enrique Vera, Oscar Cardozo and the Argentina-born Jonathan Santana were appearing for Paraguay in their first major tournaments. This tournament also proved to be the final national team participations for long-time captain Nelson Cuevas. Paraguay were a part of the group C together with Argentina, Colombia, and the USA. In the first game they defeated Colombia by 5-0 following the hat-trick of Roque Santa Cruz and a double from Salvador Cabanas. In Paraguay's next match against US, US, Edgar Barreto opened score in the 29th minute, just before USA's Ricardo Clark would level the score at the end of 35 minutes. Paraguay was able to win the match 3-1 thanks to a goal scored by Oscar Cardozo. A free kick in the 92nd minute by Salvador Cabanas would seal the match in the favor of Albirroja. Both Paraguay and Argentina getting six points, and both qualifying above their group C group, the two teams played in their final group stage match with a team that was less bolstered, Roque Santa Cruz, Edgar Barreto, Cristian Riveros and Paolo da Silva all commencing on the bench . Nelson Cuevas would gain his first game in the competition and Aldo Bobadilla would be in the field for all 90 minutes of the game in place of Justo Villar twice during the tournament. The 79th minute Javier Mascherano goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Argentina and Paraguay progressed to the knock-out stages where they will play Mexico. Mexico had already defeated Brazil during the first group phase and placed first in their Group B, having seven points. After Paraguayan goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla was sent off with a straight red in the third minute of the match, Paraguay lost a penalty at the end of the 5th. They finally fell behind by 3-0 at the half-time. Mexico was able to score three goals, before crushing Paraguay by 6-0, and then ending the Copa America campaign.

Paraguay began the 2010. World Cup qualifying campaign with an away draw that ended in a draw with Peru. Paraguay continued their World Cup qualifying campaign with four straight wins against Urugauay (1-0), Ecuador (5-1), Chile (3-0) as well as Brazil (2-0). These wins put Paraguay at the top on the CONMEBOL table for four matches and Paraguay was in the top spot in the CONMEBOL table for nine games (from round 4 until round 12). Paraguay was defeated to Bolivia for the very first time during qualifying with a 4-2 home loss to Bolivia.

Paraguay traveled to Argentina. 1-1 was the score. The next day, Paraguay scored the home team won 2-0 against Venezuela was the result as Paraguay was still in the top spot in the CONMEBOL table. Paraguay also won two wins of 1-0 over Colombia as well as Peru. The result kept Paraguay in the top spot in the CONMEBOL table when 2008 ended. Paraguay's 2009 qualification campaign began with a 2-0 home defeat against Uruguay as well as a 1-1 home draw against Ecuador In June, Paraguay was stung by a 2-0 home loss against Chile, Paraguay were defeated by a 2-1 score away from Brazil. In the final four matches of the qualification tournament in which all four matches were played in the home stadium, Paraguay won a 1-1 home win over Bolivia. It was also qualified during the following match against Argentina on September 9 in which Paraguay beat Argentina 1-1. Paraguay finished the qualification phase by winning 2-1 away against Venezuela and losing 2-0 at home to Colombia. Paraguay ended the qualification process with 33 points. Salvador Cabanas finished in sixth place among the top goal scorers with six goals.

In the 2010 Copa America, Paraguay were assigned to Group B alongside Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. Paraguay was unable to draw their first group stage match , which ended in a draw with Ecuador. Paraguay was able to draw with Brazil at 2-2, and Paraguay was forced to settle for their third draw in the competition. Paraguay had the draw 3-3 with Venezuela. Paraguay finished the group stage by scoring three points in three games in the group stage, which was the third place winner and the competition's second-highest third-place finisher of this stage.

Paraguay were playing Brazil in the quarter-final stages. The game was decided by the penalty shoot-out. Paraguay took the penalty shoot-out by 2-0. Paraguay next faced Venezuela for the semifinal. Paraguay beat Venezuela 5-3, in their second penalty shoot-out, which helped take Paraguay into the semi-finals. Paraguay had to face Uruguay at the end of, which was the first time Paraguay made it to the final since 1979 Copa America. Paraguay lost 3-0. Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was voted the top goalie at the tournament. Gerardo Martino resigned soon afterwards as coach of the Albirroja.

Francisco Arce took charge of the national team during the qualifying matches. In the first and second rounds in October of 2011, Paraguay were defeated 2-0 away. The next day, Paraguay drew with Uruguay 1-1. Paraguay got their first win in the qualifiers by beating Ecuador with a score of 2-1. Fourth place was the highest position Paraguay reached throughout the qualifying while Paraguay's national squad suffered several losses.

Paraguay was defeated 2-0 by Chile and 3-1 by Bolivia. 49 Francisco Arce departed as coach in 2012 following Paraguay's defeat against Bolivia then was succeeded by Gerardo Pelusso. Paraguay were defeated 3-1 by Argentina and 2-0 against Venezuela and 2-0 in Colombia. The series of defeats put Paraguay in the bottom half in the rankings.

Paraguay stopped their loss streak when they beat Peru 1-1, their second victory of the qualifying matches. Paraguay's next game was were tied with Uruguay 1-1.  Paraguay were defeated 4-1 against Ecuador. In Round 13, Paraguay lost 2-1 to Chile in a game in which Roque Santacruz's goal boosted his total score to 26 and was the highest goal scorer in the Paraguayan national team's time. At this point, Gerardo Pelusso had departed and coach Victor Genes would ultimately be in charge until the qualifiers completed. Paraguay next defeated Bolivia 4-0. Then an 5-2 loss against Argentina was officially a way to exclude Paraguay from qualification.

The last two games of Paraguay's on October 13 saw the team play Venezuela in addition to Colombia. The game ended 1-1. In Paraguay's final match of the qualifiers, in Round 18, they fell to Colombia 1-1. Paraguay ended up in the ninth spot in the table, having earned just 12 points from three wins , and being defeated 10 times. In 2014, the FIFA World Cup qualification campaign ended in failure. In the course of qualifying matches, Paraguay changed coaches three times.

Paraguay's performance during the 2014 Copa America was much more successful than their qualifying match against Brazil. In this tournament, Paraguay made it to the semi-finals and defeated Brazil in the quarter-finals through penalty shootouts despite the score was 1-1 but they were beaten by Argentina with the score of 6-1.

Prior to the event prior to the competition, the Paraguayan press had labelled Roque Santa Cruz Nelson Haedo, Paulo da Silva and Justo Villar as historicals and the only four veteran and experienced players chosen for the event. The 58-year-old Santa Cruz suffered an injured and was replaced later with Antonio Sanabria.

After a disappointing campaign, Ramon Diaz announced his resignation as coach of the Albirroja in a presser in the Estadio Defensores del Chaco after returning to the country. The coach had been criticized by the former Albirroja star Jose Luis Chilavert, who claimed that the team was run in a way that relied on "friendship" within the federation due corruption. He also suggested the view that Diaz tends to be a person who works in offices. Jose Cardozo, former Albirroja top goal scorer, and the current head coach for Chiapas in Mexico Also, he expressed his displeasure of the Albirroja. He claimed that: "There are players that don't even know the national song" and "We played until we suffered severe injuries, and we played because we were awed by the Albirroja. Nowadays, a person is suffering in their stomach and doesn't desire to exercise". "Carlos Gamarra as well as Francisco Arce played many times with broken ankles, and I've played with a knee injury" remembers Cardozo.  A former Albirroja World Cup veteran Celso Ayala spoke with HOY.com and stated that "Any team could beat us. In the case of the Albirroja we've stopped kicks or blocking, and we've stopped going. Uruguay is an example. Uruguay is never forgetting its roots. We must be as similar to them".

Paraguay generally wears white and red shirt, blue socks and shorts. The away colours were originally blue but they now wear white because they are made by German brand Puma following their departure of Puma, which was formerly the Adidas brand. They did not wear their away colours while playing at this year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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7 October2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Paraguay

0–0

Argentina

Asunción, Paraguay

10 October2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Chile

2–0

Paraguay

Santiago, Chile

14 October2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Bolivia

4–0

Paraguay

La Paz, Bolivia

11 November2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Paraguay

0–1

Chile

Asunción, Paraguay

16 November2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Colombia

0–0

Paraguay

Barranquilla, Colombia

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The following players were called up for the friendly matches against United Arab Emirates and Morocco on 23 and 27 September 2022, respectively.

Caps and goals current as of 23 September 2022, after the match against United Arab Emirates.

The following players have received a call-up within the past 12 months:

As of 14 October 2021

Players in bold are still active at international level.

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*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

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• Champions (2): 1953, 1979
• Runners-up (6): 1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011
• Third place (7): 1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959 (Argentina), 1983
• Fourth place (7): 1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989, 2015

• Copa Chevallier Boutell (vs  Argentina):
  • Winners (2): 1925 (shared), 1945 (II)
• Copa Félix Bogado (vs  Argentina):
  • Winners (2): 1977, 1983
• Copa Trompowski (vs  Uruguay):
  • Winners: 1950
• Copa Artigas (vs  Uruguay):
  • Winners: 1975 (shared)
• Copa Paz del Chaco (vs  Bolivia):
  • Winners (6): 1963, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 2003

• Copa Boquerón:
  • Winners: 1988
• Lunar New Year Cup:
  • Winners: 1968

• Summer Olympics:
  •  Silver medalists (1): 2004
• Pan American Games:
  • Fourth place (1): 1951
• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
  • Champions (1): 1992
  • Runners-up (1): 2004
  • Third place (1): 1984
• South American Games:
  •  Gold medalists (1): 1978