2026 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay vs Australia World Cup Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Battle for second spot on the line

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2026 01:43

Andrew Hendrie 1 hour ago

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Paraguay vs Australia predictions for Thursday's World Cup Group D game
Second spot up for grabs, Australia need a point & Paraguay need a win
Both teams should still progress into the R32 with a draw
Top betting angles: BTTS – No; watch Volpato & Irankunda for shots on target
The game is scheduled for kick off at 12.00pm AEST on Friday June 26

Paraguay v Australia Live StreamWatch live online at bet365 > Soccer > World Cup 2026. T&Cs apply. Watch and bet Starts in To use the Live Streaming service you will need to be logged in and have a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. Note, under Australian law, Live Streaming is exempt from Parts 3 and 4 of the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018.

Paraguay vs Australia World Cup Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

Second spot in Group D is up for grabs as the Socceroos look to bounce back from their disappointing performance against USA when they face Paraguay at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Thursday.

Paraguay vs Australia World Cup Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Paraguay vs Australia Stats & Trends
Paraguay vs Australia Head To Head
Paraguay Form Analysis
Paraguay Team News
Australia Form Analysis
Australia Team News
Paraguay vs Australia Live Stream

Australia came crashing back down to earth after the euphoria of their 2-0 victory over Turkiye, suffering a dour 2-0 defeat to co-hosts USA. It was the manner of defeat that struck the nerve of most Socceroos fans, with Tony Popovic opting to drop Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe - the two goalscorers against Turkiye - to the bench.

I get what Popovic was trying to do and I don't necessarily disagree with it in this specific situation, but it was the players the manager decided to bring in that caused a stir. Mat Leckie is well into the twilight of his career and barely played in the A-League due to injury and Nishan Velupillay had a bang average season and was only picked because of his history with Popovic at Melbourne Victory. Two absolutely shocking calls from Popa and unsurprisingly Leckie picked up a hamstring injury that should rule him out of the tournament.

But anyway, second place is still within the Socceroos' grasp, with the team only needing to pick up a point here, which would see them face either Egypt, Belgium, Iran or New Zealand in the R32. Paraguay meanwhile are coming off a brave 1-0 win over Turkiye with 10 men for most of the game, withstanding 32 shots, much like Australia did in their opening game.

This is a terrible game for betting. Both sides would be happy with a point, but obviously Paraguay would rather come second - but they're naturally pragmatic with the ball and don't offer much going forward. No surprise to see the draw at only $2.15 odds and it's not worth the punt in my eyes.

I'm going to back BTTS - No as the best bet and I'll also go Under 1.5 goals for a bit of plus money value, with both sides incredibly uninspiring in the final third. I'm going to take a chance with Cristian Volpato and Nestory Irankunda for at least one shot on target - there's no question the pair are Australia's two best attacking players and they were both dangerous when they came on in the second half against USA.

Paraguay vs Australia Stats & Trends

Paraguay have seen BTTS - No in six of their last eight World Cup qualifying or finals games
Australia have seen BTTS - No in seven of their last 10 games
Paraguay have seen Under 1.5 goals in four of their last five World Cup qualifying or finals games
Nestory Irankunda had two shots on target vs Turkiye and will be lively again in the final third
Cristian Volpato was easily Australia's best vs USA and was heavily involved up front - he's a confident individual and will attempt a shot at any opportunity

Paraguay vs Australia Head To Head

Australia are unbeaten in five previous meetings with Paraguay, winning their last clash 1-0 in a 2010 friendly. However, the Socceroos don't have a good record overall vs South American nations and have lost four of five such games at World Cups.

Paraguay Form Analysis

Paraguay beat the likes of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay during World Cup qualifying, but were blown off the park by USA in their opening game, going down 4-1 and it easily could have been more.

You can usually take those qualifying wins in South America with a grain of salt as home ground advantage plays a huge role in lots of those fixtures.

Gustavo Alfaro's side bounced back with a gritty performance against Turkiye, with Matias Galarza scoring inside the opening two minutes. However, Miggy Almiron was sent off later in the first half, meaning Paraguay were forced to hold on, withstanding 32 shots from their opponents to secure a memorable 1-0 victory and give themselves a great chance of securing knockout football.

Paraguay have never won two matches at a World Cup and will be hoping to make the knockout phase like their last appearance in 2010.

Paraguay Team News

Julian Enciso is the main man for Paraguay, with the Strasbourg playmaker providing two assists and now looking to become the first player since Michael Ballack in 2002 to register an assist in all three group games.

Almiron will miss this game due to his suspension, while midfielder Diego Gomez is also carrying a knock after being replaced against Turkiye.

Paraguay Squad

Pos	Player	Age	Caps	Goals	Club
GK	Gatito Fernández	38	31	0	Cerro Porteño
GK	Orlando Gill	26	8	0	San Lorenzo
GK	Gastón Olveira	33	1	0	Olimpia
DF	Gustavo Velázquez	35	15	1	Cerro Porteño
DF	Omar Alderete	29	38	3	Sunderland
DF	Juan José Cáceres	26	19	0	Dynamo Moscow
DF	Fabián Balbuena	34	48	2	Grêmio
DF	Júnior Alonso	33	73	3	Atlético Mineiro
DF	José Canale	29	3	0	Lanús
DF	Gustavo Gómez	33	91	4	Palmeiras
DF	Alexandro Maidana	20	3	1	Talleres
MF	Ramón Sosa	26	30	1	Palmeiras
MF	Diego Gómez	23	26	3	Brighton & Hove Albion
MF	Miguel Almirón	32	78	10	Atlanta United
MF	Maurício	25	4	1	Palmeiras
MF	Andrés Cubas	30	35	0	Vancouver Whitecaps
MF	Damián Bobadilla	24	21	1	São Paulo
MF	Kaku	31	34	6	Al Ain
MF	Braian Ojeda	25	17	0	Orlando City
MF	Matías Galarza	24	16	4	Atlanta United
MF	Gustavo Caballero	24	2	1	Portsmouth
FW	Antonio Sanabria	30	49	7	Cremonese
FW	Álex Arce	31	16	1	Independiente Rivadavia
FW	Julio Enciso	22	34	4	Strasbourg
FW	Gabriel Ávalos	34	24	2	Independiente
FW	Isidro Pitta	26	6	0	Red Bull Bragantino

Australia Form Analysis

Australia didn't arrive at this World Cup in good form, but two moments of individual brilliance from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe secured all three points in a superb 2-0 victory over Turkiye in their opening game.

However, some negative and downright abysmal selection calls from Popovic saw the Socceroos on the back foot early against USA and they never recovered, despite an improved showing in the second stanza when Irankunda and Volpato were both introduced and Leckie & Velupillay made way.

However, for all of Australia's struggles in that game, they were brought down by an own goal and a VAR decision that really could have been given offside for interference.

The current scenario is very similar to that of 2006, where the Socceroos won their first game by a two-goal margin before losing the second 2-0, needing a point in the final clash to secure a place in the knockout phase.

Australia Team News

Leckie suffered a hamstring injury and is out for this game and probably the rest of the tournament, while there's surely no way Velupillay sees any more game time this World Cup.

Jacob Italiano is also out with injury at right back, meaning either Jason Geria or Kai Trewin will come into that role. Also a chance 18-year-old rising star Lucas Herrington comes into the defence for Cam Burgess, who struggled against USA and conceded the own goal.

Volpato is arguably Australia's most technically gifted footballer since Harry Kewell and will see more game time here - but whether Popovic starts the Sassuolo attacker is anyone's guess. Same goes for Irankunda, who might again be used as an impact player off the bench.

Australia Squad

Pos	Player	Age	Caps	Goals	Club
GK	Mathew Ryan (Captain)	34	104	0	Levante
GK	Paul Izzo	31	4	0	Randers
GK	Patrick Beach	22	4	0	Melbourne City
DF	Miloš Degenek	32	57	1	APOEL
DF	Alessandro Circati	22	15	1	Parma
DF	Jacob Italiano	24	7	0	Grazer AK
DF	Jordan Bos	23	29	4	Feyenoord
DF	Jason Geria	33	16	0	Albirex Niigata
DF	Kai Trewin	25	6	0	New York City
DF	Aziz Behich	35	85	3	Melbourne City
DF	Harry Souttar	27	40	11	Leicester City
DF	Cameron Burgess	30	29	0	Swansea City
DF	Lucas Herrington	18	4	0	Colorado Rapids
MF	Connor Metcalfe	26	38	2	FC St. Pauli
MF	Ajdin Hrustić	29	37	4	Heracles Almelo
MF	Aiden O'Neill	27	33	0	New York City
MF	Cammy Devlin	28	5	0	Heart of Midlothian
MF	Jackson Irvine	33	84	14	FC St. Pauli
MF	Paul Okon-Engstler	21	8	0	Sydney FC
FW	Mathew Leckie	35	81	14	Melbourne City
FW	Mohamed Touré	22	12	2	Norwich City
FW	Awer Mabil	30	38	10	Castellón
FW	Nestory Irankunda	20	17	6	Watford
FW	Cristian Volpato	22	2	0	Sassuolo
FW	Nishan Velupillay	25	9	3	Melbourne Victory
FW	Tete Yengi	25	2	1	Machida Zelvia

Paraguay vs Australia Live Stream

Watch and bet on Paraguay vs Australia live football from the World Cup.

You can watch and bet on the match live at bet365 > Soccer > World Cup 2026 with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access.

To use the Live Streaming service you will need to be logged in and have a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. Note, under Australian law, Live Streaming on bet365 is exempt from Parts 3 and 4 of the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018.