Alfaro destaca el ataque de Paraguay antes del Mundial 2026

Gustavo Alfaro is not selling Paraguay’s World Cup return as a sentimental comeback. He is treating it as a tactical upgrade, one built on a more dangerous attack, quicker transitions and a side he believes can trouble stronger opponents in 2026.

Paraguay sealed its place in the World Cup in the 0-0 draw against Ecuador at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco on September 4, 2025, a result that booked the ticket with one round to spare. The qualification ended a 16-year absence from football’s biggest stage, with Paraguay back at the tournament for the first time since South Africa 2010.

Alfaro took over on August 16, 2024, after Paraguay had opened the qualifying campaign under Guillermo Barros Schelotto and then passed through Daniel Garnero. He recast the cycle as a reconstruction, saying Paraguay had to recover its historic identity, its garra and templanza, and he has insisted the aim is not to arrive just to take part.

The numbers show why that message has carried weight. When Alfaro arrived, Paraguay was seventh with only five points. From there, the team strung together a nine-match unbeaten run in the qualifiers and collected 19 points in that stretch. It finished sixth with 28 points, scored 14 goals and conceded 10, and ended level on points with Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. Only Ecuador, with 29, and Argentina, with 38, finished above it.

The attack is the clearest evidence of the shift. Paraguay now leans on Miguel Almirón, Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria to create more directly, while the defensive spine still matters through Gustavo Gómez, Junior Alonso, Omar Alderete, Andrés Cubas, Diego Gómez and Damián Bobadilla, most of whom play abroad. That mix has given Paraguay a more balanced way to play, with order behind the ball and more threat when it breaks forward.

Alfaro has also framed the campaign in emotional terms, citing the push of 6.5 million people and the intensity of a country that lives football deeply. But the tactical read is the sharper one: Paraguay has improved enough to compete, not just survive. As Alfaro put it, “Al Mundial no quiero ir a participar, vine porque quiero ir a competir por lo máximo.”