Round of 16 · Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, PA
Paraguay
FranceSaturday, July 4, 5:00 PM EDT · 📺 FOX / Telemundo
The tournament's biggest mismatch on paper — against the team that just sent Germany home.
France is on a revenge tour after losing the 2022 final, and Mbappé is rewriting record books. Paraguay is chasing its first quarterfinal since 2010; the winner meets Canada or Morocco in Boston on July 9.
Paraguay. France doesn't need your help. Paraguay just knocked out Germany with a goalkeeper you'd never heard of — that's pure March Madness energy.
01Sound smart about this
- Kylian Mbappé has six goals, level with Messi atop the Golden Boot race, and just set the all-time record for World Cup knockout-stage goals against Sweden.
- Paraguay pulled the shock of the round: a Julio Enciso goal and goalkeeper Orlando Gill's shootout heroics eliminated Germany on penalties — Paraguay's first knockout win since 2010.
- It's a July 4 knockout game in Philadelphia during America's 250th birthday weekend — and history says beware: in 1998, France needed a 114th-minute golden goal to get past this same Paraguay.
02Players to actually watchtap a line to copy
Scored the goal that stunned Germany and is Paraguay's best hope of nicking one on the counter.
Say this“Enciso is the one Paraguayan who can create something from nothing — his goal is the reason Germany's home right now.”
The shootout hero against Germany — if Paraguay drags this to penalties, he's the great equalizer.
Say this“Paraguay's entire plan is 120 minutes of walls, then hand it to Gill — it already worked once against Germany.”
Six goals in four games and the leader of the Golden Boot race.
Say this“Mbappé already owns the record for World Cup knockout goals and he's only 27 — we're watching the all-time list get rewritten.”
Five assists this tournament — he's the one creating everything Mbappé and Dembélé finish.
Say this“Everyone watches Mbappé, but Olise is the engine — five assists, and every French goal seems to run through him.”
03Ask thistap to copy
Ousmane Dembélé casually dropped a hat trick on Norway in the group stage and it's barely been mentioned.
Paraguay lost 4-1 to the USA in the group, snuck through in third place, then knocked out Germany. World Cups are weird.
Paraguay's Matías Galarza scored 64 seconds into the Turkey game — the fastest goal of the whole tournament.
The last time these two met at a World Cup, in 1998, Paraguay held France scoreless for 113 minutes before a golden goal ended it.
France has won all four games and scored 13 goals — nobody in the tournament has looked more inevitable.
04Opinions you can safely have
- The first 30 minutes tell you everything — if it's still 0-0 at halftime, Paraguay's plan is working and France starts squeezing.
- France losing the 2022 final on penalties is exactly why they should fear this game going to a shootout.
- Olise, not Mbappé, is the most underrated player at this World Cup.
05Jargon of the match
When a team parks all its defenders deep in their own half to deny space in behind — Paraguay will sit in a low block all night specifically so Mbappé has nowhere to sprint into.
06The call
France 3-0 — unless Paraguay drags it to penalties, in which case cancel your evening plans.
Facts checked: 2026-07-03. Lineups drop ~1 hour before kickoff.