Paraguay convincingly defeated Nicaragua and closed its home preparation for the World Cup with a victory
Paraguay defeated Nicaragua 4:0 on Friday, June 5, 2026, at the ueno Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción, in an international friendly match that served the home national team as its final test before departing for the final stage of the World Cup. According to the official report of the Paraguayan Football Association, the team of head coach Gustavo Alfaro was led to victory by Alejandro Romero Gamarra from a penalty kick, Miguel Almirón, Matías Galarza and Alexandro Maidana. The result faithfully reflected the balance of power on the pitch: Paraguay imposed its rhythm from the start, pressed the opponent's back line and made use of the most important chances, while Nicaragua did not find a way either to keep the ball for longer or to threaten the home goal more seriously. In the final stage of preparations, such a performance brought the home side peace in terms of the result and additional confidence, although the evening was overshadowed by concern over Julio Enciso's injury.
Early pressure opened the way to a convincing victory
From the first minutes, the match had a clear direction. Paraguay played in front of its home crowd, in an atmosphere that, according to ABC Color's report, gathered around 35,000 spectators, and quickly showed that it wanted to control the match through a more aggressive approach to duels and a faster transfer of the ball forward. Nicaragua tried to close the middle and slow the rhythm, but the home team easily reached areas from which it could create pressure on the visitors' back line. The key moment of the opening phase came in the 16th minute, when Paraguay took the lead after a penalty kick that, according to the APF's official match record, was converted by Alejandro Romero Gamarra. That goal changed the structure of the match because it allowed the home side calmer control of possession and forced Nicaragua to spend part of the match in a defensive block from which it struggled to break free.
After taking the lead, Paraguay continued to press, but the match was not without an unpleasant moment for Alfaro. Julio Enciso had to leave the game in the 25th minute, and Maurício Magalhães came on in his place, the APF states in its official summary of the match. ABC Color reported that it was an injury that appeared muscular and that the forward's departure caused concern in the Paraguayan staff, but the extent of the injury was not officially confirmed after the match. Such a situation is especially sensitive because Paraguay is in the final phase of preparations for a major competition, and Enciso is one of the players who can bring the team a change of rhythm, penetration and individual quality in the final third. Despite that interruption, the home national team did not lose control of the match.
The second goal arrived in the 41st minute, when Miguel Almirón increased the lead to 2:0. According to ABC Color's report, the move began after Diego Gómez won the ball, and Almirón finished the attack with a precise shot. The goal just before the break further complicated Nicaragua's task, as it had too few quality exits toward the opposing half in the first half. Paraguay looked more organized, faster and more dangerous in that period, especially when it won the ball high or when it reached crosses and cutbacks through the wide areas. The teams went to the break with a scoreline that already clearly indicated that the visiting team would find it difficult to get back into the match.
Alfaro changed almost the entire team, the rhythm remained the same
The second half was equally important for Paraguay's coaching staff because it offered an opportunity to a wide group of players. According to the APF's official match record, Alfaro made a series of changes after the break: Orlando Gill, Gustavo Velázquez, Fabián Balbuena, José Canale, Alexandro Maidana, Ramón Sosa, Braian Ojeda, Matías Galarza, Gustavo Caballero, Alex Arce and other players came on, all of whom needed to gain competitive rhythm before traveling. Such an approach in friendly matches immediately before a major tournament has a clear purpose: to reduce the load on the main players, test the reaction of substitutes and see how much the team can maintain its playing identity when a large part of the starting lineup changes. Paraguay passed the most important part of that test because, even after numerous substitutions, it neither retreated nor handed the initiative to Nicaragua.
Matías Galarza scored the third goal in the 61st minute, which practically settled the match. In its official report, the APF stated that Galarza was one of the scorers, while ABC Color described a situation in which goalkeeper Adonis Pineda saved Maurício's shot, after which Galarza made use of the rebound. That goal was also important for the impression of the depth of Paraguay's squad because it came from a player who did not start the match but, after coming on, brought energy and decisiveness in the final third. In those minutes Nicaragua looked increasingly tired, and attempts to build out through midfield often ended with a lost ball or forced backward passes.
Alexandro Maidana set the final 4:0 in the 66th minute. According to the APF's official match record, Maidana came on at the start of the second half in place of Junior Alonso, and with his goal he rounded off a convincing evening for the home team. For Paraguay, it was particularly useful that four different players got on the scoresheet, which reduces the impression of dependence on one forward or one type of finish. At the same time, Nicaragua failed to respond even after the changes made by head coach Juan Cruz Real. The visiting side had too little composure in possession, and when it won the ball, it often did not have enough players in positions from which it could threaten.
Nicaragua without an answer to the difference in tempo and quality
Nicaragua traveled to Asunción for a match that was demanding by profile because it was playing against a national team from the South American qualifiers, in front of that team's crowd and at a moment when the host was entering the final period of preparations for the World Cup. In the official lineup published by the APF, Nicaragua was led by goalkeeper Adonis Pineda and players such as Jefferson Rivera, Joab Gutiérrez, Évert Martínez, Justing Cano, Jason Coronel, Jacob Montes and Jorge García. Juan Cruz Real's team had several periods in which it tried to lower the tempo and connect a larger number of passes, but it spent most of the match under pressure. Two yellow cards, to Joab Gutiérrez in the 15th minute and Jacob Montes in the 56th minute, further show how difficult it was for the visitors to defend the space in front of their own penalty area.
It is not only about the difference in the final score, but also about the way Paraguay controlled the match. The home team had a clearer structure in midfield, reacted faster after losing the ball and knew when to accelerate toward the final third. Nicaragua, on the other hand, was often forced to defend in a low block, which reduced the possibility of a quality transition into attack. When the opponent takes an early lead and maintains the intensity, such a match can easily turn into a constant defensive drain for the weaker team. That is exactly what happened in Asunción: Paraguay kept the match under control, and Nicaragua did not find a mechanism that would reverse the rhythm.
For the visiting national team, this match can still have value as an indicator of the level required in matches against stronger opponents. Friendly matches are often used to test organization, reactions under pressure and the ability to adapt, and in that sense Nicaragua received a clear picture of the problems that need to be corrected. The phase of building out from the back line, reactions after losing the ball and defending situations in which the opponent arrives from the second line will be analyzed in particular. The 4:0 result leaves little room for a positive interpretation of the performance itself, but such defeats in friendly matches can play a useful role if concrete corrections are drawn from them.
Paraguay returns to the world stage after a long wait
The victory over Nicaragua has broader significance because Paraguay is entering the final stage of preparations for the 2026 World Cup, a tournament that will be held in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. According to FIFA, it will be the largest edition of the competition so far, with 48 national teams and a total of 104 matches in 16 host cities. Paraguay is returning to the world showpiece for the first time since 2010, and FIFA states that it secured qualification with a 0:0 draw against Ecuador in qualifying. In the final standings of the South American qualifiers, according to FIFA data, Paraguay took sixth place with 28 points from 18 matches, with a record of seven wins, seven draws and four defeats. For a national team that reached the quarterfinals in South Africa in 2010, the return to the World Cup carries strong sporting and symbolic weight.
The qualifying path was also important for shaping the team's identity. Paraguay was not among the most efficient sides in the South American group, but through qualifying it built its results on discipline, solid defending and the ability to remain competitively stable in key matches. FIFA's final-standings data show that Paraguay conceded only ten goals in 18 matches, which was one of the best defensive records in the CONMEBOL zone. Precisely for that reason, the friendly match against Nicaragua was not only a search for victory, but also an opportunity for the attacking part of the game to look more effective than it often did in qualifying. Four goals and a variety of scorers give head coach Alfaro an argument for optimism, although the level of the opponent must be taken into account.
According to FIFA's official schedule, Paraguay will play in Group D at the World Cup with the United States of America, Australia and Turkey. The first match is scheduled against the USA in Los Angeles, followed by a match against Turkey at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, while the final group match comes against Australia. With such a schedule, Paraguay will not have much time to gradually raise its form because it faces the host and a national team that will play with strong support from the stands right at the start. That is why the convincing victory in Asunción is useful primarily as a psychological boost, but not as final confirmation of readiness for the tournament. The level of intensity, the quality of the opponents and the pressure of competitive matches will be significantly higher.
Efficiency as the best message, Enciso's injury as the main question
The most important positive element for Paraguay was efficiency. The team broke down the opponent early, doubled the lead by the break and continued scoring in the second half despite a large number of changes. This is especially important for a side that, in stronger matches, often has to live off a smaller number of chances. When, in the short period before a major tournament, a team wins a match without conceding and with four goals scored, the coaching staff receives confirmation that there are automatisms that function beyond the starting eleven as well. An additional value is that players from different lines and different roles got on the scoresheet, from an attacking midfielder and a winger to players who came off the bench.
Still, Julio Enciso's injury remains the most sensitive topic after the match. The APF recorded his departure in the 25th minute in the official match record, while ABC Color reported that the forward left the game with visible concern and that clearer information on the severity of the injury is awaited. Ahead of the World Cup, such situations carry additional weight because recovery timelines are measured in days, not weeks of calm preparation. If the injury proves to be minor, Paraguay will be able to view the victory over Nicaragua almost exclusively through positive indicators. If the problem turns out to be more serious, the sporting impression from the match will necessarily remain in the shadow of questions about the availability of one of the most important players for the start of the tournament.
For Alfaro, the duel with Nicaragua was a match in which he got what is most often sought from such a test: a victory, squad depth, goals and control without major defensive problems. For Nicaragua, it was a heavy defeat, but also a clear encounter with the level of pressure created by national teams from a higher competitive class. The final 4:0 can therefore be read as confirmation that Paraguay is entering the final phase of preparations with a serious tone, but also as a reminder that a friendly result, however convincing it may be, does not remove all questions. The most important among them at this moment is not related to the game, but to Enciso's health condition and the final squad with which Paraguay will open its World Cup campaign.
Sources:
- Paraguayan Football Association – official report, scorers, match record, lineups and details of the Paraguay - Nicaragua 4:0 match (link)
- ABC Color – match report, description of the course of the match, information on Julio Enciso's injury and context of the atmosphere at the stadium (link)
- FIFA – list of national teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup and information on Paraguay's return to the tournament after 2010 (link)
- FIFA – final standings of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official 2026 World Cup schedule and Group D matches (link)