Important events
An early email, starting with a “very annoying” question.
Steve Tremlett: Maybe Bulgaria 2 Germany 1 or Romania 3 Argentina 2, both in 1994?”
What a tournament that was. I remember Germany didn’t mind the heat.
Lars Bøgegaard: “I didn’t see it for myself, but the most watched World Cup outside of the group stage has to be Brazil-Uruguay 1-2 in 1950 – closely followed by West Germany-Hungary 3-2 in 1954 (following Hungary beating the W. Germans 8-3 in the group stage. In the Euros it should be a close game with the XI from I-Denmark of the world between Germany in the final in 1992 and Greece beat favorites Portugal in 2004.”
I remind myself how old I am by remembering that 1950 is to me as 1980 is to a 26-year-old. Usually in musical terms. For a 20-year-old, early REM is as old in their mind as my brain can imagine… I don’t know, Beethoven?
Let’s take a trip down Memory Lane:
Justin Kavanagh: So all week, I’ve been hearing people compare this great French team to the brilliant Brazilians of 1982. That group of Socrates, Zico and his colleagues.
“Now who could be France’s bogie team? First they will face a tough defending Paraguay; they will win today and Morocco, who looked shaky in the first half before; then, Spain, which could be a classic semi-final; then, maybe, Argentina in the final. And.
“But you know, there is one Italian in this World Cup, who would like the chance to surpass the favorites and send the football world into mourning like it happened in 1982. Can Carlo Ancelotti somehow plan to win it all with the Brazilians not yet enthusiastic? Now that will raise a lot of eyebrows. I won’t put it past him.”
I am suddenly reminded of what life was like before there were dating apps.
Rob Vile: “I wonder if you feel a special relationship with Desiré Doué since you both have first and second names that are French adjectives?”
It’s something I try to avoid, since people at my high school learned that “Beau” means “beautiful” and “Dure” means “difficult.” So that’s “good enough.” Or “too hard.” So I was hearing for the first time, “Wow, that test was Beau Dure.” I miss my parents, but yes, I wish they would think about that a little bit. We always played up the Scottish part of our heritage, though.
On a completely different note:
Peter Oh: “The capital of Paraguay is Asunción, as in Ascension. Holy. Which brings me to my point. Everyone thinks France is going to win. But as Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the 1996 movie said, when you make assumptions you make a** about yourself and the feeling. The long name of the movie Kis Good?
Head to head
We have had a few firsts in this World Cup, but this is not one of them. France and Paraguay have met five times, twice in the World Cup:
1958 World Cup: France 7-3
1998 World Cup: France 1-0
2008: 0-0
2014: 1-1
2017: France 5-0
Since losing to Argentina in the group stage in 1978, France have never lost to a South American team in a World Cup without a single penalty shoot-out:
1986: 1-1 vs. Brazil (4-3 on PKs)
1998: 1-0 vs. Paraguay
1998: 3-0 vs. Brazil (final)
2002: 0-0 vs. Uruguay
2006: 1-0 vs. Brazil
2010: 0-0 vs. Uruguay
2014: 0-0 vs. Ecuador
2018: 1-0 vs. Peru
2018: 4-3 vs. Argentina
2018: 2-0 vs. Uruguay
2022: 3-3 vs. Argentina (lost 2-4 on penalties)
Coming into the tournament, where Paraguay defeated Turkey and eliminated Germany on penalties, the South Americans’ recent record against European teams is:
1998: 0-0 vs. Bulgaria
1998: 0-0 vs Spain
1998: 0-1 vs. France
2002: 1-3 vs
2002: 3-1 vs. Slovenia
2002: 0-1 vs. Germany
2006: 0-1 vs. England
2006: 0-1 vs. Sweden
2010: 1-1 vs. Italy
2010: 2-0 vs. Slovakia
2010: 0-1 vs. Spain
Could the heat push Philadelphians to build a stadium with a pitched or retractable roof?
The stadium known for Philadelphia Stadium during the duration of the World Cup is 23 years old, so, it is time for a new one.
Paul MacInnes
With an hour to go before kickoff, temperatures here at Philadelphia Stadium are reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There are umbrellas up all around the pitchside to protect the cameras, but the supporters in the stands have to do some fanning themselves as they do their best to stay cool in the sweltering temperatures. Three sides of the earth, which have no covering, are currently under the sunlight.
Groups
France ( 4-2-3-1 ): Maignan; Digne, Saliba, Upamecano, Koundé; Kone, Rabiot; Barcola, Olise, Dembele; Mbappé
Subs: Risser, Samba, Gusto, L. Hernández, T. Hernández, Konate, Lacroix, Kanté, Tchouaméni, Zaïre-Emery, Akliouche, Cherki, Doué, Mateta, Thuram
Paraguay ( 5-3-2 ): Gill; Alonso, Alderte, Gómez, Velázquez, Cáceres; Galarza, Cubas, Gómez; Enciso, Almirón
Subs: Fernández, Olveira, Balbuena, Canale, Maidana, Bobadilla, Ojeda, Romero Gamarra, Maurício, Sosa, Arce, Sanabria, Ávalos, Pitta, Caballero
In France, Koné surrounds Tchouaméni, who was injured in training.
For Paraguay, the line-up is very close to the 5-3-2 they showed in a 0-0 draw with Australia, but it changed in a few places from the 4-4-2 that shocked Germany. Alderrete returns as the third center back, meaning there is no place for Bobadilla in the middle. Gómez returns from a stoppage at center right, pushing Almirón forward and pushing Ávalos to the bench.
Background
What is the biggest upset you can remember in the knockout round of the World Cup?
Not a collection category. The record books are full of teams who lost their first games and were relegated but went on to the finals.
But the knockout round? Morocco and Croatia have pulled off a few surprises in the last two World Cups. Host countries sometimes produce something shocking.
If Paraguay were to eliminate France today, that would raise the bar.
The weather can sometimes be perfect, and right now it’s 100 degrees. That’s Fahrenheit, otherwise the water would be boiling in the middle of the field. In Celsius, that’s 37.7778, but it’s July 4th, so we’re using US degrees. Also, “100” has a nicer ring to it than “37.7778.”
So, in general, you can say that France can win this game without breaking a sweat. That seems unlikely today, given the climate if not the opposition.
Didier Deschamps’ players have been the best team in the competition so far. But he says Les Bleus will not take Paraguay lightly today.
“They’re not there by chance. Germany are a top side, and they have that South American DNA, which means they’re stuck,” said Deschamps. “And they have good players as well. You can’t just get into the last 16 of the World Cup like that by luck.”
The US is now one of two players who will participate in the World Cup after Canada lost to Morocco, who will face the winners of the game. You can choose the Canadian match report here:
Beau will be here soon. In the meantime, here’s a brief guide to today’s game:
What you can watch
France may be unstoppable. Didier Deschamps’ side have beaten every opponent they’ve faced at the 2026 World Cup so far with their forward line of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise scoring and creating some fantastic goals. Les Bleus play as favourites.
Paraguay, however, knows what it takes to overcome problems as they have already eliminated Germany. The South Americans have never beaten France in their last four meetings spanning 68 years, but they have a game plan that could make it difficult for the World Cup favorites to finish.
Player to watch: Michael Olise, France – By enlisting a group of assistants in the victory over Sweden, Olise highlighted his importance to France as their main architect. He may be better as a number 10 than a right winger.
