Paraguay on Tuesday morning released the 55 players who will make up its preliminary roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Unsurprisingly, Miguél Almirón and Matías Galarza were among the group selected.
Both players being on the list isn’t a surprise. Almirón’s injury has kept him off the pitch for Atlanta United, but he’ll surely be healthy in time for the tournament. Galarza, after spells either on the bench or not in the team at all, emerged as an instrumental player for La Albirroja during their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying phase.
Though Paraguay, which is in Group D, open the tournament against the United States, it will have a send-off match a week prior in Ascunción against Nicaragua. The team will then head to their base camp in San Jose, California, before meeting the USMNT in Inglewood on June 12 at SoFi Stadium. Paraguay’s other two group stage matches, Türkiye on June 19 and Australia on June 25, will be at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Along with Almirón and Galarza, another MLS player, the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andres Cubas, is on the preliminary roster. Red Bull New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, now at Sao Paulo in Brazil’s first division, and ex-Inter Miami man Diego Gómez, currently in the Premier League with Brighton, are among ex-MLS players on the roster.
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I’m still rooting for Miles Robinson to make the USMNT. Felt bad for him when he got hurt right before the last WC; he was gonna start for that team.
Robinson vs Almiron is going to be a fun matchup