World Cup 2026: Paraguay vs France Tips, Odds & Prediction

* Odds from Betway, correct at time of writing.

France take on Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in the Round of 16, with kickoff at 23:00 CAT on Saturday night. Les Bleus reached this stage by brushing Sweden aside 3-nil, while Paraguay produced the surprise of the knockouts by dumping out Germany on penalties. The winner books a place in the quarter finals and keeps their World Cup dream alive. For all our World Cup betting tips, head to our dedicated section.

Paraguay

Paraguay have been the story of the knockout rounds and in my opinion Gustavo Alfaro deserves enormous credit for the deep, disciplined block that strangled Germany. Miguel Almiron returned from his group stage suspension to pull the strings and Julio Enciso is one of their main threats in the final third. My concern is fatigue, because that shootout win went the full distance and Enciso looked heavy legged by the end. Against French pace I expect Alfaro to sit deep again and ask his back five to defend for their lives.

Predicted Lineup: Gill; Caceres, Canale, Gomez, Alonso; Enciso, Bobadilla, Cubas, Galarza, Almiron; Avalos.

France

France look imperious to me and there is no reason to think Didier Deschamps’ team will be slowed down in this game. Kylian Mbappe reached one hundred caps during the group stage and already has the Sweden brace behind him, while Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise give them width and invention. There are no fresh injury concerns in the camp, so I expect the same spine that dismantled Sweden. My read on this is that France carry too much quality across every line and should win comfortably.

Predicted Lineup: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Rabiot, Tchouameni; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe.

France have the pace and precision to break down a packed defence, and I expect Mbappe to make the difference once the game opens up. Paraguay will battle hard but the gulf in quality is simply too wide for them to hang with France over ninety minutes. My forecast: Paraguay 0 France 2.

BTTS: No (1.49)

I am backing BTTS: No and my read on this is that Paraguay have shown they will sacrifice everything going forward to stay in the tie. They drew a blank against Australia and have scored only in small doses all tournament, relying on rare moments from Enciso. With France likely to dominate the ball and protect their lead, at 1.49 the value sits with a Paraguay blank.