The is the national team of
Paraguay and is controlled by the
Asociación Paraguaya De Fútbol .The Paraguay national football team has reached the second round of the
World Cup on three occasions (in
1986 ,
1998 and
2002 ) but has never advanced beyond that stage. Paraguay's only major tournament victories have come in the
Copa América , in which they triumphed in
1953 and
1979 . They also won a silver medal in the
Football Tournament at the
Athens 2004 Olympic Games , being defeated 1-0 by
Argentina in the final. It was the first Olympic medal Paraguay ever won in ''any sport''.
Paraguay's current squad is more well-known for its defensive skill than its ability to score goals, with players such as
Denis Caniza and captain
Carlos Gamarra being amongst its most prominent members. However, the future of this strategy looks questionable due to the recent international retirement of defenders
Francisco Arce and
Celso Ayala , and that of world-famous goalkeeper
José Luis Chilavert . Several key players are now in the latter stages of their career, so Paraguay will be looking to harness talent amongst the younger generation if they are to maintain the increase in status they have achieved over the past decade. There is optimism that this can occur, as Paraguay's under-19 side won the
Milk Cup in both 2002 and 2003.
Paraguay participated in the first World Cup in
1930 and also appeared in the
1950 tournament. Throughout their history they have proven to be a competitive force in South American football as two
Copa América wins attest.
Paraguay surprisingly qualified ahead of Uruguay (beating them 5-0 in the decisive game) for the
1958 World Cup with a team that contained a formidable attacking lineup with stars such as Juan Aguero, Jose Parodi, Juan Romero,
Cayetano Ré and Florencio Amarilla. In their first game in Sweden, Paraguay were 3-2 up against
France in a game they lost 7-3. A 3-2 win over
Scotland and a 3-3 draw with
Yugoslavia saw Paraguay finish third in their group.
The departure of several of their stars for European football (mainly Spain) resulted in a weakening of Paraguay's football fortunes somewhat, but they were only edged out by
Mexico in the
1962 qualifiers. Paraguay fell short in subsequent World Cup qualifying campaigns, but
Copa América success (and that of one of its premier clubs
Olimpia in the
Copa Libertadores ) sured up Paraguay as a solid player on the continent.
Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in
1986 with a team starring midfield playmaker
Romerito . They reached the second round where they were beaten 3-0 by England. Since then Paraguay have qualified for three successive World Cups and established a reputation as a defensively obdurate team.
