AAP Soccer

'There is no tomorrow' for desperate Paraguay

Jun 25, 2026

Celebrating Paraguay players. — Paraguay will throw everything at Australia in California, even if only a draw's enough to progress. -AP

Tony Popovic has experienced a magical moment against Paraguay as a player and now wants to feel that as Socceroos coach.

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But he will have to best a team playing like there is no tomorrow to do that.

With a win or draw against Paraguay at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Thursday (Friday AEST), Australia will finish second in Group D, locking in a trip to Dallas to face the Group G runners-up.

A defeat would mean a nervous wait, but probably still progression as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

Popovic played his final game for the Socceroos against Paraguay in 2006, and grinned when it was brought up - before taking a moment to let defender Alessandro Circati know he'd scored in that game.

"When I saw that we've got Paraguay, it was a bit personally something a little special," Popovic said.

"I also scored in my last game - I didn't score many ... it was a special way to end my international career.

"And then to think that all these years later that I'd be the head coach and we're up against Paraguay is quite special.

"So that was a great day, and hopefully tomorrow will be a wonderful day for Australia against Paraguay once more."

Paraguay have already exceeded all expectations just by reaching this point, with Popovic praising the "tough" and "resilient" South Americans who qualified through the tricky CONMEBOL confederation.

Then after losing 4-1 to the US, threw themselves into contention for the round of 32 with an extraordinary 1-0 win over Turkey with 10 men.

Coach Gustavo Alfaro referenced "divine justice" and his team's sense of solidarity, humility and generosity when referencing the turnaround.

Alfaro made it clear: Paraguay would love to win and leapfrog Australia, but the most important thing is qualification - which a draw should achieve.

"I tell my players, we need to live this match as if it were the last one we play," Alfaro, speaking through a FIFA translator, said on Wednesday.

"And hopefully, we'll earn the right to play one more game. And we want to do that game-after-game. We need to keep working.

"Tomorrow, we are playing to advance to the next stage. It is a final for us.

"There's no tomorrow for us ... the tomorrow will exist if we win.

"If this was the last game in the World Cup? It is right now the last game. And hopefully we will have the right to play more games, if we win."