Socceroos v Paraguay LIVE updates: Australia through to Round of 32 knockout phase of 2026 World Cup after tight, tense draw with Paraguay
It’s a crucial day for the Socceroos, who play Paraguay at 12pm for their final group stage match. A win or a draw will secure them second place in the group and a potentially easier opponent in the round of 32. Follow all the action.
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Key Posts
Shock results go against Socceroos if they need to rely on a third place finish
Popovic: ‘This is the line-up we believe can set a good foundation’
What kind of challenge do the Socceroos face today?
Bosses should be ‘generous’ to workers watching today’s game: PM
Mass changes for Socceroos as Irankunda named to start
Elanga scores the equaliser for Sweden
Japan strike to take 1-0 lead against Sweden
Fans start to pack into Fed Square
SMH Interactive
ON THE GROUND IN SAN FRANCISCO
Sports reporter
Match Predictor
Australia v Paraguay
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
The Socceroos starting line-up is in – and yep, Tony Popovic has done it again.
In place of the injured Jacob Italiano at right wing-back? Aziz Behich, a left-sided player. In place of the injured Mathew Leckie? Connor Metcalfe. Lucas Herrington is also in for Cameron Burgess at left centre-back, Jackson Irvine for Paul Okon jnr in midfield, and up front, Mohamed Toure and Nishan Velupillay drop out for ... Nestory Irankunda and Cristian Volpato.
So that’s a Volpato-Irankunda-Metcalfe front three, which is the way the Socceroos finished against the USA.
Six changes all up. Tony Popovic has pressed the red button. That’s a very aggressive line-up.
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Six changes to the Starting XI to face Paraguay 
Cristian Volpato makes first #Socceroos start 
Lucas Herrington makes #FIFAWorldCup debut 
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- 25.6.26 - 7:00pm local
v - 26.6.26 - 12:00pm AEST
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Kick-off is imminent. Levi’s Stadium looks absolutely bursting at the seams as the flags are rolled out across the pitch in readiness for the anthems. Souttar is about to lead out his team and he looks dead serious, chewing his gum. Here they come.
SMH Interactive
ON THE GROUND IN SAN FRANCISCO
Deputy editor
Santa Clara: The importance for the Socceroos to get a result in their final group stage match against Paraguay has increased, with results in other recent matches going against Australia if they were to rely on a third-placed spot.
Australia will play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Friday (12pm, AEST), knowing exactly what they need to do to make it through to the knockout stages and with their fate in their own hands. Sports analytics company Opta currently rates the Socceroos at an 84 per cent chance of making the round of 32.
Embed | The Sydney Morning Herald
Group D
Rank
Team
MP
W
L
D
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
USA
2
2
0
0
6
1
5
6
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Australia
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1
1
0
2
2
0
3
3
Paraguay
2
1
1
0
2
4
-2
3
4
Turkiye
2
0
2
0
0
3
-3
0
It was as high as 92 per cent before the final group stages began, but some shock results in the other groups - including South Africa beating South Korea, Ecuador toppling Germany, and a draw between Japan and Sweden have shaken up what will be needed to progress as a third-placed finisher.
If the Socceroos lose to Paraguay, their likelihood of progressing will also fluctuate with just about every goal in the other games.
Click here to find out what each potential result would mean for the Socceroos’ chances of progressing to the round of 32.
Socceroos fans in the stands.Getty Images
Getting into the spirit.AP Photo/Eakin Howard
Big game, big hair.AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
It’s all about the Socceroos today, but here’s your reminder that there’s another match on at midday.
That match would be the other final Group D match which is between the United States and Turkiye.
Does it mean anything? Not really. Do we care? Not really, and that’s not just because we’re still salty with the US for beating the Socceroos 2-0 last week. It’s because Turkiye is already knocked out of this World Cup and regardless of the result, the US has topped the group.
Embed | The Sydney Morning Herald
We’ll still have eyes on the match though, just in case there are any red cards or injuries that could impact the US in the round of 32.
A Turkish fan in the crowd in California.Getty Images
This is according to SBS’s David Basheer and Luke Wilkshire, who are telling us that Behich’s inclusion means a wing-back swap for Bos, who will instead play at right wing-back to fill in for Italiano, allowing Behich to slot into his usual left side.
Jordy Bos at Socceroos training this week.Getty Images
“We know the ability of Jordy Bos,” says Wilkshire. “This should be a game where we can see him try and get forward a little bit more cutting in on his left foot.”
I had been having a think about Bos over the past couple of days, and wondering how Popovic and his coaching staff might help to bring him into the game a little bit more. Perhaps this is it?
Aziz Behich (right) arrives at the stadium.Getty Images
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·
Paraguay v Australia is the World Cup’s only group-stage match between a country with no coastline and a country with no land borders.
Paraguay is landlocked in the middle of South America. Australia is surrounded by ocean.
Stay tuned for more cutting-edge, geography-based Show more
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SMH Interactive
One of the big questions on this Socceroos line-up that we might not get an answer to until the match begins is who will be playing at right wing-back.
Looking at the official graphics and team sheets there’s no clear indication of which of Jordan Bos or Aziz Behich it will be. It wouldn’t surprise me if Behich plays on the left and Bos on the right.
I suspect that if Popovic has to have one of his wingbacks on the ‘wrong’ side, he’d probably rather it be Bos, a guy who grew up idolising Arjen Robben, a Dutch winger who very famously played on the right and cut inside on his dominant left foot. He’s even played in that exact role for his previous club, Westerlo, so I could see that working well. He’s not had a great tournament so far, Bos, shut down by both of Australia’s opponents thus far. Maybe this little tweak could set him free.
Paraguay will be without Miguel Almiron as he is serving a one-match ban for a red card received during their 1-0 match over Turkey.
Almiron became the first person to receive a red card for covering his mouth in a confrontational situation with Turkey’s Mert Mulder. If Paraguay progress, Almiron will rejoin the squad in their next match.
Miguel Almiron leaves the field after his historic red card.Getty Images
A commentator was also stripped of his accreditation for going on a tirade after Almiron received the red card.
Jorge Chipi Vera, who works for Paraguay’s ABC-TV and ABC Cardinal, called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the referee “thieves”, accusing them of “killing football” as Paraguay were reduced to 10 men, but he later apologised and said on X late on Monday that his accreditation had been cancelled.
Show more
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has just had his pre-match interview, where he’s spoken about the six changes to his Socceroos side.
“I think just for this game with everything that’s gone on the last couple of matches, you know, obviously it’s a tournament, it’s the biggest game that we need to play to get through, and this is the line-up we believe can set a good foundation,” Popovic said.
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Popovic said he liked what he saw from his team in the second half of their loss to the US, which is why he decided to shake up his starting XI today.
“They showed their quality last week, of course. Cristian got some valuable minutes, he’s trained really well this week, Nestas [Irankunda] looked really strong this week in training, and Connor’s, you know, that guy that we can always rely on, and he looks like he’s freshened up from after last week’s game.”
The sun is shining at Levi’s Stadium as Tony Popovic’s men run (some walk) out onto the pitch to turn over their legs and get their eyes in. Popovic is busy speaking with SBS and we’ll bring you those quotes from the coach very shortly. Sneak peek: he is not going for a draw.
Harry Souttar leads teammates out for the warm-up.Getty Images
Paraguay players warm up.AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
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Combined ShapeCreated with Sketch. 6 Comments
- Tilting at Windmills58 minutes ago
Why is picking the best starting 11 for this match pressing a red button?
- Skidsy1 hour ago
3-1 to Paraguay is my prediction.
Sorry. I think the Socceroos will run around a lot, but in the end, the South Americans will outplay us.
- GrantD1 hour ago
Saving my extended lunch break for the Socceroos match. I love the aggressive line-up. Should make for a very exciting game.
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