Turkey and Paraguay will each be looking to bounce back from chastening defeats in their Group D openers when they meet on Friday.
Quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, Turkey were given the ‘dark horse’ tag by many for their first World Cup finals appearance since reaching the last four in 2002.
Yet expectations around Vincenzo Montella’s team will have dipped following their stunning 2-0 loss to Australia.
Turkey rained 28 shots down on the Australia goal for no reward in a game in which they had 63 percent of possession.
They will expect better fortune against Paraguay if they can dominate to such an extent at the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
Paraguay were battered by co-hosts United States in their opening game in Los Angeles, suffering a 4-1 defeat in their first appearance on this stage since they reached the quarter-finals in 2010.
That result belied the kind of form Paraguay displayed in reaching the tournament, as they beat Argentina and Brazil in coming through the CONMEBOL qualification process.
But Paraguay star Julio Enciso sent a defiant message in the wake of that defeat, making it clear Turkey will not face a team that is prepared to roll over.
“It’s time to keep working,” he told reporters. “I think that we Paraguayans are characterised by getting up, continuing to get up, never giving up and that’s what we are going to do to give joy to all our people.”
World Cup 2026: Turkey v Paraguay team news
There remain doubts over the availability of Kenan Yildiz after he missed the opening defeat to Australia.
Gustavo Caballero (muscle) and Ramon Sosa (ankle) are set to miss out for Paraguay.
Turkey v Paraguay World Cup 2026 predicted line-ups
Turkey: Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Calhanoglu, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yilmaz; Akturkoglu
Paraguay: Gill; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Maidana; Bobadilla, Cubas; D. Gomez, Enciso, Almiron; Sanabria
Where to watch Turkey v Paraguay: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Saturday is at 04:00 BST (23:00 ET on Friday / 20:00 PT on Friday). In the UK, live coverage is on ITV1.
Fans can stream the action via ITV’s website and ITVX app, which is available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the go.
World Cup 2026: Turkey v Paraguay stats
- This is the first World Cup meeting between these teams, who previously shared a 0-0 draw in Chile in June 1995
- Turkiye have lost nine of their last 13 matches at major tournaments (W4), though they’ve never lost consecutive games at a single World Cup
- They last lost consecutive games in March 2024 – in friendlies against Hungary and Austria – and were last beaten in more than one competitive game in a row in June 2021, losing all three group games at EURO 2020
- The Crescent-Stars’ defeat on matchday one ended their eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W7 D1) and was their first defeat since losing 6-0 at home to Spain in September 2025
- Vincenzo Montella is the second head coach to manage Turkiye at both the EURO finals and this tournament, after Senol Gunes, who guided them to third at the World Cup 2002
- Paraguay have won two of their last 14 World Cup matches against European opposition (D5 L7), although both were on their travels: 3-1 against Slovenia in 2002 and 2-0 against Slovakia in 2010
- They could lose their first two matches at a World Cup tournament for the second time, previously doing so in 2006 when they lost to England and Sweden and were eliminated from the group stage
- Against the USA, Paraguay conceded as many first-half goals as they did across their 16 preceding World Cup matches
- Los Guaranies didn’t concede more than twice in any of their 18 qualifying matches
- Julio Enciso and Mauricio could become the first player to score or assist in both of their first two World Cup appearances for Paraguay since Romerito in 1986 (2 goals)
World Cup 2026: Turkey v Paraguay prediction
Turkey will be the favourites but, with both sides desperate to avoid defeat, there’s a strong chance they will cancel each other out.
Prediction: Turkey 1-1 Paraguay
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