FIFA World Cup 2026: Turkey vs Paraguay Match Preview, Team News, Prediction

Turkey and Paraguay will both be desperate to bounce back from opening-match defeats when they meet in a crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D encounter in San Francisco on Friday.

Both nations suffered disappointing losses on matchday one, leaving little room for error as they battle to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

Match Preview

Turkey arrived at the World Cup carrying the tag of potential dark horses after an impressive run of form leading into the tournament.

Vincenzo Montella's side had won seven and drawn one of their previous eight matches, recovering strongly from a heavy UEFA qualifying defeat to Spain last year. Their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 further increased expectations ahead of the competition.

However, their World Cup campaign got off to a frustrating start with a 2-0 defeat against Australia.

The Crescent-Stars dominated possession and produced an astonishing 30 shots during the match but failed to find a way past Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach, whose outstanding display proved decisive.

The defeat continued Turkey's disappointing record at major international tournaments. Despite regularly entering competitions with high expectations, they have now lost nine of their last 13 matches on the biggest stage.

With a difficult final group game against the United States still to come, Turkey know that anything less than victory here could leave them facing an early exit.

Paraguay also endured a nightmare opening fixture, suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat against co-hosts USA.

La Albirroja were overwhelmed during the first half and found themselves trailing 3-0 at the interval before showing signs of improvement after the break.

Julio Enciso created Paraguay's lone goal, setting up Mauricio to score and provide a brief spark of hope, but the Americans ultimately cruised to victory.

The result continued Paraguay's struggles in World Cup opening matches, with the South American side now winning just one of their last nine tournament openers.

Despite that setback, Gustavo Alfaro's men have shown plenty of resilience over the last year. Their qualification campaign included famous victories over both Brazil and Argentina, helping them secure a long-awaited return to the World Cup after a 14-year absence.

Paraguay now face a must-win situation as they attempt to avoid an early group-stage elimination.

Recent Form

Turkey Form

• World Cup: L

• All Competitions: D-W-W-W-W-L

Paraguay Form

• World Cup: L

• All Competitions: L-W-W-L-W-L

Team News

Turkey continue to monitor the fitness of star attacker Kenan Yildiz.

The Juventus youngster was only fit enough for a substitute appearance against Australia due to a calf problem and may once again start on the bench.

Arda Guler is expected to play a key creative role alongside Baris Alper Yilmaz and Orkun Kokcu in attack, while captain Hakan Calhanoglu will control proceedings from midfield.

Either Kerem Akturkoglu or Deniz Gul should lead the line, while Ferdi Kadioglu remains a major attacking outlet from left-back after creating five chances in the opening match.

Paraguay have injury concerns of their own.

Gustavo Caballero missed the defeat to the USA because of a muscular issue, while Ramon Sosa remains doubtful with an ankle problem.

Defensively, Omar Alderete and captain Gustavo Gomez are expected to keep their places in central defence, although Alexandro Maidana could come into the side at left-back.

Further forward, Julio Enciso, Miguel Almiron and Diego Gomez should support striker Tonny Sanabria, who finished as Paraguay's leading scorer during World Cup qualifying.

Predicted Lineups

Turkey

Gunok; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Calhanoglu, Kokcu; Guler, Yilmaz, Akturkoglu; Gul

Paraguay

Fernandez; Espinoza, Gomez, Alderete, Maidana; Cubas, Villasanti; Almiron, Enciso, Gomez; Sanabria

Prediction

Turkey's defeat against Australia was frustrating, but their overall performance suggested they were unfortunate not to score. Creating 30 shots against a disciplined opponent demonstrates the attacking quality available to Montella's side.

Paraguay struggled badly against the USA and may find it difficult to contain Turkey's creative midfield players if they allow similar defensive gaps.

Expect a close contest, but Turkey's superior attacking options could prove decisive.

Prediction: Turkey 2-1 Paraguay