France Advances to World Cup Quarterfinals with Narrow Win Over Paraguay

France secured a hard-fought victory against Paraguay, winning 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, in a match held today at Philadelphia Stadium.

They will face Morocco in the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9.

The first half saw France dominate possession, but Paraguay maintained a disciplined defensive structure.

There were few clear chances in the first half, as the French players struggled to threaten Paraguay's goal, with attempts lacking real danger.

In the second half, France came out strong in search of the opening goal, nearly succeeding with a long ball from Mike Maignan to Kylian Mbappé, but the Paraguayan defense cleared it at the last moment.

A penalty was awarded to France after a VAR review for a foul on substitute Doi, which Kylian Mbappé converted successfully, scoring the only goal of the match. Mbappé also had a powerful shot saved by the goalkeeper in the 88th minute.

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Paraguay's goalkeeper continued to shine, saving a strong shot from Mbappé and then blocking a second attempt, sealing France's victory and their progression to the quarterfinals.