Turkiye vs Paraguay | FIFA World Cup 2026- Group Stages | Preview and Predictions

Turkiye and Paraguay meet each other knowing that this is a must-win fixture for both sides if they want to keep up their hopes of qualifying  after suffering damaging defeats in their opening games in Group D, and that anything less than a win here could spell the end for both sides in the tournament.

Here is our Preview and Predictions for the game.

FIFA WC26 | Group D: TUR vs PAR | 09:30 IST, 20 June, 2026

Turkiye entered the World Cup fancying their chances against a seemingly unheralded Australia side. Such was the confidence in their ranks that captain Hakan Calhanoglou went on record saying that they will dominate the Aussies with ease.

What transpired was anything but domination as the Turks slumped to what was a damaging 2–0 defeat to the hands of Australia as they always felt like they were a step behind their opponents right from the outset. They did improve after the break with the introduction of the seemingly dangerous Kenan Yildiz, but all the pressure counted for nought as they went 2-0 down to all but cede the game to their opponents.

Coach Vincenzo Montella will be very disappointed with his side’s performance given that they were outrun by an Australia side that they should have gotten the better off. A huge improvement in performance is needed if they have to stay alive in the competition.

As far as Paraguay are concerned, despite them staying as competitive as they could against hosts USA, they were soundly beaten at the end of the day, with a 4-1 scoreline while not exactly accurate, felt like a just result with the way things panned out in the game.

Paraguay could not deal with the rapidness and the verticality of USA and they were opened up to shreds every time USMNT had the ball, and it felt like every opportunity was a scoring opportunity. There was a good 20-25 minute period in the second half where Paraguay did see a lot of the ball and also scored their goal in that phase, which was a very well-executed goal. But they will need to be more organised and disciplined at the back to stand a chance of making more of their presence at the World Cup.

Both sides know that nothing less than a victory will suffice, and will approach the fixture the same way. We believe that Turkiye will be the favourites and will eventually win this match.

Score Predictions: Turkiye 3-0 Paraguay

Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara.