List of referees & officials for Paraguay vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match

Paraguay and France set for World Cup knockout meeting after 28 years.

The Paraguay national football team are set to face France in a highly anticipated Round of 16 encounter of the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign at the Philadelphia Stadium, in Pennsylvania, United States.

Paraguay will enter the matchup eyeing a historic deep run in the competition, returning to the tournament after a 16-year absence. The nation had a disappointing start to their campaign, suffering a 4-1 defeat to tournament co-hosts USA.

They made an incredible turnaround, securing a monumental 1-0 win against Turkey despite being restricted to 10 men, before concluding their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Australia to ultimately finish as one of the best third-place teams.

Paraguay secured their spot in the Round of 16 after stunning heavyweights Germany in the Round of 32, securing a dramatic penalty shootout victory after holding them to a 1-1 draw in regular time.

France, returning after finishing as runners-up in the 2022 edition, are aiming to secure the nation’s third World Cup title. They lived up to the hopes placed on them, easily navigating through their group. They started their tournament brilliantly, securing a comfortable 3-1 victory over Senegal.

They carried the momentum created, securing a 3-0 win over Iraq and a 4-1 win over Norway, ultimately finishing as Group I leaders with a perfect record. They continued their dominant display in the Round of 32, effortlessly defeating Sweden 3-0 to comfortably book their spot in the next round.

France plays a fluid, rapid attacking game under manager Didier Deschamps, with their most crucial player being explosive forward and captain Kylian Mbappé, with the side showcasing exceptional creativity and utilizing squad depth throughout the tournament.

Paraguay will rely on their deeply organized, disciplined low defensive block under manager Gustavo Alfaro, needing to stay compact and highly aware, with the side depending on their defence to be completely aware and hold their shape for the entire game.

This will mark the return of the World Cup knockout fixture between the two nations, with both sides famously playing in the 1998 World Cup Round of 16, where France edged out Paraguay to secure a dramatic 1-0 victory, winning by scoring the first-ever Golden Goal in World Cup history.

List of Referees for the Paraguay vs France 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match

• Head Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
• Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko (Uzbekistan)
• Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin (Uzbekistan)
• Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
• Reserve Assistant Referee: Taleb Al Marri (Qatar)
• VAR: Juan Lara (Chile)
• Assistant VAR 1: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
• Assistant VAR 2: Joe Dickerson (United States)

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