📢 Can Paraguay and Brazil shift the balance of power in the 16th round of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers? The match will take place at the Neo Química Arena in São Paulo. Currently, Brazil are in fourth place, while Paraguay hold the third spot in the standings. Both teams have had contrasting campaigns, but this head-to-head clash could significantly impact the race for direct qualification. We are in for a crucial showdown at one of the country's premier stadiums.

Head-to-Head

📊 Brazil and Paraguay have faced off in 8 official matches recently. The Brazilians have claimed 6 victories, while Paraguay has managed to secure just 1 win, with one match ending in a draw. Despite being the underdogs, Paraguay pulled off a surprise in the first round of qualification, clinching a narrow 1-0 victory on home turf, leaving Brazil without any points.

Brazil Team Overview

🟡 The Brazil national team has historically been one of the world's most powerful and star-studded squads, yet in recent years, their results have been less than impressive. The Seleção haven't lifted the World Cup since 2002, and their last Copa América triumph was back in 2019. The current qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup isn't going smoothly either: they have only 22 points after 15 matches, sitting in fourth place in the standings. Carlo Ancelotti's debut as head coach hasn't been successful so far, as the team failed to defeat Ecuador, resulting in a 0-0 draw.

Paraguay Team Overview

🔴 Paraguay's national team isn't typically considered a powerhouse, even by South American standards. They haven't enjoyed significant success in quite some time and are often viewed as a mid-tier side. Thus, their current performance in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup comes as a surprise: they remain unbeaten in nine matches and sit third in the qualification standings. On June 6th in Asunción, Paraguay secured an impressive 2-0 victory over Uruguay, earning three crucial points thanks to goals from Matías Galarza and Julio Enciso. This win bolstered their chances of securing a direct spot in the World Cup finals.

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Brazil

✅ Brazil's national team struggled offensively in their match against Ecuador, with an xG of just 0.41, highlighting a lack of sharpness and creativity up front. Although no players were sidelined due to injuries, such an underwhelming performance might prompt Carlo Ancelotti to make changes to the lineup. It's quite possible that Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha will feature from the start to inject some freshness and dynamism into the attack.

Paraguay

✅ The Paraguay national team also reports no injuries ahead of the upcoming match—all players called up for the squad are fit and ready. Considering their commanding 2-0 victory over Uruguay and the fact that the first substitutions were made only after the 70th minute, it's quite likely that the coaching staff will stick with the same starting lineup—the same 11 players might take the field from the first whistle once again.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Despite their star-studded attacking lineup, Brazil have shown a rather restrained scoring record: in 13 of their last 14 qualification matches, they have scored no more than two goals. The sole exception was a 4-0 win against Peru, one of the weaker teams in the qualifying campaign. Paraguay, on the other hand, deserve high praise for their defense, conceding only 9 goals after 15 rounds — one of the best records in South American qualifiers. Considering these trends, we predict Brazil's total goals to be under 2.5.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Brazil are likely to dominate possession and control the game, but this doesn't necessarily mean they will earn many corners. In recent South American qualifiers, the Brazilians have rarely approached the corner flag: just 3 corners against Ecuador, 4 against Colombia, and none against Argentina. This reflects their playing style, which focuses on control and positional attacks rather than crosses and wing play. Therefore, we predict Brazil's total corners to be under 6.5.