Australia face Paraguay at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in the early hours of Friday morning, knowing a draw is enough to confirm second place in Group D.
The head-to-head tiebreaker gives Tony Popovic’s side a clear advantage — they have already beaten Paraguay in their only previous competitive encounter, and the current tournament rules mean a draw sends the Socceroos through automatically.
A point at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium would also mark Australia’s second consecutive World Cup knockout qualification and only the third time in six appearances they have advanced from the group stage.
Australia team news
Popovic is forced into two changes from the side that lost to the USA. Jacob Italiano, who started both of Australia’s previous group matches, has been ruled out with an injury confirmed before this fixture.
Jason Geria is the expected replacement at right wing-back, restoring cover on that flank. Mathew Leckie has also been ruled out after tweaking his hamstring against the Americans, removing another senior option from the wide areas.
Nestory Irankunda is the major selection talking point. The 20-year-old Watford winger scored against Turkey and was then dropped for the USA match — a decision that drew widespread criticism after Irankunda transformed Australia’s attacking play following his second-half introduction. He is expected to start here.
Cristian Volpato comes into the front line in place of Leckie. Aiden O’Neill and Paul Okon-Engstler retain their midfield places despite a difficult outing against the USA. The back three of Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar and Cameron Burgess is unchanged, with Patrick Beach in goal and Jordan Bos at left wing-back.
Australia predicted lineup
Australia possible starting XI (5-3-2): Beach; Geria, Circati, Souttar, Burgess, Bos; O’Neill, Okon-Engstler, Volpato; Touré, Irankunda
When will the match kick off?
The FIFA World Cup group match kicks off at 03:00 BST on Friday, 26 June 2026.
How to watch Paraguay vs Australia?
The match will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK.
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