FULL TIME! VICTORY FOR FRANCE! Kylian Mbappe's goal from a penalty, which was awarded to France after a VAR intervention, ends up being the decisive moment of the match. Paraguay defended brilliantly all game, but they lacked attacking prowess. Their World Cup campaign ends here, another upset is not meant to be.

FT | FRA 1-0 PAR

Paraguay loft the ball into the France box, they try to chase it down as the ball bounces awkwardly, but Lucas Digne heads it back to Mike Maignan. So composed from the France left-back. 

Moments later, France come on the attack. Desire Doue runs down the left, passes it to Mbappe, whose first shot is saved. Mbappe shoots the rebound too, but Orlando Gill saves again!

90 7' FRA 1-0 PAR

10 minutes added on! Paraguay still have some time to pull off a miracle and get an equalizer. They created a couple of chances in the last few minutes of regulation time, even took a shot at Mike Maignan's goal, but nothing that would bother France.

90 1' FRA 1-0 PAR

France are now getting more space in Paraguay's half. Mbappe drives forward, cuts in from the left and takes a shot at goal, but Orlando Gill saves. Less than two minutes to go in regulation time.

89' FRA 1-0 PAR

Just five minutes remain in regulation time. Paraguay running out of time to find an equalizer. The worrying thing for them is that France are still enjoying more of the ball. Rayan Cherki has come on for Ousmane Dembele.

85' FRA 1-0 PAR

Kylian Mbappe is now level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race for FIFA World Cup 2026. Both players have seven goals in the ongoing edition. Mbappe is now on 19 World Cup goals all-time, one behind Messi. 

GOOOOAAAALLL! Kylian Mbappe scores from the penalty spot! The France captain steps up and coolly slots it into the bottom-right corner, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill goes the other way. Finally, France have broken the deadlock.

70' FRA 1-0 PAR

Desire Doue goes to ground in the Paraguay box after a duel with Paraguay's Diego Gomez. Loud appeals from France, but the referee turns it down. Paraguay try to hit France on the counter-attack, but fail to make it count.

Oh, but now the referee is going up to have a VAR check. And it's a PENALTY! Huge chance for France to take the lead!

68' FRA 0-0 PAR

France make their first substitution. It's a change on the left wing: Bradley Barcola is replaced by his PSG teammate Desire Doue. Paraguay forward Julio Enciso has also been taken off after reporting some discomfort.

61' FRA 0-0 PAR

Paraguay's star defender Omar Alderete, who plays for Sunderland in the Premier League, has to be substituted before the 60th-minute mark. Alderete started the match despite concerns over his fitness. Jose Canale, who scored the winning penalty against Germany, comes on.

58' FRA 0-0 PAR

What a save! The tempo of the match has ramped up suddenly, and Bradley Barcola strikes a powerful shot at goal, only to be denied by a terrific save from Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill! 

54' FRA 0-0 PAR

Huge chances goes begging for France! A lovely long ball from France's half sends Mbappe through on goal, with the Paraguayan defence caught off-guard for one moment. But Mbappe fails to get the ball under control properly, possibly handballing it, before Paraguay's defence recovered and cleared it away.

51' FRA 0-0 PAR

We are back! The second half is underway at the Philadelphia Stadium. France will be desperate for the opening goal, but can Paraguay hold on? 

46' FRA 0-0 PAR

France captain Kylian Mbappe was involved in a bit of a fight with some Paraguayan players in the first half. Mbappe was fouled in the 34th minute, and he was clearly unhappy with the challenge. That led to a reaction from the France captain, and he appeared to have pushed and been pushed by some Paraguay players. A number of players from both sides got involved, but the brawl ended soon enough, and no one was booked. 

HALF TIME! Paraguay have replicated their defensive heroics from the upset against Germany. France have been left frustrated, with Kylian Mbappe and co. struggling to break down the opposition. 0-0 at half-time, and Paraguay can be very pleased.

HT | FRA 0-0 PAR

Three minutes added on at the end of the first half. Paraguay have managed to enter the France half more often in the latter stages of the first half, but very few players are going forward. All the Paraguay counter-attacks are breaking down because no more than one or two players are going in the attack. Paraguay totally committed to the defensive discipline. 

45 1' FRA 0-0 PAR

We have just a couple of minutes left in the first half, plus added time. France still struggling to break down this resolute Paraguay backline. Be it Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele or Michael Olise, France's attackers have all been kept quiet so far.

43' FRA 0-0 PAR

Kylian Mbappe is fouled on the edge of the box by Paraguay. Michael Olise delivers the cross towards the far post, it is shuffled across goal but Ousmane Dembele is unable to shoot as Paraguay clear early. Jules Kounde takes a shot from the resulting corner, but it's straight at Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

36' FRA 0-0 PAR

Chance for France! Rabiot evades the Paraguayan midfield press, gets into some space and launches a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box. But it goes over the bar! Nonetheless, that is France's best opportunity of the game.

33' FRA 0-0 PAR

Nice combination play between Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele on the France right wing, and then Dembele fires in a low cross into the box. The cross ended up taking a deflection of a Paraguayan defender, and went beyond Mbappe in the box. 

29' FRA 0-0 PAR

France finally register their first shot of the match, and it has taken more than 20 minutes. Midfielder Manu Kone shoots with his left foot from outside the box, but it takes a big deflection and goes well wide of Paraguay's goal. Time for the first hydration break; job well done by Paraguay.

23' FRA 0-0 PAR

Paraguay's tactic is clear: defend deep in the 5-4-1 formation, and then look to hit France on the counter-attack whenever possible. Paraguay's solid defensive structure has forced France to adopt a more patient approach. Michael Olise has entered the box a couple of times, but no major chances yet. As I write that, Manu Kone looks to find Kylian Mbappe with an over-the-top long pass, but it's just beyond the France captain.

Paraguay's defensive tactic might force France to attack more with aerial balls and crosses.

17' FRA 0-0 PAR

France are being incredibly patient in their build-up, as they try to break down Paraguay's 5-4-1 structure. They've enjoyed more than 90% possession in the first 10 minutes of the match, but no huge chance created just yet. 

10' FRA 0-0 PAR

WE ARE LIVE! The Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay has kicked off in Philadelphia. France in all blue, Paraguay in their classic red and white stripes. France are attacking from right to left in the first half. Here we go!

1' FRA 0-0 PAR

The national anthems of Paraguay and France are being sung at the Philadelphia Stadium. First Paraguay and then France. Kick off shortly!

The players have lined up in the tunnel, and are about to enter the Philadelphia Stadium, amid scorching weather conditions. Kylian Mbappe captains France's brilliant side, Gustavo Gomez leads Paraguay's resolute group. Who will win? The match is set to begin in a few minutes.

Paraguay delivered one of the most shocking results of FIFA World Cup 2026 in the Round of 32 stage, as they dumped out four-time winners Germany, winning on penalties. Despite France's attacking talents, Paraguay's five-man defence and goalkeeper Orlando Gill will be tough customers to break down.

With temperatures set to rise over 40 degrees Celsius, the France-Paraguay clash in Philadelphia is reportedly set to be the hottest game in FIFA World Cup history. A viral image ahead of the game shows that the temperature measured on the stadium seats is nearly 70 degrees Celsius!

: The temperature of the seats in the stadium where France will face Paraguay is 70 degrees Celsius.

- @SaberDesfa pic.twitter.com/8k84VIzc76

— The Touchline | (@TouchlineX) July 4, 2026

We are around half an hour away from kick off at Philadelphia Stadium. France face Paraguay in a highly-anticipated Round of 16 clash at FIFA World Cup 2026. France enter as favourites, but Paraguay pulled off one of the upsets of the tournament in the previous round as they beat four-time champions Germany. We will be bringing you all the live updates right here on NDTV Sports. Stay tuned!

France sensation Michael Olise has a chance to make history today. Olise has five assists so far in the tournament. If he registers two more assists today, he will become the player with the most assists in a single edition of a FIFA World Cup, overtaking none other than Brazilian icon Pele, who holds the record with six assists.

The winner of the France-Paraguay match will take on Morocco in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Morocco defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0 earlier today, led by two goals from midfielder Azzedine Ounahi.

According to reports, France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni suffered a minor injury in the lead-up to their Round of 16 match against Paraguay. He is reportedly going to be out for four days, during which he will be under medical supervision. 

Kylian Mbappe is chasing Lionel Messi in not just the Golden Boot race for FIFA World Cup 2026, but also in the all-time World Cup goals tally. Mbappe needs two goals to surpass Messi in the Golden Boot charts, and three to cross him in the all-time list. 

Paraguay XI vs France: Here's the Paraguay starting XI to take on France. Paraguay will be defensively well set up once again, with a five-man backline. Centre-back Omar Alderete, who plays for Sunderland in the Premier League, is back in the team after suspension. He will partner captain Gustavo Gomez in defence. The creative responsibilities lie on Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso.

Ellos saldran a defender estos colores desde el arranque!


#FIFAWorldCup - Octavos de Final
18:00 h
Philadelphia Stadium
@SomosGEN | @trecepy | @Unicanal | @somospopupy#VamosParaguay pic.twitter.com/xXhc83xgIZ

— Seleccion Paraguaya (@Albirroja) July 4, 2026

France XI vs Paraguay: Here's the France starting XI to take on Paraguay. The biggest change comes in midfield, where Real Madrid defensive-midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has been dropped for Roma's Manu Kone. Bradley Barcola starts over Desire Doue on the left wing. Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise all start.

Tous derriere vous les gars

Coup d'envoi de notre 8e de finale 23h sur M6 et beIN SPORTS 1 #PARFRA | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/DWpYVvAe9M

— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) July 4, 2026

The Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay in Philadelphia is set to be played in excess heat, with temperatures expected to cross 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). To make matters worse, there is also the threat of thunderstorms. However, as it stands, the match will not be postponed, and it will begin as per schedule.

Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports for the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay. We are at the Philadelphia Stadium today, but there are concerns over the weather at the venue. Stay tuned for all the live updates from the match.