France-Paraguay is the must-see showdown at the start of July 2026. The World Cup 2026 continues to deliver for the France side. After a group stage expertly navigated from start to finish, Didier Deschamps's men sealed their ticket to the Round of 16 by overpowering Sweden 3-0 on Tuesday, June 30. Next up on the road to a potential third title: Paraguay, a solid South American outfit that caused a shock by eliminating Germany.
Paraguay had a roller-coaster start to the group stage. Defeated in their opener by the United States, the South Americans recovered against Turkey before sealing their progression with a draw against Australia. In the round of 16, they pulled off a shock by knocking out Germany on penalties, a result that saw their side hailed as one of the revelations of this World Cup 2026.
The kickoff of this Round of 16 will be delivered on Saturday, July 4, 2026 at 11:00 p.m. French time. A late start, explained by the time difference with the United States, the host nation for this edition of the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
The clash will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blues are already familiar with this venue, where they defeated Iraq in the group stage in a match remembered for a long stoppage caused by a thunderstorm.
As with all the Blues' matches since the start of the 2026 World Cup, this Round of 16 clash against Paraguay will be shown free-to-air on M6, as well as on beIN Sports, which covers the entire tournament. Both broadcasters will also offer the game in streaming, on M6+ and on beIN Sports Connect.
If they qualify, France would then meet the winner of the Round of 16 clash between Canada and Morocco, in the quarterfinals of this World Cup 2026. That would keep alive the dream of a third World Cup star for Didier Deschamps' men.
To stay on top of the full schedule and the remaining match times, head to the official site of the French Football Federation, which lists all results and the Blues’ upcoming fixtures.
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