Australia second after goalless draw: into the round of 32

In the final Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay and Australia drew 0-0 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. With this result, Australia, holding on to their head-to-head advantage, finished second in the group to advance to the round of 32. Paraguay, reaching 4 points, finished the group in third and are waiting to see whether they advance among the eight best third-placed teams, depending on results in the other groups.

Australia's dominance marked the overall match. Tony Popovic's side held an edge over their opponents in possession (56%), expected goals (0.54-0.33) and total shots (12-7). But Australia could not turn this superiority into a goal; neither side produced a "big chance" all match. Paraguay, who wanted to seal qualification with a win, could not be effective enough in attack, partly due to the suspension of star player Miguel Almiron.

There were moments of rising tension in the match too. Australia's Jackson Irvine was booked in the 46th minute for a trip. For Paraguay, Damian Gomez was suspended after a yellow card in the 77th minute and will miss the round-of-32 match if his team advances. Both coaches made numerous second-half changes to try to break the deadlock; but in a battle where the defences held sway, the net was never made to bulge.

In the end, Australia took a crucial step towards progressing to the World Cup last 16 (should they get through the round of 32) for a second consecutive time, securing a place out of the group in second. Paraguay, heavily beaten by the USA in the first match but edging Türkiye 1-0 despite going down to 10 men, took a point in the final game to lift their tally to 4. The match, refereed by Clement Turpin, was watched by 68,827 fans. Paraguay's future in the tournament will become clear based on the results of the other group matches to be completed over the coming days.

Image: Opta Analyst