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Paraguay's national football team recorded a convincing victory in their warm-up match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

As the 2026 World Cup draws near, several participating teams—including Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Haiti—played friendly matches against sides that failed to qualify for the tournament.

In their preparatory match, Paraguay faced Nicaragua on Saturday morning (June 6, 2026, local time). Playing at their home ground, Estadio Defensores del Chaco, La Albirroja secured an emphatic 4-0 win.

Paraguay’s goals came from Alejandro “Kaku” via a penalty in the 17th minute, followed by strikes from Miguel Almirón (42’), Matías Galarza (62’), and Alexandro Maidana (67’).

However, the victory came at a cost as one of Paraguay’s key players, Julio Enciso, picked up an injury. The Strasbourg midfielder was forced off in the first half and is now a doubt for the 2026 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia also enjoyed success, defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 at the Q2 Stadium in Texas, United States. Giorgos Donis’s men found the net through Sultan Mandash (45+1’), Abdullah Al Hamdan (50’), and Salem Al Dawsari (88’).

The match was not without challenges as severe weather conditions caused a two-hour delay, forcing players from both teams to seek shelter until it was safe to resume play.

Meanwhile, Canada’s national team could not maintain their winning form. After defeating Uzbekistan on Tuesday (June 2, 2026), Les Rouges were held to a 1-1 draw by Ireland on Saturday (June 6, 2026).

In front of their home fans, Canada initially took the lead through an own goal by Jake O’Brien in the 23rd minute, but Ireland equalized in the 60th minute through Chiedozie Ogbene.

Haiti also endured a disappointing outing, suffering a 1-2 defeat to Peru at Nu Stadium, Miami, United States. Wilson Isidor opened the scoring for Haiti in the 16th minute, but Peru turned the tide with goals from Renzo Garcés (81’) and Jairo Vélez (84’).

The loss was a setback for Haiti, who had previously thrashed New Zealand 4-0 in their earlier friendly.

Complete results of the 2026 World Cup participants’ friendly matches on Saturday (June 6, 2026):

Paraguay 4-0 Nicaragua (Kaku 17’-pen, Miguel Almirón 42’, Matías Galarza 62’, Alexandro Maidana 67’)

Puerto Rico 0-3 Saudi Arabia (Sultan Mandash 45+1’, Abdullah Al Hamdan 50’, Salem Al Dawsari 88’)

Canada 1-1 Ireland (Jake O’Brien 23’-og; Chiedozie Ogbene 60’)

Haiti 1-2 Peru (Wilson Isidor 16’; Renzo Garcés 81’, Jairo Vélez 84’)