Paraguay vs Nicaragua prediction 05.06.2026 | Friendly International

Paraguay failed to qualify for the past three World Cups in Brazil, Russia, and Qatar. In these World Cup Qualifiers, they did well and eventually finished 6th, securing their appearance in the tournament. That 6th place doesn't look as impressive as it actually is. They won 28 points and are on level with three other teams in front. The fact that they won the same number of points as Brazil says a lot about their performance in the Qualifiers. After the Qualifiers, they were inconsistent in friendlies but still managed to grab some good wins over Mexico and Greece. 

In one of his recent interviews, coach Gustavo Alfaro spoke to the media. He said he believes that the mentality and team spirit are just as important as tactics. The coach said their strength lies in a collective, rather than individual stars.

Nicaragua are number 131 on the FIFA World Ranking List. The Blue and White have once again failed to qualify for the World Cup, finishing last in Group C alongside Haiti, Honduras, and Costa Rica. After the WC Qualifiers, they lost to Russia and then drew with South Africa. However, they deserved to lose both of those matches, and, generally speaking, they haven't performed well for a long time. Even in the matches they secured positive results, they haven't played well. However, looking at their roster, we cannot really say that it is a surprise. 

After a goalless draw with South Africa a few days ago, coach Juan Cruz Real spoke to the media. He was satisfied with the result, saying it was a great result for his "young experimental team." The coach added that holding South Africa to a draw is more than he expected.