{"id":35897,"date":"2026-06-10T16:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/paraguay-fans-in-the-us-celebrate-teams-world-cup-return\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T16:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:08:41","slug":"paraguay-fans-in-the-us-celebrate-teams-world-cup-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/paraguay-fans-in-the-us-celebrate-teams-world-cup-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Paraguay fans in the US celebrate team’s World Cup return"},"content":{"rendered":"
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time First World Cup match in America<\/span> Once kickoff begins, most of the attention will be on the host nation’s home team. But for a small community of Paraguayans living in the United States, this is a moment in the spotlight for their beloved team, which returns to the tournament for the first time in 16 years.<\/p>\n
Paraguayan fans across the United States are planning barbecues and gatherings to watch their team’s group stage games. lots of I was hesitant about the price<\/span> Seats are selling for more than $1,000 each for Friday’s game against the United States, and some people have already purchased tickets for later games.<\/p>\n
Santiago Araujo, 32, is one of them. His family owns one of the few Paraguayan restaurants in the United States in the seaside town of Pacific Grove, California. He and his brother got tickets to watch the team play Australia in Santa Clara, California, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) away.<\/p>\n
“All the Paraguayan people I know want to go,” said Araujo, who moved to California with his family when he was 11. “Paraguay doesn’t have a season for other sports. I used to sleep with a soccer ball as a toy.”<\/p>\n
Long awaited small but dedicated Paraguayan community<\/h2>\n
There are approximately 37,000 Paraguayans living in the United States, according to census estimates, and they are eager for the team’s long-awaited return. FIFA’s prestigious tournament.<\/span> This is a first for Paraguay. qualified for the World Cup<\/span> It was his best performance since 2010, when he reached the quarterfinals. The team, currently ranked 40th in the world by FIFA, will be playing in their ninth World Cup.<\/p>\n
America and Paraguay join in group D<\/span> The match between T\u00fcrkiye and Australia will see Paraguay play in Santa Clara on June 19th and June 25th respectively.<\/p>\n
Midfielder, one of Paraguay’s veteran players Miguel Almiron<\/span>He plays for Atlanta United in MLS. The 32-year-old remembers watching the 2010 World Cup as a child, hoping that one day he would get the chance to play on soccer’s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
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Miguel Almiron of Paraguay scores his team’s second goal against Nicaragua during an international friendly soccer match on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Miguel Almiron of Paraguay scores his team’s second goal against Nicaragua during an international friendly soccer match on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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“That moment will be great, not only for me, but also for my family and all the Paraguayan fans, and for those who have been with me through all the difficult moments,” Almiron said recently ahead of his first match. “There’s going to be a lot of emotion in that moment. We approach this job responsibly because we know that so many people are counting on us.”<\/p>\n
How US and Paraguayan fans are celebrating<\/h2>\n
Paraguay is one of the least populated countries in South America, with a population of approximately 7 million people. It is a landlocked country surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil, with vast savannahs, lush landscapes, Indigenous Guarani culture.<\/span> In the United States, more concentrated Paraguayan communities can be found in New York and the wealthy town of Bernardsville, New Jersey, which Paraguayan President Santiago Pe\u00f1a visited in 2024.<\/p>\n
To support their team, Paraguayan fans wear red and white jerseys and tubular bowler hats. In Northern California, Caf\u00e9 Guarani, run by Araujo’s family, holds celebrations between games that bring Paraguayan fans together and serve traditional dishes such as manioc empanadas and chilled yerba mate. In Queens, New York, they gather at the I Love Paraguay restaurant to watch the game.<\/p>\n
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Paraguayan fans cheer before an international friendly soccer match against Nicaragua on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Paraguayan fans cheer before an international friendly soccer match against Nicaragua on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ana Di Sessa from New Jersey said she would like to attend the game in California, but traveling would be too difficult.<\/p>\n
“It’s not just the ticket costs; you also have to pay for hotels and flights,” she says. \u201cA lot of people won\u2019t be able to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zoraida Pereira, a travel agent in Bernardsville, said she sells packages to fans heading to Santa Clara, but not for the opening game because of ticket prices. The 43-year-old, who was born in Paraguay and has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, said it was difficult to choose between the two countries on the pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time I will be rooting for Paraguay,\u201d she said. “They’ve been out for a long time.”<\/p>\n
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The Paraguayan team poses for a group photo before an international friendly soccer match against Nicaragua on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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The Paraguayan team poses for a group photo before an international friendly soccer match against Nicaragua on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP Photo\/Jorge Saenz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The frenzy is also underway more than 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) away in Paraguay, where the documentary El Renacer Alvirojo, depicting La Alviroja’s multi-year journey to return to the World Cup, has been released. The team was sent off to the United States with fireworks fanfare, and some local residents in the United States said they had friends and family flown in from Paraguay to watch the game.<\/p>\n
Rodrigo Valdez, a computer engineer from San Diego, plans to travel more than 450 miles (724 kilometers) to Santa Clara to watch his team play. The 34-year-old, born in the United States, spent his childhood in Paraguay and is enjoying the attention his team receives.<\/p>\n
He plans to watch Friday’s game in San Diego with family and friends. Despite having a four-month-old baby, his wife encouraged him to buy tickets to the Australia game as his first Father’s Day present.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving in California was a unique opportunity for us,\u201d Valdez said. \u201cIt would mean a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Associated Press sports writer Maura Carey in Atlanta contributed reporting.<\/p>\n
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AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n