Gustavo Alfaro believes Paraguay has only a slight advantage in adapting to hot weather.

Paraguay will face France in the Round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Stadium in the 2026 World Cup. Gustavo Alfaro stated that while his team has adapted to the hot weather, he believes it will only provide a slight advantage.

In the Round of 36 of the World Cup, Paraguay drew with Germany in regular time thanks to a goal from Enciso, and eventually defeated Germany 4-3 in a penalty shootout to advance to the Round of 16.

France, coached by Deschamps, secured a 3-0 victory over Sweden thanks to a brace from Mbappe and a goal from Barcola, maintaining high morale throughout the match.

When discussing the challenges of training and playing in the high temperatures of the United States, Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said, "We are indeed used to hot weather, but it is still very uncomfortable. In Paraguay, when would we play a knockout match at 5 pm? Never. Maybe once, and we lost that game. So no team would choose to play at that time."

"Even if you have some physical memory of high altitude or high temperature, the feeling is completely different when you are actually in it. High temperature will affect both teams, and the same goes for high altitude. But the teams that have made sufficient preparations in similar environments beforehand will always have a slight advantage."

Regarding the squad's form, Gustavo Alfaro said, "Omar Aldret recovered well yesterday, but hasn't participated in training yet. He completed a very intense physical training session, and his recovery is satisfactory, but we will continue to monitor his response based on his training progress."

In addition, Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso said, "We put in a lot of effort and made many sacrifices, both professionally and personally, to get Paraguay back into the World Cup. Regardless of the result of the previous match against Germany, we did not feel like a failure because we did our best to achieve that result, and in the end, we did it."

"Our mindset is exactly the same when facing France. We know our capabilities, and the only promise we can make to the Paraguayan people is to give it our all. We hope God will protect us and help us achieve the results we desire."

Image source: Internet