Philadelphia Stadium hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between Paraguay and France, with Les Bleus securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Paraguay, who had stunned Germany in the previous round, proved to be another difficult opponent for Didier Deschamps' side. Although France dominated possession and controlled the tempo throughout the match, Paraguay's disciplined defensive display limited the French attack to very few clear-cut chances. The South Americans frustrated the favorites for much of the first half, which ended goalless.
France finally found the breakthrough in the 70th minute. After a VAR review confirmed that a Paraguayan defender had fouled Désiré Doué inside the penalty area, Kylian Mbappé calmly converted the resulting penalty to score the decisive goal.
The closing stages were physical and fiercely contested, but France managed the game professionally, protecting their slender advantage to seal a narrow victory and advance to the last eight.
France will face Morocco in the quarter-finals on 9th July at Boston Stadium.
