Turkey v Paraguay: 2026 World Cup Prediction

Both Turkey and Paraguay had hoped to get off to a slightly different start in the 2026 World Cup. In a major upset, Turkey lost 0–2 to Australia, whilst Paraguay were no match for the United States. With the score at 1–4, there was unfortunately nothing left for the South Americans to play for. This means that both countries must win to remain in contention for a place in the knockout stages. We’ll tell you more about this match and give you our Turkey v Paraguay prediction.

Betting at Oranje Palace

What could be better than a World Cup? For us, nothing really – especially now that the Netherlands are among the 48 nations competing for the world title. Every match featuring the Oranje at the 2026 World Cup adds extra excitement and offers plenty of opportunities to bet at attractive odds.

New to Oranje Palace? Create an account and choose to bet on odds of 50.00 if the Netherlands win. The great thing is that this offer isn’t limited to just one match: you’ll have another chance to take advantage of it for every group stage match the Dutch national team plays. And if the Netherlands go far, there could be even more exciting moments in store during the knockout stages.

Turkey v Paraguay preview

It goes without saying that both teams will be keen to put in a better performance than they did just under a week ago. The question is: will both managers manage to keep morale high and secure their first win of the 2026 World Cup?

Current Form & Team News

Turkey

It has been mentioned several times recently, but it remains striking that this is only Turkey’s third ever appearance at a World Cup. Following a highly successful 2002 World Cup, the start of the current tournament has been far less impressive. Players such as Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yildiz were off form and failed to break down Australia’s defence. Will national team manager Vincenzo Montella completely shake things up? Or will the players get a second chance?

Paraguay

We shouldn’t really expect too much from Paraguay during the 2026 World Cup. For example, the South Americans’ star player plays for RC Strasbourg in France. That says enough about Paraguay’s quality, something that was clearly evident in the match against the USA. As for the supporters, we’re expecting a huge party at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. The question, however, is: will the Turks have the last laugh, or will the Paraguayans grasp at a last-ditch hope?

Head-to-Head

Turkey and Paraguay have never played an official international match against each other in the past. This fixture at the 2026 World Cup is therefore a first.

Expected line-ups

Turkey: (4-3-3)

Cakir, Kadioglu, Bardakci, Demiral, Celik, Çalhanoğlu, Güler, Yuksek, Kokcu, Aktürkoğlu, Yildiz

Paraguay (4-3-3):

Fernández, Alonso, Alderete, Gómez, Cáceres, Bobadilla, Kaku, Cubas, Almirón, Sanabria, Gómez

Turkey v Paraguay betting tips

Betting tip 1: Over 1.5 shots on target – Arda Güler

With 30 shots, it’s actually incredible that Turkey didn’t score against Australia. One of the players who had several attempts was Arda Güler, Real Madrid’s young star. He had three shots on target and showed that he is very clinical. We reckon he’ll manage it twice against Paraguay too. If Arda Güler has more than 1.5 shots on target, you’ll get odds of 3.60.

Betting tip 2: Full-time: Turkey to win

It’s no surprise that Team USA were praised to the skies after their comfortable victory over Paraguay. However, Paraguay are a very mediocre footballing nation and they gave away far too much space. We reckon the Turks are on top form and will win this match. Simply because they have a much stronger squad. We’re backing a win for the Europeans, a bet that pays out at Oranje Palace odds of 2.05.

Prediction: Turkey v Paraguay

** Final score: Turkey 2–0 Paraguay **
We’re expecting an easy win for Turkey. The match against Australia seemed like an off-day for them, given that they have far better players. Paraguay simply seem out of their depth for the 2026 World Cup, as evidenced by their 1–4 defeat to the USA