Türkiye and Paraguay met in Santa Clara on June 20, 2026, in a Group D fixture at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, the tournament name for Levi’s Stadium. Paraguay won 1-0, with Matías Galarza scoring in the second minute after an assist from Julio Enciso. The result settled their head-to-head contest; this was no longer a match awaiting an outcome.
The game followed Türkiye’s 2-0 opening defeat to Australia at BC Place in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda scored Australia’s opening goal, assisted by Paul Okon-Engstler. Paraguay had begun its campaign with a 4-1 loss to the United States before taking three points against Türkiye. In the late stages of the Santa Clara match, Orkun Kökçü replaced Abdülkerim Bardakcı for Türkiye.
Paraguay’s final Group D sequence was a defeat to the United States, a win over Türkiye and a 0-0 draw with Australia. After all three group matches, BBC Sport’s table placed Paraguay third on four points, with one win, one draw and one defeat, two goals scored and four conceded. Türkiye finished fourth on three points, with one win and two defeats, three goals scored and five conceded. Paraguay remained among the teams competing for a place in the knockout phase, while Türkiye was eliminated from the group-stage race.
The completed standings put the 1-0 result in context: it was decisive for Paraguay’s position in the group, while the pre-match calculation of whether either side might still advance no longer applies. Group D also featured the United States and Australia. Australia drew Paraguay 0-0 after its victory over Türkiye, while Paraguay’s opening defeat had come against the United States.
