History
South Africa will be Paraguay’s eighth World Cup appearance and their fourth in a row. La Albirroja have never won two games at the same finals and have yet to progress beyond the second round. In those eight appearances they have won six matches, drawn seven and lost nine. There most recent World Cup was Germany in 2006, where they came third in a group with England, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago.

Qualification
Paraguay pulled off some impressive results to finish third in South American qualifying and reach South Africa with ease. After a draw with Peru in their first game, Paraguay went on a four game winning run that saw them defeat Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile and Brazil, but they were soon brought back down to earth courtesy of a 4-2 defeat in Bolivia. Paraguay had some major hiccups, losing to Uruguay and rescuing a draw against Ecuador, but picked up four points from their two games against Argentina to finish just a point behind group winners Brazil. Nelson Valdez was on the mark with five goals, but it was Salvador Cabanas who was the main man, netting six times. Tragically, Cabanas - who plays in the Mexican Primera Division - was shot in the head in January and while he is recovering well, he will play no part in the tournament.

Prospects
Italy are favourites to top Group F, but the bookies are backing Paraguay to make it into the second round ahead of Slovakia. They were certainly impressive enough during their qualifying campaign but they didn't face anywhere near the quality of teams that Paraguay overcame to reach South Africa, and the results Gerardo Martino's side secured against Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile suggest that they could be a genuine force in South Africa. Solid defensively with a reliable midfield, the team’s quality is in attack, with Nelson Valdeez and Roque Santa Cruz providing the firepower. Expectations will be high at home - when they beat Argentina 1-0 to seal qualification, the country declared a national holiday - and they will not get a better chance to prove their worth than in the Group F opener against defending champions Italy. If, as expected, they manage to seal second spot, a last 16 showdown with the Netherlands is on the cards - and beyond that maybe even another clash with Brazil.