Asunción — Paraguay's Centenary Fixture and CONMEBOL's Home

Paraguay joins Uruguay and Argentina in staging a centenary celebration match to open the 2030 World Cup, honouring the sport's first tournament in 1930. The country holds a special administrative place in South American football: CONMEBOL, the continent's governing confederation, has its headquarters in Luque, part of greater Asunción, where it also runs a museum and convention centre. That makes the Paraguayan capital a fitting host for a tribute to the game's history.

The match is expected at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, the historic national stadium in Asunción's Sajonia district that has been the traditional home of the Paraguay national team for generations. As of mid-2026, FIFA has not confirmed the venue, fixture or date, and a newer national stadium has also been discussed, so treat these as expected rather than official. Confirm details through official channels closer to the tournament.

The 2030 tournament is the first held across three continents, co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with 48 teams contesting 104 matches over June and July. Ahead of that, three commemorative fixtures are set for South America — in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina — because Uruguay hosted and won the inaugural 1930 World Cup a century earlier. Our format and schedule guide sets out how the prologue and the main tournament connect.

For fans, part of the appeal of the Asunción fixture is its rarity: Paraguay seldom features on the global sporting itinerary, and a World Cup-branded occasion here will be a national event. Because the commemorative matches sit outside the main schedule, watch for FIFA's confirmations on teams and tickets — see our tickets overview — before committing to travel dates.

Paraguay punches above its weight in football. The national team — La Albirroja — has reached multiple World Cups and knocked out fancied opponents along the way, most memorably reaching the quarter-finals at South Africa 2010, the country's best global run. Domestically, Club Olimpia of Asunción is a continental heavyweight with multiple Copa Libertadores titles, and its rivalry with Cerro Porteño divides the capital. Paraguayan football is known for tenacity and a famously combative goalkeeping tradition.

That fighting reputation — forged in a football culture that prizes grit over glamour — gives the centenary occasion real local meaning. For a small, landlocked nation, hosting any part of the World Cup's hundredth-anniversary edition is a point of enormous pride, and Asunción can be expected to embrace it with the passion South American football is known for.

Asunción is one of South America's oldest cities and a relaxed, low-rise capital. The historic centre, near the Paraguay River, gathers the country's landmarks: the Palacio de los López, the grand presidential palace that glows at night; the Panteón Nacional de los Héroes, a domed monument holding national heroes; and the Casa de la Independencia, where Paraguay's break from Spain was plotted in 1811. It is a walkable, unhurried core, more workaday than polished, with a genuine sense of history.

The capital is far less touristed than Buenos Aires or Rio, which is part of its appeal — prices are low and the welcome is warm. As in any city, keep normal urban awareness downtown and after dark. The June–July tournament window is winter, but Asunción's subtropical climate stays mild, typically pleasant and often warm by day compared with the chillier capitals further south.

Getting around is easy and cheap: the city is compact, taxis and app-based rides are inexpensive, and much of the centre and the Costanera can be covered on foot. Spanish is universal, but Paraguay is genuinely bilingual — Guaraní is spoken alongside it by most of the population, and even a short greeting in it is warmly received. Carry some cash in guaraníes for markets and small vendors, though cards are accepted in hotels and larger restaurants. Evenings downtown are quiet, so plan dinner and nightlife around the busier riverside and Villa Morra districts.

Along the river, the Costanera de Asunción is a modern waterfront avenue and park that has become the city's favourite place to walk, jog and gather at sunset, with wide views over the Paraguay River. Nearby, the Manzana de la Rivera — a cluster of restored colonial houses — and the Mercado Cuatro, a sprawling street market, show the city's everyday life. Day trips reach the leafy suburb of San Bernardino and the historic town of Areguá by Lake Ypacaraí.

Luque itself, home to CONMEBOL, is known for traditional crafts — filigree jewellery and the Paraguayan harp — and lies close to the international airport. Between match-day plans, these low-key sights give an honest picture of a capital that rewards curiosity more than a checklist, and where a little Guaraní goes a long way with locals.

Paraguayan cuisine is hearty and distinctive, built on corn, cassava (mandioca) and cheese. The staples to try are chipa, a chewy cheese-and-cassava bread sold everywhere; sopa paraguaya, a savoury cornbread that is confusingly solid rather than a soup; and chipa guasú, a soft corn cake. Beef features heavily too, in the South American asado tradition. Meals are generous, inexpensive and rooted in Guaraní as much as Spanish culinary heritage.

The national obsession, though, is tereré — yerba mate served ice-cold with water and herbs, sipped through a metal straw from a shared guampa. In Asunción's subtropical heat it is everywhere, a social ritual carried in a thermos through the day. When your travels reach Morocco, you will meet another all-day social drink in sweet mint tea; the Casablanca guide opens the North African leg.

Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, in Luque, has modest long-haul reach, so intercontinental fans generally connect through São Paulo, Buenos Aires or Lima. Within South America, short flights link Asunción to the other centenary hosts, making it natural to combine with Buenos Aires and Montevideo in one swing before the long haul north.

Reaching Morocco means a serious journey with at least one, often two, connections — typically via São Paulo, where Royal Air Maroc flies direct to Casablanca, or through a European hub such as Madrid or Lisbon. Plan on the better part of a day in transit and build in buffer time. Once you land in the host countries, our guide to travelling between Morocco, Spain and Portugal covers the onward connections and match-to-match logistics.