Paraguay faces arguably the toughest challenge of any remaining team as it takes on France in the Round of 16 on Saturday, July 4.
La Albirroja also pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, eliminating Germany in a penalty shootout in the Round of 32, and France certainly cannot afford to take Gustavo Alfaro's side lightly.
Alfaro's squad finished third in its group behind the USMNT and Australia, recording one win, one draw, and one loss.
France, on the other hand, enjoyed a perfect group stage, winning all three of its matches to finish atop its group.
Kylian Mbappé and company then outplayed Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 to set up a clash with Paraguay.
Referee and VAR Officials for France vs. Paraguay
Ilgiz Tantashev of Uzbekistan is the head referee for this FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay.
The 42-year-old international official is a regular in the Uzbek top flight and has handled more than 20 AFC Champions League fixtures.
This World Cup also marks a major milestone in his international refereeing career and he has already taken charge of two highly competitive group-stage matches in this tournament including Morocco's win over Scotland and a 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria.
He was also a part of the 2024 Paris Olympics refereeing the semifinal between Morocco and Spain.
Full Officiating Crew
- Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko (Uzbekistan)
- Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin (Uzbekistan)
- Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Taleb Al Marri (Qatar)
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Juan Lara (Chile)
- Assistant VAR (AVAR): Marco Di Bello (Italy)
