Paraguay’s President Is Staying Home Again, and His Country Is Perfectly Fine With That

Santiago Peña, the president of Paraguay, attended his country’s opening World Cup match against the United States in Los Angeles on June 12. Paraguay lost 4-1. He skipped the next three games. Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0, drew 0-0 with Australia, and then knocked out four-time world champions Germany on penalties in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The pattern was hard to ignore, and Peña leaned into it completely.

He’s Not Going to Philadelphia Either

Ahead of Paraguay’s Round of 16 clash against France in Philadelphia on Saturday, Peña told local newspaper Hoy that he plans to watch from home again. “As president, I always receive an invitation to every match,” he said. “But I must also say that I’m actually a tiny bit superstitious. That’s why I prefer to just watch the match from home.” The decision drew wide attention online, where Paraguayan fans largely treated it as the right call.

The Germany Win That Started It All

The superstition story gained real momentum after Paraguay eliminated Germany. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with Germany having a goal ruled out by VAR in extra time before the shootout. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill was the hero, making save after save to keep the game alive. When Jose Canale converted the winning penalty in sudden death, Peña posted on X: “PARAGUAY NEVER GIVES UP! HOLIDAY DAMN IT!!” He then signed a presidential decree declaring June 30 a national holiday. His office released a statement calling on citizens to use the day to come together and celebrate a moment that united millions of Paraguayans under one flag.
It was Paraguay’s first time past the Round of 32 since 2010, and Germany’s first-ever World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout.

What’s at Stake Saturday

Paraguay now face France, the world’s top-ranked team, in Lincoln Financial Field. France head coach Didier Deschamps said Paraguay did not reach this stage by chance and that he respects them. Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro compared facing France to a thunderstorm — a force you can only hunker down and ride out. The same defensive approach that pushed Germany to penalties will likely be the plan again.
Peña missed Silicon Valley meetings earlier in the tournament to avoid attending games — he had been scheduled to meet tech leaders about positioning Paraguay as a data center hub. He skipped them anyway. His choice was widely seen as a way to stay connected to the national mood rather than chase foreign investment optics.

A Note on France

A recent survey adds an interesting side note to the France side of this matchup. Only 47 percent of voters for France’s far-right National Rally party said they would feel proud if France won the World Cup — the lowest of any major French political grouping. The finding reflects a long-running tension in France around the national team’s multicultural makeup, which far-right voters have been less willing to embrace compared to supporters of other parties.

Analyst’s Take

Peña has handled the superstition story with genuine political instincts. Staying home, framing it publicly as a sacrifice for the team, and then immediately declaring a holiday when Paraguay win has made him the most talked-about head of state at this tournament. Whether Paraguay can pull off another miracle against France on July Fourth weekend is a very different question, but the president has already turned a potential embarrassment into a crowd-pleasing narrative.
Source: dpa (German Press Agency), Yahoo Sports, Bloomberg, Billy Penn, The Tribune India