Chilavert calls France team an 'African selection' ahead of World Cup knockout against Paraguay

Former Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert triggered a major controversy Friday by calling the France team an “African selection” on social media, less than 24 hours before the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 between Paraguay and France, Saturday in Philadelphia.

Chilavert’s outburst was a response to analysis by Christophe Dugarry, who also played in the memorable France-Paraguay match at the 1998 World Cup. The former Albirroja goalkeeper wrote: “Christophe is right, at the 1998 World Cup we faced the French but today, Paraguay will face an African selection.” The comments immediately sparked uproar on social media.

This is not the first time Chilavert has made controversial statements. In February, he targeted Kylian Mbappé with homophobic remarks, notably saying: “He talks about values and lives with a transgender person, that’s not normal. Everyone does what they want with their life, but it’s not normal for a man to live with a transgender person, that’s not a woman’s role.”

Meanwhile, Christophe Dugarry stuck to purely sporting analysis of the Round of 16. The former France striker, absent from the 1998 match, predicts a decisive French victory: “Paraguay will get hammered. They’ll arrive, they’ll want to defend because they’re incapable of playing. Offensively, it’s catastrophic, so they’ll just defend and they’ll resort to rough play.”

France enters this Round of 16 with confidence after eliminating Sweden 3-0 in the previous round. The conditions in Philadelphia are expected to be challenging, however: oppressive heat is forecast, and thunderstorms could force referees to suspend the match.