Paraguay at the FIFA World Cup in France by qualifying in second place in South America, behind Argentina. The first round matches were against Bulgaria (0–0), Spain (0–0), and Nigeria (3–1; goals Celso Ayala, Miguel Ángel Benítez and José Cardozo). Paraguay qualified to the second round (Round of 16) to be defeated in a thrilling match against hosts and eventual World Champions France. France only scored through Laurent Blanc in the 114th minute, during the second half of overtime (making it the first golden goal scored in a World Cup). Paraguay's central defending duo (Carlos Gamarra and Celso Ayala) and goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert were selected
Colombia at the FIFA World Cup kick-off, Teofilo Gutierrez scored the second goal from a corner shot, James Rodriguez made their final score during the three minutes overtime. Colombia went on to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 and Japan 4-1. For the first time in history, Colombia won their group in group stages at the Fifa World Cup. They defeated Uruguay 2-0 in the Round of 16, marking the deepest run in the World Cup ever for the Colombian national team. They met Brazil in the quarter-finals and were narrowly defeated 2-1, bringing to an end their most successful World Cup campaign to date. Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,