According to Olé, after concluding their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, the Paraguay national team arrived in Asunción at around 5:00 AM local time on Monday. Hundreds of fans gathered at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport to welcome the team, with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also in attendance.

Coach Gustavo Alfaro, who led Paraguay to victory over Germany, a place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, and a tenacious performance against France, was the most celebrated figure at the scene. Peña presented the Argentine coach with a special cloak featuring the Paraguayan national colors.

Accompanied by the players, Alfaro delivered an emotional speech. Although he has not officially confirmed whether he will continue coaching the Paraguayan team, his speech repeatedly referenced future challenges, raising expectations that he will stay on.

Alfaro said: "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, not only because you are here today, but because from our first match against Uruguay, from the moment we had the honor of coming to this beautiful country, we felt a different kind of energy."

"This strength comes from the land and the heart of this country. Before the home game against Brazil, the entire stadium had already sold out; that was not just expectation, but a dream. The sincerity of your strength inspired all of us. If we had already made a commitment before, then from that moment on, our responsibility became even greater."

Alfaro stated that participating in the FIFA World Cup has always been the team's dream and goal, and that the players have made unimaginable efforts to achieve it.

He said: "You cannot imagine how much these players sacrificed to make this dream come true. All of us achieved this goal together, including every staff member of the Paraguayan Football Association. Football has a wonderful power to bring joy to an entire nation, and we embraced that responsibility."

Alfaro also singled out the players for thanks: "They are the true creators of all this; they accomplished it. It is an honor for me to stand before you and all the players who participated in this journey. You are the truest heart of this national team."

He then said to Peña: "Mr. President, you don't know how much I admire this country, its heart, and its passion."

Speaking about the future, Alfaro said: "When this country unites behind a common goal, these players taught me that the impossible does not exist. You also made me understand that."

"We still have many challenges ahead, many things to fight for, conquer, and strive to achieve. Today, we have a great dream, which will later become an expectation, and that expectation will demand more from us and require higher standards. However, these matters need to be analyzed later."

At the end of his speech, Alfaro once again expressed his gratitude to the Paraguayan people, the players, and the Football Association, calling on everyone to safeguard the team’s rekindled hope.

He said: "Please protect the flame rekindled by these players. With this flame, they proved to the world that Paraguay still stands. We look each other in the eye, not at the names on the back of the jerseys, but at the jersey itself, because inside the jersey there is a heart that makes us believe that if everyone unites, anything can be achieved."

"This is our responsibility: never let this flame go out again. We must continue to strengthen it and lead Paraguay to greatness. Thank you to all the people of Paraguay; we hope we can continue to create wonderful things together."

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