Andrés Cubas

Andrés Cubas is a combative defensive midfielder who shields the back line for Paraguay, named in the provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder is 30 at kick-off and carries 32 senior caps toward the tournament, a holding player whose job is to break up play and protect the defence.

Compact and energetic, Cubas does the unglamorous work that lets Gustavo Alfaro's side defend as a unit. His qualifying numbers point to a high volume of recoveries and tackles, the ball-winning profile of a midfielder who reads danger early and snaps into challenges. He is not a goal threat, but his screening role fits naturally into the low-scoring, defence-first shape Paraguay have built.

Cubas is a compact, combative defensive midfielder who sits in front of the back four and breaks up play. His game is built on a high volume of tackles and recoveries, screening the defence and snapping into challenges to win the ball back. At 1.66m he leans on timing, anticipation and energy rather than size.

Once he has the ball, he keeps things simple, recycling possession and letting Paraguay reset their shape. In a team that defends in numbers, a disciplined holding midfielder who protects the back line and senses danger early is central to how Alfaro keeps matches low-scoring.

Cubas is the screen in front of the Paraguay defence, breaking up play and snapping into tackles so the back four holds its shape. He brings no goals, but the ball-winning is the kind of work a defence-first pick is built on. Paraguay come in at Tier 4 and £10m within the game's £200m card budget, their Group D ties against the United States, Turkey and Australia.

The payoff is indirect. Cubas adds nothing to a scoreline, but by keeping Paraguay compact and hard to play through he protects the low-scoring results the whole cheap pick depends on.