Argentina U-19 vs. Paraguay: time, venue, and how the final of the South American Games is determined

The Argentina U-19 National Team will face Paraguay this Friday in the final of the 2026 South American Games. The team led by Diego Placente will go for the gold medal starting at 3 PM, at the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium in Rosario.

The Albiceleste arrives at the decisive match after defeating Peru in the semifinals. The Argentine team secured victory at the end of the match, when Santiago Espíndola scored the 1-0 in the 88th minute.

That result ensured at least the silver medal and access to the tournament final. Paraguay, for its part, reached the final after winning 1-0 against Chile.

Argentina and Paraguay face off again

The final will have an immediate precedent: Argentina and Paraguay already faced each other on the first day of the tournament. On that occasion, the Paraguayan team won 2-1.

The Albiceleste began its participation in the South American Games with that defeat, but then managed to recover. On the second day, they defeated Uruguay 1-0, while they closed their participation in Group B with a 1-1 draw against Venezuela.

The draw came in added time thanks to a goal from Ramiro Tulián, a result that allowed Argentina to finish second in their group and advance to the semifinals.

How were the semifinal matchups determined?

The final phase bracket underwent a modification after the organization changed the tiebreaker criteria used to rank the group positions.

Initially, Argentina was set to face Chile in the semifinals. However, the change in criteria altered the standings and, consequently, the matchups.

Ultimately, Chile finished second in Group A and faced Paraguay, while Peru topped that group and matched up with Argentina.

The Albiceleste took advantage of this new bracket configuration and eliminated Peru with Espíndola's late goal.