Paraguay have beaten New Zealand 3-0 in the final of the six-nation FIFA U-16 men’s Youth Series in Switzerland.
While New Zealand enjoyed spells of possession with their quick passing game, the Paraguayans were more direct and finished their chances well.
Paraguay took the lead in the 19th minute when Brahian Leguizamon crossed into the New Zealand box and Victor Lopez powered his header past goalkeeper Joseph Chalabi.
Turning round a goal down, New Zealand pushed forward in the second half.
However, Elias Diaz doubled his side’s lead when he broke clear, ran at the New Zealand defence and struck from the edge of the area.
The final goal came in stoppage time when Axel Gomez headed into the New Zealand net from a corner.
Earlier, Switzerland beat Tunisia 5-1 in the play-off for third place.
The FIFA Youth Series is designed to provide U-16 players the chance to train, compete, and showcase their skills on the international stage ahead of participating in annual U-17 FIFA tournaments.
For New Zealand, the tournament is a warm-up ahead of the 2025 OFC Men’s U-16 Championship, the qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which kicks off in August in the Solomon Islands.
Final positions
Paraguay
New Zealand
Switzerland
Tunisia
Malaysia
Guatemala
Result
Game played on Friday May 23, 2025
Final
Paraguay 3 (Victor Lopez 19′, Elias Diaz 79′, Axel Gomez 90+5′)
New Zealand 0
Full match replay:
Line-ups
Paraguay
Armando Gonzalez, Yonathan Cubilla, Kevin Amarilla, Hector Salinas, Brahian Leguizamon, Elias Diaz, Cesar Mareco, (captain), Alam Fernandez, Elian Garcete, Jonathan Rolon, Victor Lopez,
Substitutes
Ivan Villasanti, Tiago Gonzalez, Yago Portillo, Fabio Cardozo, Tovia Ortiz, Mathias Cabrera, Ever Lopez, Lucas Romanach, Aldo Arzamendia, Victor Caceres, Axel Gomez.
The New Zealand starting line-up.
New Zealand
Joseph Chalabi, Joseph Mcintyre, Grayson Cattle, Ethan Dyer (captain), Nicholas Ferguson, Willem Des Tombe, Matias Nunez, Ben Trenberth, Sena Vesty, Sean Kane, Benjamin Perez.
Substitutes
Zane Donaghy, Max Carmichael, Oliver Thompson, Cailean Hamilton, Zach Cashmore, Jack Hocken, Alexander Taylor, Oliver Anderson, John Woldegiorgis, Aidan Adams, Gethyn Foster,
Officials
Maximillian Zihlmann (referee), Emanuel Schuepfer and Sascha Pucillo (assistant referees), Maurus Rothen (fourth official).
How they reached the final
New Zealand
Beat Switzerland 3-2
Beat Guatemala 2-1
Paraguay
Beat Malaysia 1-0
Beat Tunisia 4-2
New Zealand squad
Aidan Adams – Western United (St Monica’s College), Australia
Oliver Anderson – Brighton & Hove Albion (Brighton College), England
Max Carmichael – Seattle Sounders (Eastside Academics School), United States
Zach Cashmore – Miramar Rangers (Scots College), New Zealand
Grayson Cattle – Palmerston North Marist (Palmerston North Boys’ High School), New Zealand
Joseph Chalabi – Wellington Phoenix (Te Kura), New Zealand
Willem Des Tombe – Wellington Phoenix (St Patrick’s College), New Zealand
Zane Donaghy – Bristol Rovers, England
Ethan Dyer – Sydney FC (Endeavour Sports High School), Australia
Nicholas Ferguson – Preston North End (Birkdale High School), England
Gethyn Foster – Cambridge FC (Cambridge High School), New Zealand
Cailean Hamilton – Wellington Phoenix (Upper Hutt College), New Zealand
Jack Hocken – Christchurch United (Rolleston College), New Zealand
Sean Kane – Eastern Suburbs (Saint Kentigern College), New Zealand
Joe McIntyre – Wellington Phoenix (Hutt International Boys’ School), New Zealand
Matias Nunez – Auckland United (Mount Albert Grammar School), New Zealand
Benjamin Perez Baldoni – Ellerslie AFC (Selwyn College), New Zealand
Alexander Taylor – Macarthur FC (Redlands School), Australia
Oliver Thompson-Henderson – Dunedin City Royals (Otago Boys’ High School), New Zealand
Ben Trenberth – Wellington Phoenix (Hutt International Boys’ School), New Zealand
Sena Vesty – Christchurch United (Burnside High School), New Zealand
John Woldegiorgis – Western United (The Grange P-12 College), Australia
This story was first published on May 23, 2025.