FIFA World Cup

Friday, 26 Jun 2026, at 5:19 am

A small town in Paraguay has an Australian name.

In a small town in Paraguay, 130 km from the capital, Australian flags are flying.

This town is where friendly sheep farmers live off the land and know their neighbors.

They are passionate about their country and come together every four years to celebrate the FIFA World Cup.

These people have Australian last names like Smith and Kennedy. Some have fair hair and light eyes.

The Nueva Australia commune is a small town in remote Paraguay.

Nueva Australia was founded by Australians in 1893, and their influence still remains.

When Paraguay plays Australia in the World Cup, the town will feel a strange cultural tension.

Locals will still cheer for their national team, but the town's Australian roots will add flavor to the game.

Soel Gonzalez says the area's Australian roots are still visible today.

Soel Gonzalez owns a farm for neurodivergent children in a town near Nueva Australia.

Many current residents still share a cultural affinity with Australians, despite not sharing a language.

Some cook Australian food and welcome Australian travelers.

But when it comes to the World Cup, the residents of Nueva Australia identify as Paraguayans first.

The town's affinity with Australia ends at a general sense of curiosity.

A failed utopia

The founders of Nueva Australia were laborers who sailed to Paraguay to create a socialist utopia.

500 people traveled to Paraguay in search of a better life, inspired by a radical socialist.

A bitter industrial dispute in Australia led to the foundation of the Australian Labor Party.

William Lane, a radical socialist, was one of the men who led the group to Paraguay.

Lane chartered a ship to take the group to Paraguay to establish a new colony.

The migrants had a shared vision of socialism, but their differences were more pronounced.

Lane had rules that proved unpopular, such as no alcohol and no relationships with local women.

Tensions boiled over when a second group of colonists arrived, and the socialist utopia collapsed.

Members of the New Australian commune were mostly single men.

Lane and 58 others left to establish a new camp, while the rebels remained in New Australia.

Five years after leaving Australia, Lane ditched the endeavor and moved to New Zealand.

Many Australians returned home, settling in Victoria and the South Australian Riverland.

The Paraguayan government dissolved the cooperative, and each settler was given their own land.

But to this day, thousands of Paraguayans can trace their ancestry to the colony.

The Nueva Australia commune was founded in 1893 by Australian laborers.

Night and day

The sun will be high over Australia when the Socceroos play Paraguay.

The Socceroos have one more match in the group stage to make it to the knockout stages.

But the clock will be ticking toward midnight in Nueva Australia.

Temperatures are expected to drop below zero at 11 pm, when the match kicks off.

Soel Gonzalez plans to watch the match with a glass of whiskey and a traditional Paraguayan barbecue.

The town may be cheering for Paraguay, but they will not expect to breeze through the match.

We respect Australia a lot, says Soel Gonzalez.

The Paraguayan coach expects to face the fastest team in the World Cup.

Friday, 26 Jun 2026, at 5:19 am

Friday, 26 Jun 2026, at 10:59 am

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Topic: FIFA World Cup

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