Paraguay Stun Germany on Penalties to Reach the Round of 16

The first great shock of the 2026 knockout stage belongs to Paraguay. The South Americans eliminated four-time champions Germany in the Round of 32, holding them to a 1–1 draw across 120 minutes and then winning the penalty shootout 4–3 on a night of almost unbearable tension.

Paraguay had already shown two faces in the group stage — resolute in a goalless draw with Australia, ragged in a heavy defeat to the USA — and here they produced their most complete performance of the summer. The opener arrived in the 42nd minute, Matías Galarza sliding the ball through for Julio Enciso, who finished with the composure that has made him Paraguay's talisman this tournament.

Havertz Responds, Then the Wall Goes Up

Germany's equaliser came nine minutes into the second half, Florian Wirtz threading a pass for Kai Havertz to convert. It felt, at the time, like the beginning of a German takeover. Instead it was the last time they breached the Paraguayan defence all night.

Through the final half-hour and the whole of extra time, Paraguay defended their box with a ferocity that frustrated wave after wave of German pressure. The longer the stalemate held, the more the momentum — and the crowd's nerves — tilted south.

The Shootout

From twelve yards, both sides began flawlessly: Havertz, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala all scored for Germany, answered by Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez and Galarza. But Paraguay converted four of their kicks, Germany managed only three, and when the decisive penalty settled it, the Paraguayan bench charged the pitch as one.

Paraguay march on to a blockbuster Round of 16 meeting with France on July 4. Germany go home in the first knockout round — a result that will echo through German football all summer, and a reminder that the expanded World Cup has lost none of its capacity for chaos.

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