In the last 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Germany drew 1-1 with Paraguay before losing on penalties.
Published June 29, 2026
The 2026 World Cup in Germany ended with a shocking defeat to Paraguay in the Round of 32, perhaps the tournament’s biggest loss.
On Monday, the Germans led 1-0 at halftime after Julio Enciso headed home a cross from Matias Galarza in the 42nd minute.
The four-time champions looked sluggish in the first period, but leveled the score in the second half, with Kai Havertz scoring with a glancing header after Florian Wirtz’s ball from the wing eight minutes after the restart.
Germany then had Jonathan Tarr’s goal from a corner kick ruled out after a VAR review for a foul on the Paraguayan keeper, resulting in no further goal and the match went to spot kicks after extra time.
Havertz, who helped Arsenal win the English Premier League title this season after a 22-year wait, missed the opening kick in the penalty shootout. The forward’s team missed a total of three kicks, and he himself missed two, resulting in a 4-3 victory for Paraguay.
Two other German players suffered from penalty misses in Nick Waltemade and Tar, but Paraguay’s Jose Canale scored the decisive spot-kick.
Germany entered the tournament ranked 10th in the world by tournament governing body FIFA, while Paraguay was ranked 41st.
Germany’s loss could be the biggest upset in World Cup soccer, but it is certainly the biggest upset in the knockout stages. The last time it was better was another defeat for Germany at the 1994 US World Cup, when Hristo Stoichkov-inspired Bulgaria defeated the defending champions in the quarter-finals.
Stoichkov, then a Barcelona player, was named the 1994 Ballon d’Or winner, but the Bulgarian was ranked 29th in the world at the time.
It was the first time Germany lost in a penalty shootout at a World Cup, and they have not advanced to the last 16 since their last victory in 2014.
Paraguay will play France or Sweden in the last 16 on July 4 in Philadelphia.
