Paraguay’s surprise victory over Germany in the round of 32 is the latest in a long battle for the World Cup finals.
Published June 30, 2026
Monday’s move at the 2026 FIFA World Cup added a new chapter to the tournament’s all-time record for knockout upsets, with title contenders Germany stunned by Paraguay in the Round of 32 stage, adding further spice to an event that had already brought plenty of drama in the group stage.
Al Jazeera covers the top five upsets in World Cup finals history.
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1. Germany vs Paraguay (2026)
Jose Canale etched his name into the history books after leading powerhouse Paraguay to a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over four-time champions Germany in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay suffered a crushing defeat to the United States in the tournament’s opening game, and many thought they would go home with a bang after the group stage, but the South Americans quickly turned their pain into purpose, defeating Germany 4-3 on penalties in the biggest upset in World Cup final tournament history.
2. Germany vs. Bulgaria (1994)
Germany has suffered a number of come-from-behind defeats in the finals, dating back to the 1994 World Cup on American soil.
In their first and only World Cup encounter, underdog Bulgaria defeated the defending champions in the quarter-finals, clinching a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Germany in what will be remembered as one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.
3. Italy vs. South Korea (2002)
At the 2002 World Cup, a rare golden goal decided Italy’s fate as co-hosts South Korea were eliminated in the last 16.
The Italian national team got off to a good start with Cristian Vieri taking the early lead, but South Korea’s Seol Ki-hyun scored the equalizer late on, and Ahn Jung-hwan scored the winning goal, becoming the third of only four players to score a golden goal in a world finals tournament.
With the 2-1 victory, South Korea achieved a good result in the tournament and finished in 4th place, their best result in the World Cup so far.
4. Brazil vs Germany (2014)
At the 2014 World Cup, Germany suffered an infamous 7-1 semi-final defeat to Brazil, breaking the hearts of their country’s Brazilians.
Germany’s five players found the back of the net, and Oscar equalized for Brazil in the 90th minute, capping a humiliating result that left Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari calling it “the worst day of my life.”
Germany won that tournament and won their fourth world title.
5. Morocco vs Portugal (2022)
Morocco, who beat the Netherlands on Monday to reach the last 16, are used to pulling off upsets, especially against European teams.
Atlas Lions tamed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, winning 1-0 in the quarter-finals despite playing with 10 men.
With this monumental victory, Morocco became the first African and Arab team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
