World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Round of 32
Germanyvs
Paraguay
1–1 (3–4 pens)
Full time · Monday, June 29, 2026 · 4:30 p.m. ET · Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough, MA
Result
Paraguay produced one of the great World Cup shocks, knocking out four-time champions Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw across 120 minutes. Julio Enciso headed Gustavo Alfaro's side ahead against the run of play just before half-time, only for Kai Havertz to equalise with a header of his own nine minutes after the restart. Germany monopolised the ball — better than three-quarters possession and sixteen corners — but Orlando Gill's goal held firm through extra time, and after Jonathan Tah skied his spot-kick, José Canale buried the decisive penalty in sudden death to win the shootout 4-3. It was the first time Germany had ever lost a World Cup penalty shootout. Paraguay advance to the round of 16.
Germany 4-4-24-4-2 ParaguayGermanySubstitutions
At this Stage
By the group-stage ledger this was the round's clearest mismatch: Germany won Group E and put seven past Curaçao along the way; Paraguay crept out of Group D in third, scoring twice all campaign and living off a miserly defence. Brackets don't read ledgers. Paraguay held their shape through 120 minutes of German pressure, took the shootout to sudden death and won it 4-3 — the first World Cup penalty shootout Germany have ever lost, and the defining upset of the round of 32. Four-time champions gone; Gustavo Alfaro's side move on to Philadelphia on July 4, where France wait in the round of 16 for a team that has made frustration a weapon.
Round of 32
Round of 16
What we know now
Venue: Boston Stadium
Attendance: 63,945
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock); the free Tubi simulcast carries Telemundo's Spanish feed.
What I said beforehand
The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.
Germany to win and advance. Julian Nagelsmann's side topped Group E despite a dead-rubber loss to Ecuador, and their goals have come from all over — ten across the group from seven scorers. Paraguay, by contrast, defended their way through Group D, grinding out a 1-0 over Turkey and a 0-0 with Australia after an opening thrashing by the USA. Gustavo Alfaro's team will sit deep and make Germany work, but the difference in attacking quality should eventually tell. 2-0 Germany.
My locked pick: Germany advance ✗ WRONG
“Germany to advance. Despite a stuttering group stage that included a defeat to Ecuador, Germany still hold a clear talent edge over a Paraguay side that defended its way out of Group D. Expect Germany to control the ball and edge a tighter game than the seedings suggest. Germany to win.”
Locked 2026-06-28 10:25 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
The case for Germany
64% to winGermany have the deeper, more talented squad and a manager who trusts his attack, with Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz supported by the super-sub threat of Deniz Undav. If they move the ball quickly and stretch Paraguay's block, the goals should come — even with Nico Schlotterbeck's tournament-ending injury forcing a reshuffle at the back.
The case for Paraguay
13% to winParaguay are built to frustrate, defending deep and in numbers under Gustavo Alfaro and striking on the counter through Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria. They conceded just once in their last two group games, and if they keep it tight and force Germany into impatience, a knockout tie is exactly the kind of game that can swing on one moment or a shootout.
Both cases written 2026-06-28, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 23% belongs to the draw.
Storylines
- Germany, Group E winners, meet a Paraguay side that edged through Group D on a miserly defence.
- Germany's ten group goals came from seven different scorers; Deniz Undav has three off the bench.
- Nico Schlotterbeck is out for the tournament with knee ligament damage; Antonio Rüdiger steps in.
- Paraguay are without the suspended Miguel Almirón, sent off against Turkey.
- Played in the open air at Boston Stadium (Gillette, Foxborough) for the late-afternoon kickoff.
The coaches
Julian Nagelsmann Germany
In charge since 2023, he favours a possession-based 4-2-3-1 and can hurt opponents from anywhere across the front line.
Gustavo Alfaro Paraguay
The Argentine has Paraguay hard-working and well-organised, set up to defend deep and strike on the counter.
Availability
| Nico Schlotterbeck | Out — knee ligament damage rules him out for the rest of the tournament | Sports Mole / Goal |
| Nathaniel Brown | Doubt — a minor injury concern at left-back | Sports Mole / Goal |
| Miguel Almirón | Out — suspended after his red card against Turkey | Sports Mole / Goal |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Weather: Open-air at Boston Stadium (Gillette, Foxborough) for the late-afternoon kickoff — warm, humid New England summer conditions. (NWS Boston seasonal climatology, as of 2026-06-28)
Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco). (FIFA match appointment via Dailysports, 27 Jun 2026, as of 2026-06-28)
Venue: Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough, MA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.