World Cup 2026: Germany eliminated by Paraguay in a penalty shootout

In times not so long ago, Germany was considered one of the powers of world football. With four World Cup titles and three European Championships, expectations have always been high. However, the current reality is very different. Tuesday's edition of the Bild newspaper made this clear with the headline: 'German football's next nightmare', following the team's surprise elimination at the '32 stage, losing to Paraguay 4-3 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw in extra time.

Since winning their most recent world title in 2014, Germany have failed to advance from the group stage on two occasions and have now suffered their first defeat in a knockout match at the 2026 World Cup. At the start of the competition, Paraguay were ranked 41st in the FIFA rankings, while Germany were 10th. However, this did not stop the South Americans from achieving a historic victory, being the first time that the European team has lost in a penalty shootout in the history of the World Cup.

At Boston Stadium, despite having 75% possession of the ball, Germany found it difficult to break through Paraguay's organized and resilient defense, who opened the scoring with a goal from former Brighton player Julio Enciso. Arsenal's Kai Havertz equalized with a header early in the second half, but a Jonathan Tah goal was controversially disallowed for a foul. With the hope of a penalty shootout and a 100% record in shootouts, Germany failed miserably. Havertz was the first to hit and had his shot saved. Nick Woltemade, from Newcastle, also failed to score, and even with two mistakes from Paraguay, Tah shot over. Defender Jose Canale sealed Paraguay's victory.

"When you are eliminated from the World Cup playing against Paraguay, it is very bitter. It is very painful", said coach Julian Nagelsmann. "This is the third consecutive elimination, so we are no longer part of the top teams."


Nagelsmann, who won the Bundesliga in 2022 with Bayern, took over the national team in 2023, but the team only reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. The World Cup campaign started well, with a 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao and a comeback victory over Ivory Coast, but defeat to Ecuador in the final group stage match left the team in a difficult position.

After the match, Nagelsmann was asked about his future and stated that he is not someone who runs away, but acknowledged that he is not popular with fans. "If we did a poll today in Germany, people wouldn't talk positively about me, obviously," he added. Former player Arne Friedrich commented that the defeat was deserved: "Nagelsmann must face the consequences. It is very disappointing, but that is sport. The journey must continue without Nagelsmann."

Thomas Hitzlsperger, also a former player, highlighted that the team entered the competition with many problems and that such an early elimination is not acceptable. Paraguay will now advance to face France or Sweden in the round of 16, while Germany must deal with yet another premature exit from the World Cup. Journalist Raphael Honigstein said it was unacceptable to be eliminated by a team like Paraguay at this stage, and that the repercussions for Nagelsmann would be severe.

"Look, you can be eliminated, but you can't be eliminated against Paraguaythis way. This will not be a defeat without consequences. Germany has been weak. Many important decisions did not work out for Nagelsmann. It will be very difficult for him to survive this. I think it's over for him, unfortunately.", Honigstein concluded.

---

Related Articles

1. [World Cup 2026](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/world-cup-2026-england-ni-tuchel-patuloy-ang-paghahanap-ng-tamang-pormula-sa-mga-gilid-alan-shearer) 2. [2026 월드컵 32강: 전체 대진표, 결과, 매치업, 일정 및 각 팀의 자격 요건](https://taegeukgoal.com/ko/news/2026-32-5)