Germany Suffer Their Greatest World Cup Shock as Paraguay Win on Penalties: Havertz, Woltemade and Tah All Miss

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Germany are out of the 2026 World Cup after one of the most stunning upsets in the tournament's history, beaten on penalties by Paraguay in the round of 32 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The four-time champions had topped Group E comfortably but found themselves a goal down at half-time when Julio Enciso headed in from Matias Galarza's cross in the 42nd minute, capitalising on a sluggish opening 45 minutes from Julian Nagelsmann's side. Kai Havertz levelled eight minutes after the restart, glancing in a Florian Wirtz cross, and Germany pushed hard for a winner through normal and extra time. They thought they had found it in the 105th minute when Jonathan Tah headed home from a corner, but VAR ruled the goal out after Waldemar Anton was judged to have impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

With the score locked at 1-1 after 120 minutes, the tie went to a penalty shootout that Germany somehow contrived to lose despite Paraguay missing two of their own spot kicks. Havertz and Woltemade both missed for Germany, while Manuel Neuer saved a penalty from Antonio Sanabria to drag his side back into contention. But Jonathan Tah, who had scored the disallowed extra-time goal, skied his attempt over the bar in sudden death, allowing Jose Canale to step up and convert the winning penalty and send Paraguay through. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who saved spot kicks from both Havertz and Woltemade, said afterwards that the team had analysed every player in detail and that the win was for all the people of Paraguay.

The defeat extends a grim pattern for German football. Germany were eliminated in the group stage at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and have not been past the round of 16 at a major tournament since winning it all in 2014. Havertz admitted post-match that the team had big plans for this tournament and that it was difficult to disappoint again. The result raises immediate questions about Julian Nagelsmann's position and broader concerns about player development within German football and the Bundesliga. For Paraguay, who had never previously won a World Cup knockout match other than a penalty shootout victory over Japan in 2010 before losing to eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals, the win sends them through to face the winner of France against Sweden on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Germany dumped out of World Cup by Paraguay on penaltieswww.espn.com