Paraguay created the first big shock of the 2026 World Cup by knocking out Germany on penalties (1-1, 4-3 on penalties) in the round of 16 on Monday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and will face either France or Sweden in the quarterfinals next Saturday in Philadelphia.
Paraguay created the first big shock of the 2026 World Cup by knocking Germany out on penalties (1-1, 4-3 on penalties) in the round of 16 on Monday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and will face either France or Sweden in the quarterfinals next Saturday in Philadelphia.
Sixteen years after their last participation, the South Americans prevailed thanks to a goal from their sixth penalty taker, José Canale. Strasbourg’s Julio Enciso (42nd minute) had opened the scoring in the first half before Kai Havertz equalized for Germany in the 54th minute.
For Germany, World Cups are starting to look familiar: the four-time world champions had suffered two disappointing group stage eliminations in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Although they made it past the first round this time, their elimination against the world’s 34th-ranked team is another major disappointment.
