Introduction
Football fans around the world are asking the same stunned question today. Who won Germany vs Paraguay? The answer is genuinely one of the most shocking results in World Cup history, and if you have not heard yet, you are about to be just as surprised as everyone watching at Gillette Stadium on Monday night.
Germany’s World Cup 2026 campaign is over after a shock defeat, arguably the competition’s greatest, by Paraguay in the round of 32. A four-time world champion, ranked far higher and expected to cruise through, fell to a team many casual fans could not even locate on a map before kickoff.
This article gives you the complete breakdown. You will find the final score, every goal and penalty in the shootout, the full story of how this upset unfolded, and what comes next for both nations in this tournament.
Who Won Germany vs Paraguay? The Final Answer
Paraguay won. José Canale scored on the first sudden death penalty kick, Orlando Gill made two key saves in the shootout, and Paraguay upset Germany 4-3 on penalties Monday to earn the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup so far.
If you are still asking who won Germany vs Paraguay, let that sink in fully. A team ranked 41st in the world defeated a team ranked 10th, and they did it at the round of 32 stage of the World Cup, eliminating one of the tournament’s traditional powerhouses in the very first knockout round.
Germany were ranked number 10 in the world by FIFA entering the tournament, while Paraguay were ranked 41st. The German defeat is potentially the greatest upset in World Cup football, but is surely the biggest at the knockout stage.
What Was the Germany vs Paraguay Final Score?
The match itself ended level after 120 minutes, which is why the result was ultimately decided by penalties.
Germany are out of the 2026 edition of the tournament after a shocking defeat against Paraguay after penalties. The South American side made history and won 4-3 after the penalty shootout, following a tense 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Gillette Stadium.
So the complete scoreline reads as follows. Regular time and extra time finished 1-1. Paraguay won the penalty shootout 4-3. That combination is what answers the question of who won Germany vs Paraguay in full detail.
Who Scored in Germany vs Paraguay?
Goals During Regulation and Extra Time
Germany trailed 1-0 at half-time to Julio Enciso’s 42nd-minute header from Matias Galarza’s cross. It was a limp display by the four-time winners in the first period, but they drew level in the second half, when Kai Havertz scored eight minutes after the restart with a glancing header from Florian Wirtz’s ball in from the flank.
Germany then thought they had won the match late on. Jonathan Tah headed in a corner kick by Nathaniel Brown in the 102nd minute, but officials concluded after a video review that Waldemar Anton had pushed Gill to the ground before the shot, and the goal was disallowed. That VAR decision became one of the most debated moments of the entire tournament so far.
Every Penalty in the Shootout
The shootout itself was dramatic from the very first kick. Havertz missed the first penalty for Germany. Joshua Kimmich then scored to make it 1-1. Gustavo Gómez scored for Paraguay. Jamal Musiala scored for Germany to make it 2-2. Matias Galarza scored for Paraguay. Nick Woltemade had his penalty saved by Gill. Toni Sanabria missed for Paraguay. Nadiem Amiri scored for Germany to level it at 3-3. Fabian Balbuena had his penalty saved by Neuer. Jonathan Tah then missed Germany’s sixth penalty, skying it over the crossbar.
That mistake from Tah proved decisive, allowing Jose Canale to step up and convert the winning penalty. José Canale wasn’t in the starting lineup in either of his previous two appearances for Paraguay in this World Cup. He made his first start a memorable one, finishing emphatically and sending Neuer the wrong way to smash the ball high into the right of the goal.
Did Germany Get Knocked Out of the World Cup?
Yes, completely and definitively. Germany is out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This was not a narrow defeat that left room for hope. This was a full elimination at the round of 32 stage.
This was Germany’s first knockout game since the 2014 final in Brazil, when the Germans beat Argentina 1-0. The Germans were eliminated in the group stage at the last two tournaments.
This loss adds another difficult chapter to recent German World Cup history. This was the first time in World Cup history Germany have lost a penalty shootout. That statistic alone tells you how unprecedented this result was for a nation famous for its penalty shootout success across decades of tournament football.
The German defeat surpasses a previous shock at the 1994 World Cup, when a Hristo Stoichkov-inspired Bulgaria knocked out the defending champions in the quarterfinals. Many analysts are now calling the Paraguay result the biggest knockout stage upset in the tournament’s entire history.
Kai Havertz spoke honestly about the disappointment after the match. “We had very big plans for this World Cup. It’s very difficult to disappoint again,” Havertz said. “It was difficult to create chances and keep the pace.”
How Did Paraguay Even Reach This Match?
Understanding who won Germany vs Paraguay also means understanding how unlikely Paraguay’s run already was before they even faced the Germans.
Paraguay opened the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to the United States, then beat Turkey 1-0 while playing the entire second half with 10 men. A scoreless draw against Australia was good enough for Paraguay to reach the knockout stage as the third-place finisher from Group D.
That qualification path through the expanded 48-team format gave Paraguay a chance most people did not expect them to use this effectively. Paraguay had appeared in five previous knockout games but failed to score in each. It had advanced only once, winning on penalty kicks against Japan in the round of 16 at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
In the only previous World Cup match between these two teams, Germany beat Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 at the 2002 tournament. Nearly a quarter-century later, Paraguay got its revenge.
Who Does Paraguay Play Next?
Now that you know exactly who won Germany vs Paraguay, the natural next question is what comes next for the South American side.
Paraguay will next play the winner of France’s clash with Sweden. That round of 16 match takes place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
This is a major triumph for the landlocked South American country of 7 million people that’s surrounded by soccer giants like Argentina and Brazil. Whoever Paraguay faces next, they arrive with genuine momentum and the kind of belief that comes from eliminating a four-time world champion on the biggest stage in football.
For Germany, the tournament is finished. There is no next match. Julian Nagelsmann’s squad now returns home to face difficult questions about what went wrong and how the team can rebuild before future tournaments.
Why This Upset Matters So Much
The story of who won Germany vs Paraguay is about more than one match. It reflects a broader trend in modern international football where the gap between traditional powerhouses and ambitious smaller nations has narrowed significantly.
Paraguay only had 25 percent of possession but created just as many dangerous chances as Germany during the match. That statistic alone explains how a heavy underdog can still win against a technically superior opponent when discipline, organization, and composure under pressure align perfectly.
Orlando Gill’s performance in goal was central to the entire result. Paraguay’s goalkeeper emerged as the hero of the shootout, saving spot kicks from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade. Without that individual brilliance between the posts, this story likely ends very differently.
Conclusion: The Full Story of Who Won Germany vs Paraguay
So who won Germany vs Paraguay? Paraguay won, defeating four-time champions Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes of normal and extra time. Julio Enciso opened the scoring for Paraguay, Kai Havertz equalized for Germany, and a controversial VAR decision wiped out what looked like a late German winner before the match went to penalties.
Jonathan Tah’s missed sixth penalty proved fatal for Germany, while José Canale stepped up under enormous pressure to score the winning kick and send Paraguay through to the round of 16. Germany’s World Cup is over. Paraguay’s continues, with a place against the winner of France and Sweden waiting for them.
This is the kind of result that reminds every football fan exactly why the World Cup remains the most unpredictable and exciting competition on the planet. Who won Germany vs Paraguay will be a question fans keep discussing for years to come, and rightly so.
Did you watch this match live, and what did you think of the disallowed Tah goal? Share your thoughts and pass this article along to any football fan still trying to process this result.
Source Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who won Germany vs Paraguay?
Paraguay won. They defeated Germany 4-3 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 following extra time at Gillette Stadium on June 29, 2026.
2. Did Germany get knocked out of the World Cup?
Yes. Germany was completely eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing to Paraguay in the round of 32 on penalties. It marks the first time in World Cup history Germany has lost a penalty shootout.
3. What was the Germany vs Paraguay final score?
The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes. Paraguay then won the penalty shootout 4-3 to advance to the round of 16.
4. Who scored in Germany vs Paraguay?
Julio Enciso scored for Paraguay in the 42nd minute with a header. Kai Havertz equalized for Germany in the second half. A Jonathan Tah goal in extra time was disallowed by VAR.
5. Who scored the winning penalty for Paraguay?
José Canale scored the decisive penalty in sudden death, sending German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer the wrong way to secure the 4-3 shootout victory.
6. Who does Paraguay play next?
Paraguay will face the winner of the France versus Sweden match in the round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
7. Why was Jonathan Tah’s extra time goal disallowed?
VAR review determined that Waldemar Anton had fouled Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill before the goal was scored, ruling the header out and forcing the match into penalties.
8. How many penalties did Germany miss?
Germany missed three penalties in the shootout. Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah all failed to convert their attempts.
9. What was Paraguay’s path to the round of 32?
Paraguay lost their opening group game 4-1 to the United States, beat Turkey 1-0 while playing a man down, and drew 0-0 with Australia to finish as a third-place qualifier from Group D.
10. Was this the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup?
Yes. Analysts are calling Paraguay’s win over Germany the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup and one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s entire history given the ranking gap between the two teams.
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Author Name: Hamid Ali
About the Author: Hamid Ali is a sports journalist and football analyst with more than eight years of experience covering FIFA World Cup tournaments, major upsets, and international football news as it breaks. He specializes in delivering fast, accurate, and engaging match reports that capture both the statistics and the emotional weight of major sporting moments. His breaking news coverage and tournament analysis have been read by football audiences across multiple countries and platforms. Hamid believes the best sports journalism combines speed with accuracy and depth, and his work consistently aims to give readers the full story the moment it matters most. When he is not covering live matches, he follows every round of major tournaments closely and discusses football history with fellow analysts and fans.
