If there was one maddening certainty about the World Cup over the past half century, it was that Germany never, under any circumstance, lost a penalty shootout.
No matter how they entered a tournament—whether they were favorites or merely sleeping giants—the Germans in a shootout were more reliable than any Mercedes or Porsche ever built. They had faced soccer’s ultimate test of nerve four times since 1982, and on each occasion, they were the ones coolly dishing out the heartbreak.
But on Monday night in Boston, that streak came to an end—and the rest of the game indulged in a little schadenfreude as Germany crashed out of the World Cup in the least German way imaginable. After 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, Paraguay did what neither England, nor France, nor Argentina ever could.
It sent Germany home on penalties.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 – Germany v Paraguay – Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. – June 29, 2026 Paraguay’s Orlando Gill celebrates after the match as Paraguay qualify for the Round of 16 stage of the World Cup IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Winslow Townson TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
“It’s hard to find words after something like this,” said forward Kai Havertz, who saw his attempt saved. “I thought we were in a good way and then to go out like this. It’s not easy.”
The hero of this round-of-32 shootout was Paraguay’s 26-year-old goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who stopped two German efforts to give the No. 34-ranked country in the world a chance to dethrone the four-time champions. But with two chances to end the contest, Paraguay failed to score twice in a row. Only once Germany’s Jonathan Tah skied his shot and Paraguay’s Jose Canale powered one past Manuel Neuer did the upset officially enter the history books. The team will now face the winner of Tuesday’s match between France and Sweden for a place in the quarterfinals.
Few could have imagined the Paraguayans delivering such an upset two weeks ago, when they opened their campaign with a dismal 4-1 defeat to the U.S. This was also the same team that had lost all three of its matches at the 2024 Copa America. But after advancing from third place in the group here with a dogged victory over Turkey and a scoreless draw against Australia, La Albirroja was playing with house money.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 – Germany v Paraguay – Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. – June 29, 2026 Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann looks dejected after the match as Germany are eliminated from the World Cup IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Amanda Perobelli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
“After everything Paraguay had been through, I don’t think even the most optimistic person would have thought we would make it to the World Cup,” coach Gustavo Alfaro had said before the game. “We showed that the essence of our team is to compete and fight for every ball.”
Paraguay opened the scoring in the 42nd minute through Julio Enciso, before Germany equalized in the second half with a header by Kai Havertz. From there, it seemed as though the Germans would take charge. They finished the 120 minutes with 60% possession, 21 shots, and three times as many completed passes as Paraguay, yet failed to produce more than 6 efforts on target.
So when the shootout broke against them, the German players could only stare into the distance in disbelief. The early exit confirmed a malaise that has lingered since Germany lifted the World Cup in 2014. In all three editions since then, it has failed to reach the round of 16.
But never before had a German World Cup campaign ended quite like this.
Write to Joshua Robinson at Joshua.Robinson@wsj.com
