Paraguay stuns Germany in penalty shootout; advances to World Cup Round of 16

Germany are out of the World Cup! In one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay defeated four-time champions Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time in the Round of 32 on Tuesday.

The match showcased Paraguay’s defensive resilience and the heroics of goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who delivered several crucial saves during regulation and extra time before starring in the shootout. Julio Encisco opened the scoring with a header before Kai Havertz equalised early in the second half. 

Paraguay stuns Germany in penalty shootout; advances to first World Cup Round of 16

Gill stopped three German penalties, securing Paraguay’s first-ever knockout-stage victory in World Cup history. Germany, despite dominating possession for long stretches, struggled to break down a compact Paraguayan defense. The Europeans took the lead in the first half, but Paraguay equalized with a well-worked counter-attack, forcing the match into extra time where neither side could find a winner.

What happened in penalties?

The dramatic penalty shootout saw both teams trade successful kicks until Gill’s interventions proved decisive. Paraguay converted four of their penalties, sending the South American nation through to the Round of 16 for the first time since their memorable quarter-final run in 2010.

Mauricio converted the penalty into a goal before Havertz missed it. Gustavo Gomez recorded another successful penalty for Paraguay before Joshua Kimmich responded with a successful one. Matias Galarza added another one for Paraguay, followed by Jamal Musiala’s strike. 

Antonio Sanabria missed Paraguay’s first penalty, which was followed by Nick Woltermade missing it for the Germans. Fabian Balbuena missed another one before Nadiem Amiri converted a successful penalty for Germany. Later, Jose Canale converted a successful and historic penalty before Jonathan Tah missed it to send the four-time World Cup champions out of the tournament. 

Paraguay to either face France or Sweden

This result marks a historic milestone for Paraguayan football and eliminates Germany from the tournament at the first knockout hurdle, continuing a trend of surprising early exits for traditional powerhouses in recent World Cups. Paraguay will now prepare to face the winner of another Round of 32 tie in the last 16, either France or Sweden in Philadelphia. 

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