Paraguay stuns Germany in a penalty
shootout for the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup
[June 30, 2026]
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — 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.
Canale scored on the first sudden-death penalty kick, Orlando Gill
made two key saves in the shootout, and Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on
penalties Monday to earn the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup.
It was a major triumph for the landlocked South American country of
7 million people that's surrounded by soccer giants like Argentina
and Brazil. And it was the latest surprising exit by Germany, a
four-time champion that has struggled at the World Cup since it last
lifted the trophy in 2014.
“I think we deserved one more game and to be honest, considering
everything that was said, everything we went through,” Canale said.
“What I want to highlight from our team is how united we are. ...
Today was a game we really needed to show our true colors.”
Paraguayans celebrated in the streets of the capital, Asunción,
screaming, jumping and hugging when the match ended. Some cried and
dropped to their knees in disbelief, with the familiar beat of the
team’s song “Soy Albirrojo” reverberating through the crowd.
Paraguay became the first team to defeat Germany in a penalty
shootout at the World Cup. The Germans missed three of six penalty
tries, the last by Jonathan Tah, who blasted his attempt high over
the crossbar in the first sudden-death round, setting up Canale for
the winner. Tah's miss followed a save by German goalkeeper Manuel
Neuer of Fabian Balbuena's attempt that would have won it for
Paraguay.
Tah also thought he had the go-ahead goal in extra time. He headed
in a corner kick by Nathaniel Brown in the 102nd minute, but
officials concluded after a video review that Waldemar Anton has
pushed Gill to the ground before the shot and the goal was
disallowed.
The Round of 32 match ended 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay took the
lead when Julio Enciso scored on a header late in the first half,
but Kai Havertz equalized in the 52nd minute for Germany.
“We had to analyze every player, every detail. Thanks to that I was
able to only miss two penalties,” Gill said. “This is for all the
people of Paraguay.”
Paraguay, which entered the match ranked 41st by FIFA, became the
deepest betting long shot to win a match in this World Cup. Germany
came in as the 10th-ranked team in the world.
The Paraguayans will face the winner of Tuesday’s match between
France and Sweden in the Round of 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia. A
win on the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding would
send Paraguay back to Foxborough for the quarterfinals on July 9.
Germany had won six of seven penalty shootouts in major tournaments,
including six straight since losing to Czechoslovakia in the 1976
European Championship final.
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Paraguay's Jose Canale (13) scores a sudden death penalty goal to
win the match during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between
Germany and Paraguay in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Monday, June
29, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
“It’s not enough for German football,” coach Julian
Nagelsmann said.
In the only previous World Cup match between the teams, Germany beat
Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 at the 2002 tournament. Nearly a
quarter-century later, Paraguay got its revenge.
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. It fell that year to eventual champion Spain in the
quarterfinals.
Monday 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.
“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.”
Paraguay broke the early stalemate in the 42nd minute Monday with
some perfect ball movement to set up Enciso.
Miguel Almiron split Germany’s Aleksandar Pavlovic and Nathaniel
Brown with a left-footed pass to Matias Galarza. Galarza sent a
cross to Enciso, who was unmarked by Germany’s defenders and easily
headed it past Neuer.
In the second half, Havertz took a cross from Florian Wirtz, which
he got just enough head on to redirect it past Gill.
Germany, whose 10 goals in the group stage was tied for the most of
any team, struggled to find a way through Paraguay’s 4-5-1 setup.
The Germans had 78% of the possession in the first half.
Paraguay was without defender Omar Alderete, who left with an injury
in the second half of its 0-0 draw against Australia. Canale started
in his place.
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.
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