Germany OUT: Paraguay Stun Nagelsmann on Penalties in the Round of 32
Germany are out of the 2026 World Cup after Paraguay won 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Boston Stadium. The four-time champions eliminated in the Round of 32
Germany are out of the 2026 World Cup. Paraguay beat the four-time world champions 4-3 on penalties at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on Monday 29 June after 90 minutes and extra time ended 1-1. Julio Enciso headed Paraguay in front in the 42nd minute. Kai Havertz equalised for Germany in the 54th. Jonathan Tah thought he had won it in the 102nd but the goal was disallowed by VAR. Tah then blasted the decisive penalty over the crossbar to send Julian Nagelsmann's side home
Germany were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup by Paraguay on 29 June. The Round of 32 match at Boston Stadium ended 1-1 after extra time (Enciso 42', Havertz 54'). Paraguay won 4-3 on penalties. It was Germany's first ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat
How did Germany get knocked out of the 2026 World Cup?
Paraguay went in front in the 42nd minute. Julio Enciso met a cross with a header past Manuel Neuer for the opener. It was Germany's first behind position of the tournament after topping Group E with the 7-1 win over Curaçao that had them among the pre-tournament favourites.
Kai Havertz equalised in the 54th minute. Germany's second-half territory was heavy. Julian Nagelsmann brought on attacking substitutes in the final 20 minutes to force a winner. Paraguay held.
Extra time turned. Jonathan Tah headed in from a corner in the 102nd minute. The video assistant referee disallowed the goal after review, ruling Waldemar Anton had pushed Orlando Gill to the ground in the build-up. No further goals arrived. The match went to penalties.
Paraguay executed. Germany did not. The four-time champions missed three of six spot-kicks. Jonathan Tah blasted the last German attempt high over the crossbar in the first sudden-death round. José Canale scored the decisive penalty for Paraguay to book a Round of 16 tie.
Jonathan Tah's disallowed goal and the penalty shootout drama
Tah's tournament turned in twenty minutes. The centre-back thought he had scored the winner from a corner in the 102nd minute, celebrated in front of the German bench, and watched VAR overturn the goal for a foul in the build-up. Anton's push on Orlando Gill was the deciding factor. The goal was chalked off. Germany had to play on.
The shootout was Paraguayan discipline against German nerves. Orlando Gill made two saves. Nagelsmann's side missed three out of six attempts overall. Tah, the man who thought he had already won it, stepped up in the first sudden-death round and skied his effort over the bar.
José Canale finished it off. Paraguay through, Germany out. It was the first time in the country's football history that Germany had lost a World Cup penalty shootout. The four-time champions had won every previous World Cup shootout in their history.
Nagelsmann was direct after the match: "It's not enough for German football."
What Germany's exit means for collectors and Nagelsmann's future
Germany's early exit is the biggest single upset by ranking of the 2026 World Cup so far. The four-time World Cup winner is out in the Round of 32 to a nation making its first knockout appearance in more than a decade. Julian Nagelsmann's future as head coach is now the story.
For collectors, early exits often produce short-term demand spikes on signed memorabilia from the tournament window. Germany's 2026 shirts, particularly items from the Curaçao and Ivory Coast group stage matches, are the pieces that carry the tournament-specific value.
Paraguay play the winner of the Netherlands-Morocco tie in the Round of 16. That match went to Morocco on penalties on the same day, so Paraguay face the Atlas Lions.