FIFA World Cup

Round of 32

GER Germany Germany - PAR Paraguay Paraguay

Germany Germany

Paraguay Paraguay

K. Havertz
54'

42'
J. Enciso

Boston Stadium(63,945 Spectators)

Jalal Jayed

Germany eliminated!

Massive upset in Boston as Paraguay send Germany out. For the third successive World Cup since winning the thing in 2014, the four-time world champions make an early exit.

Full-time

José Canale

GOAL!

4:5

Penalty

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

77 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Jonathan Tah

120'

+ 3

Neuer saves!

That's why Nagelsmann brought back Germany's undisputed No.1 Massive stop to save his country's bacon. Who'll blink first?

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Fabián Balbuena

Nadiem Amiri

GOAL!

4:4

Penalty

Goal probability

77 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

120'

+ 3

Lifeline for Germany!

After Havertz and Woltemade efforts are saved, Sanabria drives wide. Germany need to score here. Amiri to take...

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Antonio Sanabria

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Kai Havertz

Penalty shootout

Full-time

120'

+ 2

Substitution

Fabián Balbuena

Júnior Alonso

120'

+ 2

Last chance?!

Amiri sends a free-kick into the side netting. Germany fans will be hoping their team have their aim in, if this does go to penalties...

120'

+ 1

Penalties it is!

The first shootout of World Cup 2026 - hold onto your hats!

119'

Anton!

Anton meets Germany's 16th corner of the game, heading straight at the goalkeeper.

117'

Yellow card

Matías Galarza

116'

Yellow card

Benjamin Hübner

... but VAR intervenes

It's in...

115'

Yellow card

Jamal Musiala

115'

Crunchtime

The clock's ticking as Germany continue to be frustrated by the dogged Paraguay defence.

110'

Substitution

Nadiem Amiri

Florian Wirtz

110'

Substitution

Malick Thiaw

Antonio Rüdiger

106'

Yellow card

Kai Havertz

Kick-off!

Half-time

105'

+ 4

Havertz!

Havertz flicks on a Wirtz cross, but Gill gets to the ball ahead of Woltemade.

105'

+ 1

Yellow card

Julian Nagelsmann

105'

Yellow card

Gustavo Alfaro

102'

Disallowed

Tah heads in a Brown cross, but it's ruled out upon VAR review.

99'

Final substitutions

Striker Sanabria and Ojeda are the newest and final additions for Paraguay.

99'

Substitution

Antonio Sanabria

Damián Bobadilla

99'

Substitution

Braian Ojeda

Juan José Cáceres

98'

Target man Woltemade

The striker is being sought out more and more now. Once again he gets on the ball and Gomez comes flying in and blocks. There are discussions afterwards, as Woltemade wants a penalty, which is not given. There was a hand involved, but so was the upper body, and the distance was also very short.

98'

12th extra-time

No team in World Cup history has had to play extra-time as often as Germany. They have won on three previous occasions, lost three, while five games remained level and went to either a replay or penalties.

More of the same

Just as in regular time, the same pattern continues now in extra time. Germany are pressing forward, Paraguay are defending.

93'

Double block

Woltemade lets fly from 15 metres, but it's blocked. The same goes for Goretzka, who had picked up the rebound.

91'

Germany kick off

The first half of extra-time begins with Germany kicking off and straight away moving deep into Paraguay's half again.

91'

Fourth substitution

The South Americans go into extra-time with Velázquez in place of Almirón.

Extra time

90'

+ 6

Substitution

Gustavo Velázquez

Miguel Almirón

90'

+ 6

An extra 30 minutes

There's no winner inside 90 minutes in Boston, so we have the first extra-time of this World Cup to try and separate Germany and Paraguay.

End of second half

90'

+ 5

The last attempt?

Musiala whips a powerful cross into the penalty area. No takers. The second ball finds its way to Anton, who then commits a foul. That should mean extra-time.

90'

+ 3

Comes to nothing

Paraguay also still have ambitions for a win in regular time. But a corner comes to nothing for a foul. Two minutes remaining.

90'

+ 1

Stoppage time

Five minutes of added time to find a winner...

90'

+ 1

Promising

Counter-attacking opportunity for Deutschland. However, Musiala cannot get his cutback right. Kimmich eventually gets a shot away but it's deflected behind.

89'

World Cup debut

Woltemade comes on for Sané. The striker's first minutes at this World Cup.

88'

Substitution

Nick Woltemade

Leroy Sané

86'

Offside

Goretzka gets free at the near post from a Wirtz corner, but his header hits Anton in an offside position.

84'

No space

Germany are edging closer to the Paraguay penalty area more often in the second half, but there's a lack of end product. This time it's Kimmich, Goretzka and Brown who fail to get through.

84'

Time to win it?

Both round of 32 games so far have seen winners scored in added time.

82'

No reason to intervene

Goretzka is given a bit of a push as he goes up for a header and ends up miscuing. The referee and also the VAR in Dallas see no issue, though.

79'

Third substitution

Anton replaces Pavlović, allowing Kimmich to move into central midfield, with the BVB man covering at the back.

79'

Substitution

Waldemar Anton

Aleksandar Pavlović

0:14

Watch: Passionate German support

78'

Havertz!

So close! This time the move goes down the left flank with Wirtz crossing. Havertz times his jump as he goes for the right corner, but Gill produces an excellent stop to his left.

74'

Fortunate

Canale ends up flicking a Sané cross with the top of his head and is fortunate to see it fly into the hands of Gill.

We're back underway

Will the ball find the back of the net of Paraguay's keeper Gill once more?

73'

Chances still at a premium

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

xGoals

0.71

0.33

Goals

Drinks break

Germany's period of pressure has eased off somewhat. Can new tactical instructions help to completely turn the game around within regular time?

69'

Limited in attack

Arguably the first extended spell of possession for Paraguay in the attacking third. However, neither a free-kick nor the subsequent corner come to anything.

66'

Into the wall

Sané takes charge of the situation, but the Paraguay wall jumps well. It leads to a corner, which is cleared. The second then comes to nothing for a foul in the box.

65'

Intensity rising

Another rough foul by the South Americans as Cubas gives away a free-kick around 25 metres out in a central position.

65'

Yellow card

Andrés Cubas

63'

Musiala on

Twice during the course of the tournament Undav came on for Musiala, now it is the other way around. The Bayern star, who was rotated out today, is supposed to provide the special moment.

63'

Substitution

Jamal Musiala

Deniz Undav

10:12

Watch: Havertz's Bundesliga best bits

Miss watching Kai during his Leverkusen days? Enjoy some of his best bits starting out in the Bundesliga.

King Kai

Havertz has 25 goals in his 62 games for Germany. That's more than any other player since he made his debut for the national team in September 2018.

59'

Caballero with a header

The South Americans push forward, as they naturally need to do a bit more now. The header, however, is harmless, and Neuer can collect the ball comfortably.

58'

One intentional and one enforced substitution

Paraguay make changes, first with Caballero coming on. Shortly after, Maurício is sent on as goalscorer Enciso is unable to continue.

57'

Substitution

Maurício

Julio Enciso

55'

Almost a quickfire double!

Wirtz crosses again. This time Sané misses it, but the second ball falls to Pavlović. A Paraguayan defender's leg gets in the way of the powerful shot.

55'

Substitution

Gustavo Caballero

Gabriel Ávalos

Germany equalise!

Wirtz drifts in from the left and crosses on his right foot into the middle, where Havertz gets the slightest touch with his head to guide it inside the right post. The two former Leverkusen starlets finally have Germany back level.

54'

Kai Havertz

GOAL!

1:1

Assist:F. Wirtz

Goal probability

2 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11.27 m

53'

Same picture

Germany are besieging the penalty area. Paraguay are sitting deep.

Neuer called into action

Kimmich fails to play the ball back cleanly to the keeper, allowing goalscorer Enciso to nip in between. Neuer has to make himself big with his leg to repel the poked shot.

49'

Only glimpses

Germany's counter-pressing is good. Wirtz and Kimmich are quick to recover the ball after losing possession, but even in the first few minutes after the break there is a lack of conviction in attack.

47'

No takers

Sané whips a cross into the box. However, Undav and Havertz are unable to get on the end of it.

46'

We're back underway

Germany kick off, but lose possession of the ball rather quickly.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 7

Goretzka for Nmecha

Germany make a substitution at half-time as outgoing Bayern man Goretzka replaces Dortmund's Nmecha in central midfield.

45'

+ 6

Substitution

Leon Goretzka

Felix Nmecha

Glimmer of hope

Germany have already turned a game around at this World Cup after being behind at half-time. They were also a goal down at the break against Ivory Coast but came back to win 2-1 through super-sub Deniz Undav, who's had only seven touches in the first half. Germany have also scored six of their 10 tournament goals in the second period.

45'

+ 6

A lack of chances?

xGoals

But Paraguay have been clinical.

xGoals

0.36

0.18

Goals

Half-time: Germany 0-1 Paraguay

An extremely tough first half for Germany. Paraguay started on the front foot, then dropped extremely deep after five minutes. Nagelsmann's men dominated but struggled to create anything of note, with half-chances for Undav, Havertz and Nmecha. To make matters worse, Enciso capitalised on the South Americans' first attacking move for 40 minutes. The question remains: What will Germany come up with against this deep defensive block in the second half?

Half-time

45'

+ 5

Corner again

Germany's fifth corner. Again it comes to nothing.

45'

+ 3

Germany again!

Following another corner, Kimmich gets a shot off from a tight angle on the left, but he doesn't really connect and Gill can gather.

45'

+ 2

Nmecha!

Via a series of deflections the ball somehow finds its way to Nmecha, who shoots first time, but the deflected ball trickles past the left post.

45'

+ 2

Mountain to climb

Paraguay haven't lost a World Cup game in which they scored first since 2002 against Spain.

45'

+ 1

Stoppage time

Five minutes of added time.

43'

Now it gets really tough

The lead will hardly discourage Paraguay from sticking to their disruptive style of play. Germany must now find a way through twice.

Paraguay strike!

The South American's first attack of note since the second minute and they lead. A corner is initially cleared, but Paraguay recycle it up the right. Almirón is overlapped by Galarza, whose cross to the penalty spot is met by the head of the unmarked Enciso to find the back of the net.

42'

Julio Enciso

GOAL!

0:1

Assist:M. Galarza

Goal probability

8 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

10.8 m

40'

Lacking conviction

After a short corner, Wirtz is actually in a shooting position, but he hesitates for too long. In the end, the ball is gone.

37'

Pressing on point, accuracy not yet

Brown wins the ball and it's quickly moved to Havertz out on the left. But he takes too long and then plays a rather sloppy pass to the edge of the penalty area.

Battling hard

The third-placed team from Group have looked to draw Germany into many one-on-one duels, with Kimmich coming out on top here.

32'

Good idea

Nmecha looks for Havertz between the lines, but the ball won't stick for him as he turns - slightly held by Canale - and it rolls through.

31'

A test of patience

Paraguay continue to sit extremely deep, defending in two clear banks of four just in front of their own penalty area. Good ideas are needed by Germany, who seem to be looking to Wirtz on the left to produce.

29'

Sané offside

A great long ball from Kimmich, but the winger is marginally offside.

27'

Back under way

Topped up with liquids, can Germany turn their dominance into a lead?

Battle of the creative players

Wirtz and Paraguay's Almiron (l.) could be particularly crucial today.

23'

Hydration break

Three minutes for you to have a drink and mull over the first quarter of this tie.

22'

Paraguay slowing it down

After a foul by Brown, goalkeeper Gill takes his time with the free-kick.

Schlotti support

His tournament may be over through injury, but the centre-back is still in the USA and supporting the team.

15'

A planned routine

Kimmich delivers the ball from the left corner to the far post. Tah cannot get a proper connection on it and a foul was called anyway.

15'

Early German possession

Possession (%)

78.521.5

14'

Down the left

Wirtz and Brown combine their way in behind. The latter's cross is blocked for a corner.

10'

High tempo

It is an impressive opening phase with two teams looking to push forward. Germany have taken control in the last few minutes, though.

Last-ditch defending

Wirtz delivers brilliantly from the left into the six-yard box, where Canale gets to the ball one step ahead of Havertz. Corner for Germany.

Undav up top

The Stuttgart man was shown on pre-match graphics as starting as a No.10, but he's the one leading the line today, with Havertz playing off him.

Undav into the action

First attempt by Germany as Undav is played in on the left, but his curling shot bends over the far corner.

First stoppage

Gustavo Gómez got hurt in a challenge with Undav, meaning a brief stoppage.

Defending together

The South Americans are really going for it early on. A quick transition moment and Enciso has a lot of space, but in the end Nmecha and Kimmich clear it together.

Neuer alert

The corner is dangerous as it goes through to the far post. Alonso can shoot on the turn, but Neuer makes himself big to produce a good early stop.

On the front foot

A bold start by Paraguay. Julio Enciso drives forward down the left, and in the end his deflected shot goes behind for a corner.

We're off...

Paraguay kick off this round of 32 encounter. France or Sweden await the winners.

Kick-off!

A long time coming...

The teams are out in Boston. It's Germany's first appearance in the knockout rounds of a World Cup since the 2014 final. But they have won eight of their last nine knockout games, losing the other 1-0 to Spain in the 2010 semi-final.

0:52

Watch: Germany fans share match predictions

Nagelsmann explains attacking switch

"We want a bit more presence in the opposition's box and a bit more personnel for counter-pressing moments on the last line," Julian Nagelsmann tells ZDF of his decision to start Deniz Undav.

Deniz the Menace

World Cup 2026 goals? Three in as many substitute appearances (plus two assists!). Goals for Germany? Nine in 12 caps. Stuttgart goals in all competitions this past season? A handsome 25. Paraguay have been warned.

Undav starts!

Julian Nagelsmann makes two changes following the 2-1 defeat to Ecuador as Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt) – back from injury – and Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart) come in for David Raum (RB Leipzig) and Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich).

Starting line-up: Germany

Formation:4-2-3-1

Starting line-up: Paraguay

Formation:4-4-2

3:14

Watch: Every Undav goal in 2025/26

Deniz Undav scored 19 Bundesliga goals for VfB Stuttgart across 2025/26, helping the Swabians secure their UEFA Champions League place for the upcoming season. With three goals and two assists already in North America, Germany's goal-getter will be hoping to add to his tally in Boston.

Germany to wear all white

With Paraguay set to play in their navy blue away kit, Julian Nagelsmann’s side will swap their traditional black shorts for white in Boston. “Whenever possible, FIFA seeks to ensure a dark-kit and light-kit colour contrast for its matches, in the interests of including those with a colour deficiency,” a statement on the governing body’s website says.

1:12

Bundesliga's best Paraguayan goals

Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Valdez and Lucas Barrios are among the Paraguayan players to have scored in the Bundesliga.

Havertz on facing Paraguay

"Against Ecuador we saw how much quality the South American teams have. I think in Europe, in general, you don't play them many times, but you just feel the intensity. You feel how aggressive they are on the pitch. How united they are as a team, combined with the fans."

Paraguay's Alfaro on facing Germany

"Nobody would have thought that Paraguay would make it to the World Cup [knockout stage]. We're playing against a tough opponent, one that I believe is among the favorites for the World Cup."

Nagelsmann previews Paraguay clash

"The fire is definitely there. We've trained really well and I'm convinced we'll put on a top performance. We can deliver when it counts. There are some tactical considerations, a few tweaks to make. We're looking at what might help one or two players shine."

0:25

Watch: Germany prepare for Paraguay clash

Bundesliga Paraguayans

Some notable Paraguayan internationals have passed through the Bundesliga over the years. Former Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz (pictured), ex-Borussia Dortmund man Lucas Barrios and former Gladbach forward Raul Bobadilla will probably come to mind first for Bundesliga fans. Another BVB striker from the past, Nelson Valdez, is also on the list, as is Omar Alderete, who briefly played for Hertha Berlin between 2020-21 and is the only member of the current squad with a Bundesliga past.

Unbeaten against Paraguay

In the only two meetings between these two teams that have taken place until now, Germany have won once (1-0) and drawn once against Paraguay (3-3). Their thrilling six-goal draw with their upcoming opponents came in a friendly in 2013, with Thomas Müller (pictured, middle), Ilkay Gündoğan and Lars Bender all getting on the scoresheet.

Undav tops the power rankings

The Stuttgart striker leads the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in FIFA's World Cup power rankings. The ranking system aims to evaluate performances based on data, with all outfield players being assigned a value between 0 and 10 in the categories of attack, creativity, and defense. Undav's current scored is 8.37, with Messi (8.33) and Mbappé (8.12) close behind.

Brown could return

The young left-back has returned to team training having missed the loss to Ecuador with an adductor problem.

2:26

Watch: Völler: "We'll go right to our limits"

Rudi Völler, Germany's director of national teams, held a press conference on Saturday to give his thoughts on the upcoming round of 32 assignment. "We have belief, and we'll give absolutely everything on Monday," said the 66-year-old, who was Germany head coach at the FIFA World Cup 2002 when they also faced Paraguay in the knockout rounds.

Germany unbeaten in previous meetings

Across two previous meetings with their soon-to-be round of 32 opponents, Germany have claimed one win and one draw. The first time they faced off against each other was in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, when they met in the round of 16. Back then, Germany won 1-0 thanks to a late goal by Bayer Leverkusen's Oliver Neuville (pictured) and went on to reach the final (where they lost 2-0 to Brazil). There was also a memorable encounter between the two sides in a friendly in August 2013, when Paraguay held Germany to a 3-3 draw in Kaiserslautern - a year before Germany became world champions for a fourth time.

How they got here: Germany

Julian Nagelsmann's side topped Group E, claiming two wins and one defeat over their three group-stage matches. Germany thrashed Curaçao 7-1 in their tournament curtain-raiser before pulling off a come-from-behind victory over Cote d'Ivoire. A shock 2-1 defeat to Ecuador followed for the final game, meaning Nagelsmann and co. will be hoping to bounce back in the knockout rounds, which they kick off by facing South American opposition once more.

How they got here: Paraguay

Finishing third in Group D, Paraguay recovered from an opening 4-1 defeat to co-hosts USA by claiming a narrow victory over Türkiye in their second outing before rounding out the group stage with a draw against Australia. Four points and a goal difference of -2 made the South American side the seventh best third-placed team in the competition, which allowed Paraguay to progress to the knockout rounds.

Welcome!

Follow all of the action as Germany take on Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32, kicking off at 10:30pm CEST in Boston.