Paraguay produced one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by eliminating four-time champions Germany in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw following extra time.
Goalkeeper Orlando Gill emerged as Paraguay’s hero, saving penalties from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade before Jose Canale converted the decisive spot-kick in sudden death to seal a 4-3 shootout victory.
Germany’s hopes had already appeared over when Julio Enciso, formerly of Brighton and Ipswich Town, headed Paraguay into the lead just before half-time. However, the Germans responded after the break, with Havertz glancing home a header from Florian Wirtz’s cross to level the match.
The second half belonged largely to Germany, but Paraguay’s disciplined defence held firm under sustained pressure. The South Americans survived another major scare in extra time when Jonathan Tah thought he had scored the winner, only for the goal to be ruled out after Waldemar Anton was judged to have fouled Gill during the move.
The penalty shootout swung back and forth. Havertz’s opening effort was saved, while Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade was also denied by Gill. Paraguay had chances to finish the contest earlier but Antonio Sanabria fired wide and Manuel Neuer, still starring at the age of 40, kept out Fabian Balbuena’s attempt.
After Tah blasted Germany’s sudden-death penalty over the crossbar, Canale calmly stepped forward and converted the winning kick, sparking jubilant celebrations among the Paraguay players and supporters.
Paraguay will now face either France or Sweden in the Round of 16 in Philadelphia on Saturday.
For Germany, the defeat continues a remarkable decline on the world’s biggest stage. World Cup winners in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014, they have now failed to make a deep run in three consecutive tournaments.
They were eliminated in the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, finishing bottom of their group in Russia after defeats to Mexico and South Korea before another early exit in Qatar following a loss to Japan. This latest disappointment came against a Paraguay team ranked 41st in the FIFA rankings before the tournament, 31 places below Germany.
Paraguay recovered impressively after opening the competition with a 4-1 defeat to the United States. Under head coach Gustavo Alfaro, the team became one of the tournament’s toughest defensive units, finishing third in Group D before producing another resilient display against Germany.
Central defenders Jose Canale and Gustavo Gomez repeatedly frustrated the German attack, while the towering 6ft 6in Gill delivered when it mattered most by starring in the shootout.
The defeat also marked an unwanted first for Germany, who had previously won all four of their World Cup penalty shootouts. Their only earlier defeat in a major tournament shootout came in the 1976 European Championship final against Czechoslovakia, when Antonin Panenka famously scored the winning chipped penalty that later gave its name to the iconic technique.