Germany eliminated by Paraguay in World Cup penalty shootout

Germany suffered a shock 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending their campaign early. The match at Boston Stadium ended 1-1 after extra time, with Paraguay's goalkeeper Orlando Gill saving spot-kicks from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade, while Jonathan Tah missed the target. German media reacted with harsh criticism, with Bild calling it a 'disgraceful elimination' and 'the next nightmare of German football' Source: Bild via Infobae. The team was described as 'slow, boring, lethargic' Source: Excelsior.

Disappointment and anger in Germany

The loss marks Germany's third consecutive early World Cup exit, following group-stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022. Frankfurter Allgemeine simply titled 'Germany loses to Paraguay on penalties' Source: Clarin, while BR24 highlighted 'Drama on penalties for Tah: Germany eliminated by Paraguay' Source: Clarin. The Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport exclaimed 'Germany, what a failure!' Source: Infobae, and L'Equipe called it the 'biggest surprise of the World Cup so far' Source: Infobae.

Key moments and reactions

• Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill was the hero, saving two penalties and later saying: 'It is a privilege, we eliminated a champion' Source: Excelsior.
• Germany's coach Julian Nagelsmann faced criticism, with Spiegel Sport remarking the team 'did not manage to impress against the South Americans' .