Paraguay stuns Germany in World Cup penalty shootout upset

José Canale sent Paraguay into the World Cup 2026 Round of 16 on a sudden-death penalty, sealing a 4-3 shootout win over Germany after 120 minutes ended 1-1 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The result knocked out the four-time world champions and gave Paraguay one of the tournament’s defining shocks.

Paraguay had struck first through Julio Enciso in the 42nd minute before Kai Havertz levelled for Germany in the 54th. From there, Gustavo Alfaro’s side absorbed pressure and carried the match to penalties, where Orlando Gill made two key saves and FIFA said Paraguay “held their nerve” to claim a historic victory. ESPN highlighted Canale’s finish as the moment that made the win history for Paraguay.

Germany never found a decisive breakthrough after Havertz’s equaliser, and reports said a Tah extra-time goal was controversially disallowed before the shootout settled matters. The loss was Germany’s first-ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat, an especially hard blow for a country that has built its tournament reputation on handling knockout pressure.

The result also carried a long shadow from Paraguay’s past. At the 1998 World Cup, Paraguay were still clinging to a 0-0 draw against hosts France in the last 16 when Laurent Blanc scored a 114th-minute golden goal to end their run. Twenty-eight years later, Paraguay finally won the kind of elimination tie that once slipped away from them, this time against one of the sport’s traditional powers.

That contrast matters because it reflects more than a single bad night for Germany. A match decided by Enciso’s early strike, Havertz’s response, Gill’s saves and Canale’s nerve showed how quickly the margins have tightened between established giants and teams prepared to punish hesitation. Paraguay did not outmuscle Germany so much as expose how thin the cushion has become when a favored side cannot convert control into a second goal.

Paraguay will face the winner of France against Sweden in Philadelphia on Saturday, and fans in Foxborough celebrated long after the final penalty was converted.