FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the hot afternoon turned into a golden hour summer evening in suburban Massachusetts, Paraguay delivered the first knockout upset of the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay defeated Germany 4–3 on penalty kicks in a match that ended 1–1 after extra time on Monday in front of 63,945 fans in Foxborough. Coming into the match, Paraguay was ranked 37th to Germany’s 12th in FIFA’s rankings, making this one of the biggest knockout upsets in World Cup history.
Paraguay is the first lower-ranked team to come out with a Round of 32 win this week. Canada beat South Africa on Sunday, and Brazil sneaked past Japan earlier Monday. It was the first match of the 2026 tournament to go to a penalty shootout.
Julio Enciso gave Paraguay the lead heading into halftime, before Germany’s Kai Havertz delivered the equalizer in the 54th minute. Neither side scored during the 30-minute extra time, although Germany had a goal called back due to a controversial foul. Even members of Fox’s broadcast team were split on the call, both on the airwaves and on social media.
Heading into what would become a dramatic penalty shootout, the atmosphere in the building was tense, but Paraguayan supporters were still dancing. Paraguay took an early advantage in the shootout, but German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer blocked the fifth attempt that would’ve given the South American side the victory, sending the kicks into sudden death. His teammate Jonathan Tah whiffed Germany’s sixth shot high and left, once again setting Neuer in a do-or-die situation. José Canale delivered, and Paraguay eliminated Germany from the tournament.
