Paraguay knocked Germany out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 29 in a penalty shootout that ended 4-3. A team that had won exactly one World Cup shootout in its entire history, back in 2010, just sent the four-time champions packing.
And as the Paraguayan players collapsed onto each other in disbelief, Kraken’s logo sat calmly on the pitchside boards, beaming into living rooms worldwide. The 2026 World Cup isn’t just a football tournament. It’s a crypto advertising bonanza disguised as a sporting event.
Shootouts, expanded brackets, and maximum chaos
The expanded 48-team format for 2026 was always going to produce more knockout matches. More knockout matches mean more draws at full time. More draws mean more penalty shootouts.
For Paraguay, the win was practically historic. Their only previous shootout victory at a World Cup came 16 years ago.
