In a thrilling penalty shootout, Paraguay eliminated Germany and will play in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Paraguay secured a historic upset over Germany at Gillette Stadium in Boston, eliminating a perennial heavyweight from the 2026 World Cup in a thrilling penalty-shootout thriller. With a coveted ticket to the Round of 16 officially punched, La Albirroja has their knockout path mapped out, with only the specific identity of their next opponent left to be decided.
In a match where Die Mannschaft stood as heavy pre-kickoff favorites, Paraguay broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute by forcing a high turnover, allowing Matías Galarza to deliver a pinpoint cross that Julio Enciso emphatically headed home. With Paraguay sitting deep to preserve the lead in the second half, Florian Wirtz unpicked the lock with a cross that Kai Havertz glancingly deflected with his head to level the score.
With regulation resolving in a stalemate, the match proceeded to extra time, where Germany’s Jonathan Tah seemingly poked home a 2-1 winner, only for the goal to be disallowed due to a foul on Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill. In the ensuing high-stakes penalty shootout, Paraguay ultimately held their nerve to claim the monumental victory.
Paraguay’s next opponent
With their spot in the World Cup Round of 16 officially locked down, the South American underdogs will advance to face the winner of the blockbuster knockout clash between France and Sweden, who square off the following day. The Round of 16 matchup is scheduled for Saturday, July 4th at 5 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Anthony Elanga #11 of Sweden and Kylian Mbappe #10 of France.
France cruised into the knockout rounds on the back of a perfect group-stage campaign, topping their group with convincing victories over Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), and Norway (4-1). Conversely, Sweden squeaked through as one of the tournament’s top third-place finishers, weathering an inconsistent 4-point group run that featured a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia, a heavy 5-1 loss to the Netherlands, and a gritty 1-1 draw with Japan.
Sitting at No. 2 in the FIFA World Rankings, France enters the knockouts as a premier title favorite for the 2026 crown. Their terrifying frontline is spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, who have logged four goals apiece as Les Bleus launch their pursuit of a third consecutive World Cup final appearance.
Sweden, meanwhile, is navigating a transitional and inconsistent period under manager Graham Potter after qualifying via the grueling UEFA playoffs. Across his first nine matches at the helm, the Englishman has posted a balanced 3-3-3 record, with star strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres still searching for their first goals of this World Cup, leaving Anthony Elanga to carry the torch as the squad’s primary attacking catalyst.