Germany is set to play their first World Cup knockout game since the 2014 final as they take on Paraguay in the new Round of 32 stage of the 2026 World Cup in Boston. The winners will face either France or Sweden in the next round.
Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Details
Date: Monday, 29 June 2026 / Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Kick-off: 16:30 (EST) / 02:00 (IST)
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Preview
After suffering frustrating elimination in the group stages in the previous two tournaments, Germany turned things around at the 2026 World Cup, topping Group E and qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time since the edition in Brazil, when they lifted the trophy. Julian Nagelsmann’s side hopes it is a good omen for them after starting their campaign in spectacular style with a 7-1 drubbing of debutants Curacao, but then had to rely on late heroics against the Ivory Coast to seal a comeback 2-1 win. Even if the result secured their place in the Round of 32 with a game to spare, the 2-1 loss to Ecuador, winless before the clash, in the final group game, fielding a fully strengthened eleven, did not sit well with the faithful. The defeat also breaks their momentum before the knockouts, which is not ideal. Despite having a talented squad, the four-time winners are not among the tournament favourites this time due to their severe underperformance in the past editions. There are also doubts around the defensive capabilities of the present team, having conceded in each of the last four games and keeping just one clean sheet in seven. However, Germany will be determined to put on a show to boost their morale as they will most likely to face France in the next round, which is as challenging as it gets. Die Mannschaft faced Paraguay once before in the World Cup in 2002, also in the first round of the knockouts, winning with a late strike and they need to grind out a result again, as it is unlikely to be a 3-3, which happened in a friendly back in 2013. Here’s the Germany FIFA World Cup all time Stats
Gustavo Alfaro's side’s first World Cup game since 2010 was not joyful at all as they went down 4-1 against co-hosts USA, but since then they have recaptured their identity of immense solidity to secure their place in the knockout stage. La Albirroja turned back the humiliation with a stunning 1-0 win against a talented Turkey, even after playing the entire second half with 10-men in the second group game, before a goalless draw against Australia helped them qualify to the Round of 32 stage as one of the eight best-placed teams. Paraguay’s excellent CONMEBOL qualifying campaign in securing the final spot to punch their ticket to North America was marked by their fantastic defence that conceded just 10 and none in the last two matches at the finals. However, the back four, which could be without their star centre-back pairing for the game, captain Diego Gomez suspended and Omar Alderete an injury doubt, will face a difficult task in preventing a German team that has not failed to score since the 2-0 loss to Slovakia in the opening game of the UEFA qualifiers for this World Cup in September 2025. Still, Paraguay will find motivation in the way they stifled a shining Turkish team and also how fellow South American nation Ecuador pulled out a memorable win against their opponents on Monday night, disrupting their flow ahead of this tie, which could turn out to be an unintended blessing for the side. Here’s the Paraguay FIFA World Cup all time Stats
Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Form
Germany: WWL
Paraguay: LWD
Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Predicted Lineups
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz
Paraguay (4-4-2): Gill; Cáceres, Balbuena, Velázquez, Alonso; Almiron, Galarza, Cubas, Mauricio; Avalos, Enciso
Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Prediction
Germany’s defence cannot be trusted, but the attack is and it will serve as their main weapon to get past a Paraguay team that will make the affair difficult with their incredible discipline. However, potentially not having their starting centre-backs will ultimately result in their failure to keep the Germans at bay, while their lacklustre offence, even with Miguel Almiron back from suspension, restricts them from scoring more than the opposition. For Julian Nagelsmann’s side, it will be a chance to forget the last game’s result and prepare well for the predicted France clash in the next round, avoiding any more upsets.
FT: Germany 2-1 Paraguay
