Germany enter their Round of 32 clash against Paraguay as a strong candidate at the 2026 World Cup to clinch the title. The four-time champions topped Group E and now face the task of getting past a Paraguayan side that punched its ticket through as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Germany currently sit at No.12 in the FIFA World Rankings, dropping two spots since the start of the tournament. Julian Nagelsmann’s side opened with an emphatic 7-1 win over Curacao, followed it up with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Ivory Coast. In their final group match, they fell 2-1 to Ecuador, though it had no real impact, as they finished the group stage with six points and top spot in Group E.
Paraguay, by contrast, head into this one as significant underdogs on paper. The South Americans currently sit at No.37 in the FIFA having climbed four spots after their victory over Turkey in the group stage.
Despite a tricky group, Paraguay advanced as one of the eight best third-placed teams, setting up a daunting first knockout test against one of the tournament’s traditional heavyweights.
Leroy Sane celebrates a goal for gERMANY. (Getty Images)
Germany returns to the knockout stage
Beyond the rankings and the result against Paraguay, simply being back in the knockout rounds represents a notable milestone for Germany. The four-time champions failed to escape the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, a stunning fall from grace for a nation that had reached at least the semifinals in eight of its previous ten World Cup appearances before that.
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Paraguay’s historic return to the World Cup stage
Regardless of today’s result, Paraguay have already exceeded expectations simply by making it back to the World Cup for the first time since 2010. Their best-ever finish came at that very tournament in South Africa, where La Albirroja reached the quarterfinals, while they’ve also made the Round of 16 on three separate occasions throughout their history.
