Germany’s 2026 FIFA World Cup journey comes to a surprising end in the Round of 32.
Heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the current German team wasn’t viewed as a heavy favorite to win it all.
But did fans expect Germany to lose against Paraguay in the Round of 32? Also no. Additionally, this was the first time in World Cup history that the four-time champions lost in a penalty shootout.
The only players to have ever missed penalties for Germany in World Cups
For context, Germany suffered a 4-3 defeat in penalties at the hands of Paraguay. Surprisingly, three German players failed to convert from the spot kick in this match.
The players were Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah. This is surprising, as previously, only Uli Stielike had ever missed in a penalty shootout for the Germans in World Cup history.
Stielike’s miss came during the 1982 World Cup semifinals, and even then, Germany walked away with a 5-4 win.
Unfortunately, the four-time World Cup champions’ perfect 4-0 record in penalty shootouts in the competition has now been tainted by Paraguay.
Joshua Kimmich reacts to Germany’s loss against Paraguay
Captain Joshua Kimmich was among the three players who actually converted from the spot kick, but it didn’t matter as the team was eliminated.
After the game, Kimmich was asked about his thoughts on the historic loss, and the 31-year-old dropped a brutal reality check.
“It feels terrible,” Kimmich said. “We didn’t play well against any of our opponents. We struggled badly in all three matches against teams that aren’t world-class. That’s a fact. We deserved to be eliminated.”
Either way, it feels like it is time for a complete overhaul of the German side, as this was the team’s third consecutive failure in the tournament since lifting the trophy in 2014.
Read more:
