Germany vs Paraguay FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Everything you need to know

World Cup - Final Stage

Boston Stadium

Germany vs Paraguay in the World Cup round of 32 kicks off on 29 Jun 2026 at 16:30 EST and 21:30 GMT.

Germany vs Paraguay World Cup round of 32 preview

An unpredictable and dangerous Germany side squares up against a Paraguay outfit that snuck into the round of 32 despite patchy displays in the group. What can we expect from this clash in Boston, Massachusetts?

How Germany and Paraguay got here

Germany finished the group stage with a surprise loss to Ecuador but it was academic as they already sealed their group after a 7-1 win over Curacao and a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 triumph over Ivory Coast thanks to the heroics of substitute Deniz Undav.

Paraguay started the tournament awfully with a 4-1 defeat to hosts USA, but they recovered to clinch a narrow 1-0 win over a disappointing Turkiye side which promised so much. A dull 0-0 stalemate against Australia was enough to inch the Paraguayans into the round of 32. Germany will be favourites here, with the winners facing the winners of France vs Sweden on July 4th.

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Germany's varied threats

Die Mannschaft has scored 10 goals in the tournament, and they've come from seven different players, illustrating how Julian Nagelsmann's side can hurt you from anywhere. Something of a late bloomer, Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav has three of those goals, despite not having started a match yet. His super-sub impact could be critical as he plays second-fiddle to Arsenal man Kai Havertz.

READ MORE:Nagelsmann stands by misfiring Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz

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Attack vs stubborn defence

Nagelsmann's Germany boasts a fearsome front four capable of interchanging at will. Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz enjoy occupying central spaces behind focal point striker Havertz, so the challenge for them will to not step on one another's toes in a congested final third. They'll likely face a tough test against a narrow 4-5-1 as Gustafo Alvaro's Paraguay look to frustrate their more illustrious opponents. With two clean sheets in their last two, Paraguay's blueprint is clear.

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Injury and suspension news

Germany's central defender Nico Schlotterbeck injured knee ligaments against Ivory Coast and will play no further part in the tournament. Antonio Rudiger will deputise for the 26-year-old, while left-back Nathaniel Brown is a minor injury doubt. Former Newcastle star Miguel Almiron was sent off against Turkiye, and will play no part here for Paraguay.

READ MORE:World Cup 2026 Power Rankings as England and Spain head in opposite directions

Likely Germany XI

Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sané, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz.

Likely Paraguay XI

Gill; Caceres, Gomez, Alderete, Alonso; Gomez, Cubas, Galarza, Bobadilla; Enciso, Sanabria.

Germany's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United)

Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United).

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Paraguay's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Roberto Junior Fernandez (Cerro Porteno), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gaston Oliveira (Olimpia).

Defenders: Omar Alderete (Sunderland), Junior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro), Fabian Balbuena (Gremio), Juan Jose Caceres (Dinamo Moscow), Jose Canale (Lanus), Gustavo Gomez (Palmeiras), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres), Gustavo Velazquez (Cerro Porteno).

Midfielders: Damian Bobadilla (Sao Paulo), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth), Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Matias Galarza (Atlanta United), Diego Gomez (Brighton), Mauricio Magalhaes (Palmeiras), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City), Alejandro Romero (Al Ain).

Forwards: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United), Gabriel Avalos (Independiente), Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Isidro Pitta (Bragantino), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Ramon Sosa (Palmeiras).

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Team news & squads

Germany vs Paraguay Probable lineups

Germany

GER

Formation

Paraguay

PAR

Paraguay

PAR

Manager

• J. Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann takes charge of Germany for this fixture with no confirmed injury or suspension information available at this stage. No probable lineup has been released. Updates will be added closer to kick-off as selection news emerges.

Paraguay's coaching staff have not been confirmed in the available data, and no injuries, suspensions, or probable lineup details have been released for this match. Further team news will follow as the fixture approaches.

Form

Germany head into the round of 32 with a mixed recent record of three wins and one defeat from their last four competitive outings. Their most recent result was a 2-1 loss to Ecuador on June 25, a result that ended a run of consecutive victories. Before that, they beat Ivory Coast 2-1 and Curacao 7-1 in the group stage, and defeated the United States 1-2 in a pre-tournament friendly on June 6. They also beat Finland 4-0 in their final warm-up match in May.

Paraguay's last five matches produced two wins, one draw, and two losses. Their most recent fixture was a 0-0 draw with Australia on June 26, which secured their place in the knockout rounds as a third-place wildcard. Before that, they beat Turkiye 1-0 on June 20 and lost 4-1 to the United States on June 13. In pre-tournament friendlies, they beat Nicaragua 4-0 but lost 2-1 to Morocco in March.

Head-to-Head Record

GER

Last 2 matches

PAR

1

Win

1

Draw

0

Wins

• Germany

  3

  -

  3

  Paraguay

• Germany

  1

  -

  0

  Paraguay

4

Goals scored

3

Games over 2.5 goals

1/2

Both teams scored

1/2

The two sides have met twice in available records, with both fixtures producing goals. The most recent encounter came on August 14, 2013, a friendly that finished 3-3. Before that, Germany beat Paraguay 1-0 in a World Cup group stage match on June 15, 2002. Germany hold the only outright win across the two meetings, with one draw.

Standings

Germany finished first in Group E, while Paraguay advanced from Group D in third place.