Germany's perfect record in World Cup penalty shootouts has come to an end after they exited the 2026 edition with a 4-3 defeat to Paraguay, following a 1-1 draw after regular and extra time, falling for the first time in their World Cup history in a penalty shootout.
The German side entered the match as favourites to advance, buoyed by their exceptional penalty shootout history, having previously won all four of their World Cup shootout encounters, earning a reputation as the most cool-headed side in decisive moments.
That record began in the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup when West Germany beat France, then repeated the feat against Mexico in the 1986 quarter-final, before eliminating England in the 1990 semi-final and Argentina in the 2006 quarter-final.
But Paraguay brought that dominance to an end in Boston, having withstood German control throughout 120 minutes, before settling the contest from the spot, thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper Orlando Gil, who played a prominent role in taking his country into the last 16.
Germany missed 3 penalties through Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah, while Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, and Nadiem Amiri scored — a wastage rate unmatched in any of Germany's previous four shootouts.
Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, Mathías Galárza, and José Cañal scored for Paraguay, while Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena missed, before Cañal converted the decisive kick to hand his country one of the most remarkable victories in their World Cup history.
The defeat to Paraguay closed a chapter spanning more than four decades of German dominance in World Cup penalty shootouts, during which the side maintained a perfect record since 1982, before Paraguay ended it in one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 edition.
It is worth noting that Germany have now exited the World Cup at an early stage for the third consecutive tournament, in the worst era in the Mannschaft's history, having been eliminated in the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, before the 2026 disappointment of going out in the round of 32.