Match Information
Fixture: Germany vs Paraguay Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 Date: June 29, 2026 Kick-off Time: 20:30 UTC Stadium: Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough Capacity: 65,878
Germany will face Paraguay in the round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup, aiming for a spot in the round of 16. Die Mannschaft enters the contest as favorites with a superior squad and immense attacking depth and quality, but Paraguay's well-known disciplined defensive structure and physical approach under Gustavo Alfaro could make the encounter far more competitive than anticipated.
Team News
Germany will miss their defender Nico Schlotterbeck due to a knee injury sustained against Ivory Coast in the second group match. The player is ruled out of the World Cup, and Antonio Rüdiger will replace him in the starting 11.
Nathaniel Brown missed the last match against Ecuador as a part of precaution and will return against Paraguay as a left back in the starting 11.
Paraguyan midfielder Diego Gomez will be suspended from the round of 32 for receiving a second yellow card in the group stage of the tournament.
Miguel Almiron will be back in the team, having served a suspension due to a red card against Turkey, and defender Omar Alderete and forward Ramon Sosa are both a doubt for the clash.
Germany Search for Clinical Edge
Germany advances to the round of 32 as champions of their group, with 6 points ahead of Ivory Coast with the advantage of goal difference. Germany started their campaign with a glorious win against Curaçao, scoring 7 goals, but struggled in the next two matches to convert the chances into goals. They ground out a hard-fought victory against Ivory Coast with a last-minute winner from Undav but lost against Ecuador with a score of 2-1, where Ecuador completely outplayed Germany.
Germany faces critical vulnerabilities in their attack to convert created chances to goals. Deniz Undav has been the super sub for Germany to rescue them in the clash against Ivory Coast, but forwards including Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz lack precision in front of the goal.
Germany also failed to cope with the physical game of Ecuador in the last match, but they hold superior technical quality over Paraguay, with players like Musiala, Wirtz, Kimmich, and Nmecha to unbalance the Paraguayan defense.
Paraguay Ready to Frustrate the Favorites
Paraguay finished as second runners-up in Group D behind the USA and Australia. They started the tournament with a humiliating defeat against the USA, but Paraguay pulled off a shock victory over Turkey with an exceptional defensive performance. They managed to get a goalless draw against Australia to confirm their ticket to the round of 16.
The biggest strength of Paraguay is their defensive lineup with Alonso, Caceres, Alderete, and Velazquez under their manager Gustavo Alfaro. They could comfortably play low block for 90 minutes to frustrate the opponents and could threaten them with explosive counterattacks using players like Julian Enciso and Miguel Almirón.
However, the team’s technical quality in the attack is far lower than Germany's.
Key Tactical Battle
This match could be an intense physical battle between both teams, where Paraguay aims to conquer Germany's attacking players with their physical strength. In this match Kai Havertz will be a critical player for Germany with his ability to play against opponents using physical strength.
Germany is expected to dominate possession, while Paraguay will defend with a compact low block and look to break quickly through Miguel Almirón and Julio Enciso. The biggest question is whether Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz can find space between the lines before Paraguay settle into their defensive shape.
If Germany could get an excellent clinical performance from Havertz in the first half, then Germany could secure a comfortable victory
Predicted Lineups
Germany : Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sané, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz
Paraguay : Gill, Caceres, Alderete, Velazquez, Alonso, Almiron, Galarza, Cubas, Mauricio, Avalos, and Enciso.
Prediction and Forecast
This match could be a closely contested encounter, especially considering Germany's recent performance against a team like Ecuador, but Germany could use their players like Wirtz and Musiala to break the Paraguayan low block to open the scoresheet and claim a narrow victory over the South Americans.
Predicted Score : Germany 1-0 Paraguay