LIVEBLOG: Germany vs. Paraguay - 2026 FIFA World Cup, Round of 32

21': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Galarza launches a counterattack, potentially 3v3 if it went any further, but unfortunately for him, it stops quickly - as he swarms Kimmich and sends the FC Bayern wing-back off-balance.

19': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Germany are holding 79 % possession in this opening term, but still have yet to launch a shot on target - despite creating two dangerous opportunities on the left side of the box. Germany has a total of six touches in the Paraguayan penalty area, compared to three from Paraguay in the German box.

16': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Leroy Sané weaves his way into the right side of the Albirroja half, but cannot create a dangerous chance from the onside run - as Matías Galarza times his slide tackle perfectly to send it away for a throw to Julian Nagelsmann's side.

13': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Wirtz with a pass short to Brown on the left side of the Paraguay third. Almirón makes a standing block on the ensuing cross, knocking it away for a corner. Wirtz swings it far-post, but nothing comes of the chance because of a foul from Aleksandar Pavlović - pushing Gill in the goal area before both fell to the ground.

10': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Wirtz pulls Miguel Almirón down on the left side of the Paraguayan third. Gustavo Alfaro's side will not be able to counterattack for too long, though, as Enciso sends a sliding Kimmich to the ground in a contest for possession.

9': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Leroy Sané crosses the ball into the centre of the Paraguayan goal area, but it is grabbed onto by Orlando Gill - who then sends it long. Antonio Rüdiger picks up the clearance and Germany will continue putting pressure in the Albirroja half.

8': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Wirtz sends the ball into the centre of the goal area, hoping to find Havertz for a tap-in; José Canale nearly puts it into his own net with a sliding interception, but it goes a few metres wide for a corner.

Wirtz then goes for a longshot on the ensuing corner cleared by Alonso, but goes well wide of the right post and Paraguay will have a goal kick from here.

6': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Undav slides a pass over to Havertz on the left side of the Paraguayan penalty area. He passes back to the VfB Stuttgart forward, who tries for a chip into the top-right corner but misses by a few metres.

5': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Gómez limps to the touchline, and it looks like he may return soon. Germany will play 11v10 for a minute due to FIFA rules.

3': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Paraguay looking strong on the attack, looking to set the tone on the left side of the German half. Kai Havertz brings down Andrés Cubas close to the sidelines, and is called for a foul and nothing more.

Gustavo Gómez makes contact with Deniz Undav, and may have overstretched his right leg on the fall. He will be tended to by medical staff, unclear as to whether it is serious enough for a substitution.

2': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Julio Enciso enters the left side of the German third, close to the box, and deflects the ball off Nathaniel Brown for a corner after just 21 seconds. Enciso crosses it into the right side of the goal area, Júnior Alonso gets onto it and launches an attempt towards the bottom-right corner - but Manuel Neuer parries it away with his right hand.

1': GERMANY 0-0 PARAGUAY

Gabriel Ávalos with the opening kick and we are underway in Foxborough! Germany, in white and with white shorts (to avoid a kit clash), kicking right to left in the opening term; Paraguay, completely in navy blue, going left to right when on the attack.

Both sides take to the field at Gillette Stadium on a sunny, 28 degree Monday afternoon. National anthems, followed by the coin toss and kickoff.

Forty-first ranked Paraguay are not going to be an easy team by any means. Their recent record includes a 2-2 draw with 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América finalists Colombia, defeated the reigning World Cup / Copa América champions Argentina 2-1, and defeated Mexico 2-1. They started their campaign at this tournament with a 1-4 defeat to the United States, but one result is not enough to completely define a tournament - and Gustavo Alfaro's side rebounded with a 1-0 victory with 10 men against Türkiye, plus a scoreless draw with Australia.

Keep an eye on RC Strasbourg talent Julio Enciso, who will look to break through the central defensive lines and particularly in the second 45 - when the Albirroja typically cause some fatigue to their opposition.

One of the most notable stories of Germany's starting XI is the dropping of Jamal Musiala from the starting eleven, with Deniz Undav starting at CAM. Julian Nagelsmann made some recent comments about the decision, which are highlighted in this article.

Speaking of Manuel Neuer, he breaks a German record with his twenty-third appearance in a FIFA World Cup for the DFB-Team. He is fifth on the all-time German appearance list, with 129 appearances - if Germany makes the Round of 16, he ties Lukas Podolski for fourth, and if they make the quarterfinals, he ties with Thomas Müller for third.

Germany and Paraguay have met on only two occasions in their history: a 1-0 victory for Germany at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Jeju, South Korea, and a 3-3 draw in an international friendly in 2013. Only Manuel Neuer - this being his last FIFA World Cup tournament - remains from those squads in the latter matchup.

For the confirmed lineups, here is our article with the starting XI for Julian Nagelsmann's Germany and Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay.

Good evening everyone, and welcome back to continuing liveblog coverage of the German national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The quest to a fifth star begins tonight with the Round of 32, against Paraguay in Foxborough - and we will go through minute-by-minute updates as the DFB-Team looks to advance to the Round of 16.