Following Germany’s exit from the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Paraguay, captain Joshua Kimmich offered a blunt assessment of his team’s performance. The four-time champions were eliminated in a 4-3 penalty shootout after a 1-1 stalemate that persisted through extra time.
Although Julian Nagelsmann’s squad controlled 75% of possession, they failed to create meaningful chances against Paraguay’s disciplined defensive block. Julio Enciso opened the scoring for Paraguay in the 42nd minute before Kai Havertz leveled the score in the 54th minute. Germany thought they had secured a late lead in extra time, but Jonathan Tah’s header was waved off after a foul on the opposing goalkeeper.
The penalty shootout saw misses from Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah, resulting in Germany’s first-ever shootout defeat in World Cup history. Kimmich later admitted that the team played poorly across all their fixtures. He noted that despite facing teams outside the world-class tier, Germany struggled throughout, confirming that their departure was justified.
