2026 World Cup Round of 32: Germany vs Paraguay Preview, Odds and Predictions (June 29)
- When: Monday, June 29, 2026. 4:30 PM ET
- Where: Gillette Stadium, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- How to Watch: FOX
The 2026 World Cup starts the knockout stage with the Round of 32 being active as one matchup takes place in Boston with Germany facing Paraguay. Both squads are fighting for a place in the Round of 16, meaning there will be plenty of pressure on both nations in this elimination game.
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Germany Stats & Team News
Germany coasted to the next round of the World Cup after topping the Group E standings, scoring 10 goals in the process. However, a 2-1 upset loss to Ecuador has stunted their momentum as they hope to perform better against a quality defense in Paraguay.
Seven different players have scored for the Germans with Deniz Undav leading the offense with three goals. Having scored in all three group-stage matches, Germany looks to keep that consistency going against Paraguay, who has recorded back-to-back clean sheets since their opening loss. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala will seek to play pivotal roles in helping Germany move on to the next round.
Likely Lineup:
(4-2-3-1) Neuer (GK); Kimmich, Tah, Rüdiger, Raum; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sané, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz
Paraguay Stats & Team News
Paraguay has solid rhythm after recording back-to-back clean sheets following their 4-1 loss to the United States. They bounced back with a 1-0 upset win over Turkiye and drew 0-0 against Australia to advance to the Round of 32.
Mauricio Prada and Matias Galarza are the lone goalscorers for the national team so far in this World Cup. They will hope to find weaknesses in the German defense, seeking strong performances from Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso among others.
Likely Lineup:
(4-4-2) Gill (GK) Cáceres, Balbuena, Velázquez, Alonso; Almirón, Galarza, Cubas, Mauricio; Ávalos, Enciso
Head-to-Head Stats
- This is the third all-time meeting between Germany and Paraguay.
- Germany leads with one win and one draw in the all-time series against Paraguay.
- This marks the second competitive meeting between the nations, first since the 2002 World Cup.
Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup Picks
Paraguay stands out as the clear underdog with Germany shining as the firm favorite. The biggest question for the Paraguayans is their ability to generate chances for scoring goals, something that Germany looks to prevent after conceding a goal in all three matches. This game can go down to the wire, but Germany might be able to set the tone early on and not look back for the rest of the match. It would be safe to believe that Germany will come out of the match with a 3-1 win.
