Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The World Cup knockout rounds have delivered another stunning upset, with Paraguay eliminating four-time champion Germany on penalties in Foxborough.
- This result lands among the tournament's most historic upsets, where hosts and underdogs repeatedly defied expectations against European powers.
- The debate now centers on where Paraguay's victory fits in a list defined by shocking semifinal runs and a final that silenced 200,000 fans.
After both Canada and Brazil narrowly escaped disaster in the first two round of 32 matches, the 2026 World Cup finally has its first knockout-round shocker in the books. It came courtesy of Paraguay, which outlasted four-time winner Germany in penalties in Foxborough on Monday afternoon.
It did not come without controversy, as the Germans appeared to have found the go-ahead goal on a corner kick in extra time only for VAR to wipe it away due to a foul in the box. Given extra life, though, Gustavo Alfaro's side took full advantage, with Orlando Gill stopping three penalties in six tries to send Paraguay on to the round of 16.
It's hard to overstate just how little a chance Paraguay was given in this match, considering that they barely made it out of the group stage in the first place — not to mention that their opponent just so happened to be among the most decorated programs in world soccer. But where does it fall among the most remarkable upsets in World Cup knockout-round history? We had to settle that debate once and for all, so we put together a list.
6. 1994 quarterfinal: Bulgaria 2, Germany 1
Germany came to the U.S. as the reigning World Cup champions and the No. 1 ranked team in the world, a status it backed up by emerging victorious from a rugged group that featured both Spain and South Korea. A comfortable win over Belgium in the round of 16 sent the Germans through to the quarterfinals, where they were expected to handle a Bulgarian side that boasted a true star in Barcelona's Hristo Stoichkov but had never won a game in five previous tournaments.
The script looked to be going according to plan when Germany took the lead early in the second half, but goals from Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov in a span of just four minutes gave the underdogs a shocking spot in the semifinals.
5. 2026 round of 32: Paraguay 1, Germany 1
And yet, it has to be said that Germany's crashout in 2026 is even more stunning. That Bulgarian team had already proven itself to be a better side than many had assumed, and they had a genuinely elite goal-scorer in Stoichkov. Paraguay, on the other hand, got smoked in its opening match against the U.S. and only snuck into the knockout rounds courtesy of a scoreless draw against an Australian side that had nothing to play for in its final group contest.
But the Paraguayan defense held firm across 120 minutes, allowing just one goal (though Germans will no doubt argue they should have allowed a second, were it not for a controversial VAR overturn in extra time). The fact that they beat legendary keeper Manuel Neuer in penalties is just the cherry on top.
4. 1958 playoff: Wales 2, Hungary 1
This was Wales' first appearance in the World Cup, and that itself required a remarkable confluence of events. The Welsh made it to the tournament via a playoff win over Israel, which won its qualifying group after all three of its opponents refused to play due to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.
Once in the field, though, the Dragons were determined to make the most of their opportunity. They drew all three of their group-stage matches, setting up a playoff against reigning runners-up Hungary to determine who would advance to the knockout rounds. After falling behind 1-0, Ivor Allchurch and Terry Medwin delivered a pair of shocking goals to send Wales through to the quarterfinals, where they'd eventually lose to Brazil.
3. 2002: South Korea's spectacular run
Really, take your pick. Not much was expected of the host Koreans in 2002, but they just kept on slaying dragons — starting with Portugal in the group stage. In the round of 16 against Italy, they needed an equalizer in the 88th minute from Seol Ki-hyeon before Ahn Jung-hwan delivered the golden goal near the end of extra time. That set up a quarterfinal showdown against another European power in Spain, but again, Korea was undaunted, holding the Spanish scoreless through 120 minutes before converting on all five of its penalties to advance to the semis. It's one of the unlikeliest runs to the final four we've ever seen.
2. 2018 round of 16: Russia 1, Spain 1
Another host, another improbable upset over Spain. The Russians were expected to get grouped in 2018, but a shock win over Uruguay helped propel them to the knockout rounds. And after Artem Dzyuba erased an early deficit by converting a penalty just before the halftime break, keeper Igor Akinfeev took it from there, keeping Spain scoreless the rest of the way and saving two penalties to see his team through to the quarterfinals.
1. 1950 final: Uruguay 2, Brazil 1
In terms of stakes, this might be the biggest upset in World Cup history. Nearly 175,000 fans packed the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro to root on the hosting Brazilians, who had overwhelmed the rest of the competition — including 21 goals in their first five matches. So impressive had they been in the tournament to date that local fans and media members started proclaiming them world champions before the final match had even been played.
Uruguay found itself trailing early in the second half, but Juan Alberto Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia netted goals that silenced the home crowd and secured a shocking World Cup title. The result was so memorable that it earned its own nickname in Brazil: “El Maracanazo”, or "The Maracanã smash".
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