Germany begin their World Cup 2026 knockout stage campaign against Paraguay in Boston tonight. The four-time winners topped Group E with a game to spare, thumping minnows Curacao 7-1 in the opening game before sealing qualification with a come-from-behind victory over Ivory Coast. However, they will be desperate to prove the Ecuador defeat was nothing more than a minor blip.
Paraguay's Path to the Knockouts
Paraguay, meanwhile, looked to be down and out after losing 4-1 to USA in their World Cup opener but have shown great powers of recovery. They recorded a shock 1-0 win over Turkey — with ten men after Miguel Almiron's controversial red card — before playing out a goalless draw with Australia, which was enough to progress as the seventh best third-place finisher.
This is Germany's first round of 32 appearance at this tournament in 12 years and they are heavy favourites to beat a Paraguay side that has never scored a World Cup knockout round goal in normal time. A win would set up a last-16 showdown against either France or Sweden this weekend.
Germany Team News
Germany are hopeful of welcoming Nathaniel Brown back from injury after he sat out the 2-1 loss to Ecuador. Germany sporting director Rudi Voller said: "We are all hoping he will be ready by Monday. There are still two days to go, and I expect him to train today." However, Nico Schlotterbeck has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with an ankle injury sustained in the win over Ivory Coast.
How to Watch Germany vs Paraguay
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC One, with coverage starting at 9pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via BBC iPlayer and the BBC website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer / ITVX app and their websites.
Match Preview
Remarkably, this is Germany's first World Cup knockout game since beating Argentina in the final 12 years ago. Paraguay, meanwhile, have reached the latter stages of a World Cup for a third time but have a tall order to match their quarter-final appearance in 2010. Kick-off is at 9.30pm BST from the Boston Stadium.
