Germany was knocked out of the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32, eliminated by Paraguay 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. And the hardest part was not the result, but what their own captain said afterward.
Joshua Kimmich did not look for excuses: “It is a horrible feeling, we have not played well against any opponent. We are the players who messed it up, not the coach, the media, the referee, or the opponent”. Coach Julian Nagelsmann, meanwhile, pointed to a disallowed goal and spoke of bad luck, although he acknowledged: “What we have done was not enough”.
It is the third consecutive time that Germany has exited a World Cup early, after Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Kimmich asked for Nagelsmann to remain in charge. Paraguay, coached by Gustavo Alfaro, advances to the round of 16 to face the winner between France and Sweden.