The Round of 32 match takes place at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Germany leads Group E with six points. Nagelsmann’s side announced themselves as title contenders by dismantling Curaçao 7-1 before beating Ivory Coast 2-1 to seal early qualification. Their final group game brought a timely reminder that improvements are still needed, however, as Ecuador inflicted a 2-1 defeat despite Germany having already secured top spot.
Paraguay’s group trip could not have been more different. Their tournament looked in danger of ending after a 4-1 defeat to the hosts the United States in the opening match, but Alfaro’s players responded with impressive resistance. A disciplined 1-0 win over Türkiye, achieved after playing the entire second half with ten men, restarted their campaign before a hard-earned 0-0 draw against Australia secured four points and a place among the tournament’s top third-placed teams.
Germany will once again rely on one of the competition’s most exciting attacking units. Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz continue to provide creativity behind Kai Havertz, while Deniz Undav has become one of the stories of the tournament. The forward scored three goals despite only coming off the bench and enters the knockout phase as Germany’s most effective impact substitute. In defence, Germany were dealt a significant setback after Nico Schlotterbeck was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a serious ankle injury, leaving Antonio Rüdiger to marshal the back line.
Paraguay also received an important boost. Miguel Almirón returns after his suspension and is expected to partner Julio Enciso to lead the counter-attacking threat. Midfielder Diego Gómez, however, is unavailable after picking up two yellow cards during the group stage.
This will be only the second World Cup meeting between the nations. Their previous encounter came in the Round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, where Germany finally broke Paraguay’s resistance in the 88th minute through Oliver Neuville before eventually finishing runners-up to Brazil.
The tactical contrast promises to define the contest. Nagelsmann’s Germany favored aggressive pressing, fluid movement and sustained possession, while Alfaro built Paraguay around defensive organization, compact positioning and quick transitions. Germany may bring a stronger pedigree, but Paraguay have already shown throughout the group stage that they are capable of frustrating fancier opponents when discipline and structure take center stage.