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Top 5 World Cup knockout shocks - Paraguay win hurts Germany again
Al Jazeera • • general
Key Points:
- Paraguay caused the biggest upset in World Cup knockout history by eliminating four-time champions Germany in the 2026 round of 32 via a 4-3 penalty shootout, defying expectations after a heavy group stage loss to the USA.
- Germany has previously suffered knockout upsets, including a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to Bulgaria in 1994, marking one of the biggest shocks of that tournament.
- South Korea's golden goal victory over Italy in the 2002 round of 16 propelled the hosts to their best-ever fourth-place finish in the World Cup.
- Germany's 7-1 semifinal win over Brazil in 2014 on Brazilian soil was a historic and humiliating defeat for the hosts, who went on to call it their "worst day."
- Morocco has a history of upsetting European teams, notably beating Portugal 1-0 in the 2022 quarterfinals despite being a man down, becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals.
