Germany's early exit from the 2026 World Cup sparked fierce reactions in the German press, with the country’s major media outlets launching fierce criticism against Julian Nagelsmann’s team following their elimination by the Paraguayan national team in a penalty shootout.

Bild referred to it as “yet another German soccer nightmare,” while describing the Mannschaft as “slow, boring, and sluggish,” emphasizing that the team never managed to live up to its status as the favorite.

Kicker noted that “Germany’s run in the 2026 World Cup came to a premature end,” while Die Welt described the result as “a humiliating defeat by Paraguay,” emphasizing that the elimination marks yet another major failure for the national team.

The rest of the German media followed suit. ZDFheute commented that “a sluggish start was followed by bitter disappointment,” Der Tagesspiegel referred to “yet another World Cup fiasco for Germany following the penalty shootout loss to Paraguay,” while t-online summed up the dramatic elimination with the telling headline: “Drama in the penalty shootout.”

These descriptions reflect the mood of disappointment prevailing in Germany following the shocking elimination by Paraguay, with the media viewing the defeat as yet another major setback for the Mannschaft in major tournaments.

*photo source: AP