The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has come to an end, and we’re now well into the tournament’s knockout rounds, where every match is a “do-or-die” battle. Where a single mistake or a moment of inattention can be enough to send a team packing… back home.

Germany and Paraguay will face off on Monday night (June 29, 11:30 p.m.), with Julian Nagelsmann’s team clearly the heavy favorite.

Before the World Cup began, there were plenty of questions about Germany’s form, and despite topping Group E, the clouds haven’t completely cleared yet. After an emphatic start with an impressive 7-1 victory over Curaçao, they followed it up with a hard-fought 2-1 win—and a comeback, no less—against Ivory Coast, while in the third and final group stage match, they disappointed with a 2-1 loss to Ecuador.

Now the pretense is over, and Germany must step up its game if it hopes to go all the way in the world’s biggest soccer tournament.

On the other side, Paraguay has been quite inconsistent so far in the tournament. Their disastrous opener against the host Americans—a 4-1 loss—didn’t deter them, as they defeated Turkey (1-0) in the very next match, and against Australia, they secured their spot in the next round with a scoreless draw (0-0).

Paraguay is now called upon to pull off a major upset and knock out one of the title contenders—the all-powerful Germany—from the tournament this early on.

Probable Starting Lineups:
Germany: Neuer, Kimmich, Tah, Rüdiger, Braun, Enmecha, Pavlovic, Sané, Musiala, Wirz, Havertz
Paraguay: Gil, Maidana, Canale, Gómez, Alonso, Cáceres, Galarza, Cubas, Bobadilla, Enciso, Almirón

*photo source: AP