Paraguay's win over Germany is one of biggest upsets in World Cup history

Paraguay's shocking upset over Germany in the round of 32 wasn't just one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 World Cup, but one of the largest in knockout round history.

>What happened at Gillette Stadium was a result not many people saw coming. Paraguay jumped out to an early lead and despite Germany tying the match and threatening a game-winner, it held off another score and emerged victorious in penalty kicks for its first knockout round victory since the 2010 World Cup.

>There have been numerous upsets throughout World Cup history, but most of those happen in the group stage and ended up in ties. It's even more remarkable when elimination and advancing is on the line. So where does Paraguay's historic win rank?

Paraguay vs. Germany upset rankIn regard to FIFA rankings, Paraguay's win over Germany was the fourth biggest in World Cup knockout round history since 1994.

>Going into the tournament, Germany was the 10th ranked national team, while Paraguay was 41st. The 31-place difference makes it the fourth biggest upset in terms of FIFA rankings, according to OptaStats and Fox Sports.

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31 – There was 31 places in the FIFA World Rankings prior to the tournament between Germany (10th) and Paraguay (41st), the fourth-largest for a FIFA World Cup knockout elimination (since 1994) after Spain v Russia in 2018 (60), Italy v Korea Republic in 2002 (34) and Spain v… pic.twitter.com/Qth7iYb2nA

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 29, 2026Biggest World Cup knockout round upsetsThese are the biggest World Cup knockout round upsets since 1994, according to OptaStats.

Russia: vs. Spain, 1-1 (penalty shootout), 2018 World Cup (60 places) • >South Korea: vs. Italy, 2-1, 2002 World Cup round of 16 (34 places) • >South Korea: vs. Spain, 0-0 (penalty shootout), 2002 World Cup quarterfinal (32) • >Paraguay: vs. Germany, 1-1 (penalty shootout), 2026 World Cup round of 32 (31)Paraguay might have a chance to top its historic victory in the round of 16, with the possibility of playing France. If that is the case, it will face the No. 3 team in the pre-tournament FIFA rankings, making the difference of 38.

>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paraguay's win over Germany is one of biggest upsets in World Cup history