Biggest Upsets In World Cup Knockout-Stage History: Where Paraguay-Germany Ranks

Paraguay pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history on Monday, knocking out Germany in a penalty shootout. The result didn’t come without controversy. Germany had a goal from Jonathan Tah ruled out in extra time after a foul was called during the preceding corner kick. There were five yellow cards handed out during extra time in what was a tense and physical game. So, where does Paraguay’s upset rank? Let’s dive into the five biggest upsets in the World Cup knockout stage according to differences in the latest FIFA rankings before the tournament. Entering the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Germany was the reigning champion and the No. 1-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings. It had also made it to the Euro 1992 final, which it lost to Denmark. Bulgaria was ranked 29th in FIFA’s rankings, and it had probably the best player in the country’s history in Hristo Stoichkov, who at the time was starring for Barcelona. The Bulgarians lost their first group-stage game before winning back-to-back matches against Greece and Argentina. In this quarterfinal matchup, Germany took the lead through legendary midfielder Lothar Matthäus, who scored a penalty in the 47th minute. Bulgaria came back with a vengeance, though, getting goals from Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov in the 75th and 78th minutes for the win. Paraguay looked hopeless in its 2026 World Cup opener against the United States, losing 4-1 in convincing fashion. The South American side rebounded, though, with an upset win over Türkiye and then a draw against Australia that got it through to the knockout stage as one of the top eight third-place teams. In the round of 32, Paraguay scored its best chance of the game but otherwise was thoroughly on the back foot against Germany. Paraguay completed 161 passes compared to 719 for Germany. Paraguay was in control of the shootout before its fourth and fifth takers missed. Then, it was Tah who missed for Germany before Jose Canalé sealed the win. Next up for Paraguay: the winner of France vs. Sweden. South Korea, which was coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink during the 2002 World Cup, won Group D and advanced alongside the United States. The Koreans beat Portugal in group play, and the upsets kept going from there. Against Italy, South Korea trailed after Italian striker Christian Vieri scored in the first half. Seol Ki-hyeon scored in the 88th minute to equalize before Ahn Jung-hwan scored in the 118th minute. Back then, extra time had golden-goal rules, which meant the game ended with that goal. Then, in the quarterfinals, the matchup against Spain ended 0-0 before winger Joaquin missed as the fourth Spanish taker. Korea converted on all five of its attempts to move on. In total, Korea bested three of the top eight teams in the tournament – Portugal was fifth, Italy sixth and Spain eighth. It was a magical run that ended in a semifinal defeat against Germany. Russia shocked the world when it knocked out a European giant when it hosted the World Cup in 2018. The Russians progressed through the group stage with two wins and a loss, which came against Uruguay. Spain, meanwhile, sputtered with a win and two draws. The round-of-16 matchup ended 1-1 after an own goal from Russian defender Sergei Ignashevich gave Spain the lead. Striker Artem Dzyuba tied the game in the 41st minute with a penalty. In the end, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was the hero, saving penalties from Koke and Iago Aspas to seal a quarterfinal spot. In that round, Russia went to another penalty shootout but fell short against Croatia, which went on to the final after beating England in the semifinals.