World Cup
The winner of Monday’s match will play the victor of France vs. Sweden in the Round of 16 on July 4 in Philadelphia.
Thousands of German fans have already descended upon Foxborough for Monday’s match. AP Photo/Martin Meissner
June 29, 2026 | 1:48 PM
3 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — After five group-stage matches, “Boston Stadium” (Gillette Stadium) is set to host its first knockout game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Group E winner Germany — out of the group stage for the first time since winning the 2014 World Cup — will take on Paraguay in the Round of 32 on Monday afternoon. Kick-off from Foxborough is set for 4:30 p.m.
Despite winning its group, it’s been an up-and-down tournament so far for Germany. After easily besting Curaçao, 7-1, on June 14, Die Mannschaft had to score in stoppage time to beat Ivory Coast, 2-1, before falling to Ecuador, 2-1.
“It’s always about winning when you talk about Germany,” German coach Julian Nagelsmann said Sunday. “We try to win every game. Tomorrow, the expectations are we do the right things on the field and they show what good players they are. The game is all about winning. In soccer, if you win everything is good. If you lose everything is [expletive].”
Paraguay bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Team USA at the start of the tournament — advancing to the Round of 32 after beating Turkey, 1-0, and settling for a 0-0 draw against Australia.
“They are an uncomfortable opponent for us,” Nagelsmann said of Paraguay. “In qualification they conceded very few goals. They are going to ask a lot of us. It’s a do or die match. The boys will bring their A-game. We have to be patient.
”It’s a team which defends well and they stay compact. They have good players and strong physical players. We need a perfect performance.”
Paraguay will need to rely on goalkeeper Orlando Gill if it wants to advance to the Round of 16 — with the keeper posting back-to-back clean sheets in those matches against Turkey and Australia.
The winner of Monday’s match will play the victor of France vs. Sweden in the Round of 16 on July 4 at 5 p.m. in Philadelphia. A win in that matchup would secure a return to Boston Stadium for the quarterfinal round on July 9.
As the stakes rise in the World Cup, follow along here for live updates throughout Monday’s match — and check back after the game wraps for immediate takeaways.
LIVE UPDATES:
3:46: In honor of Marco Sturm and new Bruins winger JJ Peterka, the Germans take to the pitch in Foxborough to “Kernkraft 400”.
3:43: We can confirm that Freddy’s boots are on the ground here in Foxborough. The anonymous German fan has become a social-media sensation for his galavanting across the U.S. since the tournament began.
WE’RE HERE!!! Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, and today home of our first knockout stage game!🇩🇪🇵🇾 Stadiums without a roof are always my favorite! pic.twitter.com/WIc4SUylOz
— Freddy🇩🇪 (@FreddyLA7) June 29, 2026
3:40: Warmups are underway here in Foxborough.
3:20: The real heat wave isn’t descending on Boston and the New England area until a bit later this week. But it’s sunny day here in Foxborough, with many fans using their flags, scarfs, and banners as shade from the conditions. Hopefully fans camped out in the 300s brought their sunscreen.
3:03: Man, what a crushing result for Japan. They came sooooo close to a great upset win over Brazil. Instead, Brazil moves on to the Round of 16.
2:42: We’re still a little under two hours away from kick-off. But the concourses here at Gillett-err, Boston Stadium are pretty packed. Plenty of fans watching the final minutes of Brazil vs. Japan.
2:25: Fans are slowly starting to file in to Boston Stadium. As expected, a whole lot of German fans here in Foxborough.
1:55: Miguel Almirón is a player worth following for Paraguay. He eceived a red card in the first half of the second match against Turkey and was suspended for the team’s match against Australia for covering his mouth while talking with another player. He’s a creative playmaker for a team that desperately needs some scoring punch.
1:50: Germany is the favorites entering this match, but they haven’t had the strongest start to the World Cup — especially after needing stoppage time to beat Ivory Coast and losing to Ecuador.
While there’s concerns over Germany’s ability to consistently generate offense, 40-year-old Manuel Neuer has been so-so in net. He has has three saves and four goals against him in three matches.
1:00: Greetings from Boston Stadium!
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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