Has Germany ever lost a penalty shootout? Yes — Paraguay beat Germany in Boston after Germany missed three spot-kicks in a World Cup shootout. The loss ended a run in which Germany had won its previous four shootouts at the tournament.
Kai Havertz and the misses
Kai Havertz was one of three German players who failed from the spot against Paraguay, alongside Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah. Paraguay also missed once, with Antonio Sanabria sending his effort wide, but Germany’s three misses proved enough to flip a record that had looked untouchable for decades.
Germany had scored 20 of its 24 total penalties taken in World Cup shootouts before this defeat. That is the narrow margin behind the reputation: the team kept converting while opponents kept finding ways to fall short. Germany’s goalkeepers saved eight penalties in those shootouts, while opponents scored 14.
Germany’s 1982 line
Before Havertz, Woltemade and Tah missed, the only German player to fail to score in a World Cup shootout had been Uli Stielike in 1982. France’s Jean-Luc Ettori saved that attempt, and between 1982 and 2026 Germany converted every penalty it took at the FIFA World Cup outside shootouts.
That history is why this result lands harder than a single missed kick. Germany had been described as the undisputed kings of the spot-kick, and Boston ended that label in one shootout. The team now has a loss to absorb and a reputation that no longer carries a perfect World Cup record from the penalty spot.
