Germany and Paraguay are set to collide in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, with kick-off scheduled for 9:30pm BST / 4:30pm ET on Tuesday.

How to watch the match for free

Fans in several countries can catch the game at no cost. BBC iPlayer streams it free in the UK — build-up begins at 9:00pm BST — while RTÉ Player carries it in Ireland, SBS On Demand in Australia, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, RTBF/VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey.

English-language commentary is available on BBC, RTÉ Player, and SBS On Demand. US-based viewers can watch on Fox, accessible through Fox One, YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling, Fubo, or DirecTV. Fox One currently offers a 3-day free trial, after which a subscription costs $19.99 per month.

History between the two sides

These two nations have met twice before. Their only World Cup encounter came in 2002, when Oliver Neuville's solitary goal sent Germany through in the first knockout round in South Korea. Their other meeting arrived in 2013 — a 3-3 draw in Kaiserslautern in which Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also featured.

Neuer, who recently came out of international retirement, struggled in Germany's final group game, a 2-1 defeat to Ecuador — though Die Mannschaft had already secured qualification before that result.

Paraguay's rocky road to the round of 32

Paraguay's group stage was turbulent. The Albirroja lost their opener to United States and endured significant off-field controversy surrounding Miguel Almiron. The former Newcastle forward was first yellow-carded in dubious circumstances involving a case of mistaken identity, then became the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth during a verbal exchange with an opponent.

Despite the drama, Paraguay held on to beat Turkey 1-0 in their decisive fixture, finishing third in Group D with four points — enough to advance.

Germany the heavy favourites

Julian Nagelsmann's side enter this tie as strong favourites. Germany are four-time World Cup winners, yet the current generation carry the weight of back-to-back group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, as well as underwhelming performances at Euro 2021 and Euro 2024.

For Germany, dispatching Paraguay must be treated as a minimum requirement — not a destination. The prize for the winner is an Independence Day showdown against France or Sweden.

FourFourTwo predicts Germany 2-0 Paraguay.