Germany’s defeat against Paraguay ensures that Brazil will certainly maintain its status as the only team to win the championship 5 times, regardless of the results of the remainder of the 2026 World Cup.
No matter what result the 2026 World Cup closes with, Brazil will still be the most successful team in the history of the tournament for at least the next four years. On the morning of June 30, Paraguay’s ticket to the next round following their victory over Germany in the round of 32 officially erased the possibility of the “Selecao” having their record of five world championships equaled at this very World Cup.
After two consecutive tournaments stopping right at the group stage, Germany returned to the knockout stage with expectations of regaining their status. However, the four-time champions continued to disappoint as they were eliminated by Paraguay in a penalty shootout right in the round of 32, thereby missing the opportunity to equal Brazil’s achievement.
The most recent championship of “Die Mannschaft” came from the 2014 World Cup. If they were crowned on North American soil, this national team would possess five titles, on par with Brazil. However, that dream has closed following the defeat against Paraguay. Currently, Brazil still leads the World Cup golden board with 5 championships in the years 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Following behind are Germany and Italy, both with 4 titles. However, Italy failed to even win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
Among the teams still featuring in the tournament, Argentina is the only team that can raise its total number of championships to four if they are crowned, while France aims for their third title in history. Nevertheless, both still cannot threaten Brazil’s number one position on the ranking of the most successful national teams in the World Cup.
The result of the Germany – Paraguay match therefore not only created a major shock in the knockout round but also helped Brazil continue to exclusively hold a historic milestone, at least until the 2030 World Cup.
