World Cup 2026 Results — 29 June: Two Giants Pay the Penalty

There are nights at a World Cup that you remember exactly where you were watching, and for the Irish neutral who stayed up Monday, this was one of them. By the time the dust settled in the Round of 32, four-time winners Germany were out, the Netherlands were out, and both had gone the cruellest way there is — beaten on penalties by sides nobody had pencilled in. Throw in a stoppage-time Brazil winner and you had the most chaotic single evening of the tournament so far. RTÉ carried the lot, and the snug was buzzing for it.

Here is how a wild Monday card shook out, with the betting threads that carry into the rest of the Round of 32 for anyone keeping an eye on the knockout bracket.

Germany 1–1 Paraguay (Paraguay win 4–3 on pens) — the shock of the tournament

This is the one they’ll be talking about for years. Paraguay, ranked some thirty places below Germany, took the four-time champions to penalties after Enciso’s 42nd-minute strike was cancelled out by Havertz on 54, and then held their nerve from twelve yards to win the shootout 4–3. Al Jazeera and ESPN both reached for the same phrase: potentially the greatest knockout upset in World Cup history.

Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro caught the romance of it perfectly afterwards: "We don’t have the pedigree that allows us to dictate the terms of the game. We dance to the music we’re given… sometimes it’s cumbia, sometimes it’s tango, sometimes it’s rumba… today, it was polka." A beaten Julian Nagelsmann was left to admit, "There’s a real sense of dejection in the dressing room… Our build-up play was too slow."

Netherlands 1–1 Morocco (Morocco win 3–2 on pens) — Atlas Lions roll on

If one shootout shock wasn’t enough, a second followed. Diop forced extra time with a 90+1′ header after Gakpo had put the Netherlands ahead on 72, and the Atlas Lions held their nerve to come through 3–2 on spot-kicks. It is the Netherlands’ earliest World Cup exit in a generation — and confirmation that Morocco’s run to the 2022 semi-finals was no flash in the pan.

The reward is concrete: Morocco are through to a Round of 16 tie against Canada that is already locked in. For the neutral romantic — and Irish supporters are nothing if not romantics for the small nation having a go — Morocco are fast becoming the team to adopt.

Brazil 2–1 Japan — Martinelli rides to the rescue

The one piece of script that went to form, eventually. Japan led through Sano on 29 minutes and held it until Casemiro levelled on 56, before Martinelli struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to spare Brazil’s blushes. Neymar, back from a calf problem in the final group game, is fit and Brazil march on — though a side that needed a 90+5′ winner against Japan will not be frightening anyone just yet.

The market noticed all the same. Brazil’s outright price was clipped from 13/1 to 19/2 after the win (FOX Sports board, as of 30 June 2026, converted to fractional for Irish books) — a shift we unpack in our look at the shaken-up winner odds.

What it means for the bracket

The carnage reshaped the bottom half of the draw. Canada, Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco are the four through to the Round of 16 so far, and one last-16 tie is already fixed: Canada vs Morocco. With Germany and the Netherlands removed in a single night, the road to the final suddenly looks a good deal kinder for the names still standing — France chief among them.

For the Irish punter, the lesson is the oldest one in the book. Two of the most fancied sides on the board are out, and the "to lift the trophy" market has been redrawn overnight. If you held antepost vouchers on Germany or the Dutch, hard luck; if you’re shopping now, the value has moved.

Odds shown are converted to fractional format for Irish bookmakers and were accurate as of the timestamp noted; always check the live price before betting. 18+, gamble responsibly.