Germany, four-time world champion and one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, left a lot to be desired after being eliminated in the penalty shootout against Paraguay, in the round of 32, on June 29.
The result was a surprise for football fans, since many of the pools gave the team led by Julian Nagelsmann as the clear favorite of the match.
However, and against all odds, the team led by Gustavo Alfaro achieved the long-awaited qualification to the round of 16, with an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
Since the start of the 2026 World Cup, the German team seemed to be emerging as one of the favorites after beating Curacao 7-1.
However, as the tournament progressed, the European team left more doubts than certainties, since a victory by the minimum of 2-1 against Ivory Coast and a defeat against Ecuadorin the group stage, did not leave the best feelings among their fans.
Germany’s debacle has been evident since it won its last World Cup, in 2014, by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina, with an agonizing goal from Mario Götze.
In that edition of the tournament, Germany established itself as a serious candidate to win the cup throughout the competition, in which he starred in historic performances, such as the 7-1 against Brazil.
After winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany was in the middle of a controversy because, during its celebrations, He performed a dance that was a direct mockery of the Argentina team.
While they “imitated” the Argentines by walking crouched, the Germans sang: “The gauchos walk like this, this is how the gauchos walk“.
This generated a wave of negative reactions both within Germany and in other parts of the world. The discontent was so great that the president of The German Football Federation (DFB), Wolfgang Niersbach, had to apologize.
For many fans, that dance, which in principle was just a celebration, became a “curse” for the Germans, They consider that since then their level has dropped after having been world champions in 2014.