FIFA World Cup

GER Germany Germany - CUW Curacao Curacao

Germany Germany

Curacao Curacao

Sun, 14.06.202617:00 PM

Houston Stadium

Goretzka's keys for World Cup success

"We need to grow together as a team and better understand what the person next to us is doing on the pitch," the Bayern midfielder told FIFA.com. "I believe that physicality will also play a major role. I played in the Club World Cup last year, so I know the conditions will be extreme. That will certainly be a factor, and that’s why we’ll have to be in peak condition. And then, just as in every tournament, luck will of course be a big factor. If everything comes together, then we really can go far."

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Watch: Germany 'feeling good' ahead of Curaçao opener

Home comforts?

As the designated home team in Sunday's Group E opener, Germany will wear white against Curaçao in Houston.

Ageing like a fine wine

Germany's Neuer will be the sixth oldest player at the tournament. On the opening night, he will be 40 years and 76 days.

Germany in title-winning form?

Nagelsmann's Germany have now recorded nine consecutive wins, which is their best since recording 12 in a row in 1980. That year, they went on to win the Euros.

Neuer set to start World Cup opener

Nagelsmann confirmed to German broadcaster RTL that Neuer will start Germany's curtain-raiser against Curaçao on 14 June. He said: "He will now enter team training when we arrive in Winston-Salem, as planned, and then play against Curaçao."

How they warmed up: Germany

Germany's World Cup preparations have been pretty smooth, with the only blemish being the injury that has ruled Lennart Karl out of the tournament. In their two friendlies, Germany beat Finland 4-0 and World Cup co-hosts the USA 2-1.

How they warmed up: Curaçao

Curaçao have played two friendlies in the last couple of weeks in preparation for the World Cup. In their first, they were beaten 4-1 by Scotland, but they were leading 1-0 through Chong's goal before a red card for Jürgen Locadia tipped the game firmly in Scotland's favour. In their second warm-up game, they beat Caribbean neighbours Aruba 4-0.

How they got here: Curaçao

After topping their second-round qualifying group with a 100 percent record, Curaçao were drawn alongside Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and Bermuda in their third-round group. Three wins and two draws from their first five games meant they needed only a point in their final qualifier against the Reggae Boyz to progress, with a 0-0 draw in Kingston confirming their place at the finals.

How they got here: Germany

Germany were beaten by Slovakia in their opening qualifier, but responded with five straight wins in Group A, which also contained Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. They booked their place at the tournament in style, thrashing Slovakia 6-0 in their final fixture thanks to goals from Nick Woltemade, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané (2), Ridle Baku and Assan Ouédraogo.

Who are Curaçao?

With a population of only 156,000, Curaçao are the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup finals. They are captained by Leandro Bacuna, who made over 100 Premier League appearances for Cardiff City and Aston Villa between 2013 and 2019, while former Werder Bremen winger Tahith Chong is also in their squad.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E fixture between Germany and Curaçao.