Germany start World Cup 2026 with a crushing 7-1 win over Curaçao

Germany made a powerful start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, defeating tournament debutants Curaçao 7-1 in their opening Group E match.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side quickly underlined their superiority. Felix Nmecha opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute after combining with Florian Wirtz and finishing precisely into the far corner. However, Curaçao managed to respond and gave their fans a historic moment: in the 21st minute, Livano Comenencia equalised with a deflected effort past Manuel Neuer.

For the smallest nation in World Cup history, that goal became a moment of pure celebration, but the intrigue did not last long. Germany soon regained control of the match. Nico Schlotterbeck headed home from a corner, before Kai Havertz converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Riechedly Bazoer fouled Nmecha.

After the break, Germany removed any remaining doubt about the winner. Jamal Musiala scored the fourth goal after a defence-splitting pass from Joshua Kimmich, and Nathaniel Brown then found the net on his World Cup debut.

“It’s indescribable to score in my first World Cup match. We’re very pleased to have scored seven goals. The goal we conceded was unnecessary, but perhaps it helped wake us up. I’m proud of the team because we simply carried on and played well. These goals are good for us, but we also need to keep working on our weaknesses,” Brown said after the match.

Late in the game, Deniz Undav added another goal for Germany, before Havertz completed his brace to seal the final score at 7-1.

Germany began their pursuit of a fifth world title with a commanding victory and moved to the top of Group E. Curaçao, despite the heavy defeat, will remember their debut for a historic World Cup goal. Their next match will be against Ecuador on 20 June.