Curacao’s World Cup debut ends in defeat as Germany run riot in Houston.
HOUSTON, Texas — Germany opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a dominant 7-1 victory over Curacao in Group E on Sunday, spoiling the Caribbean nation’s first-ever appearance at the tournament.
Goal-Scoring Spree
Germany took an early lead through Felix Nmecha in the 6th minute, but Curacao responded in historic fashion. Livano Comenencia equalized in the 21st minute, scoring the nation’s first ever World Cup goal to level the match at 1-1.
The deadlock did not last. Nico Schlotterbeck restored Germany’s lead from a corner kick in the 38th minute, before Kai Havertz converted a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time (45+2') to make it 3-1.
The floodgates opened after the break. Jamal Musiala scored just 46 seconds into the second half, followed by goals from Nathaniel Brown (56'), Deniz Undav (70'), and a second for Kai Havertz in the 90+4th minute to complete the 7-1 rout.
Key Match Notes
- Germany’s last opening-match win at a World Cup came in 2014, the year they went on to win the tournament.
- The result marks a strong start for Germany, who suffered consecutive group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022.
- Manuel Neuer, aged 40, became the oldest German player to appear at a World Cup, playing in his fifth tournament.
- The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history: Curacao’s Dick Advocaat (78) is the oldest coach at the finals, while Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann is just 38.
"This victory is important for our confidence and to show our fans what we are capable of," said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Curacao's Jearl Margaritha reflected on the historic moment: "We are happy to have scored our nation’s first World Cup goal."
Upcoming Group E Fixtures
Germany will face Ecuador and Ivory Coast in their remaining group matches. Curacao’s next challenge is against Ecuador in Kansas City.