June 14, 2026

Germany players celebrate at the end of the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Curacao at the Houston Stadium in Houston on June 14, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Four-time winners Germany thrashed World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 in their first group game on Sunday.

Kai Havertz got two goals and Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav also scored in Houston to secure Germany’s first opening-match win at a World Cup since their successful 2014 campaign in Brazil, after Livano Comenencia had briefly cancelled out Felix Nmecha’s opener.

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