Germany crush Curacao, Japan thwart Dutch at World Cup as Iran arrive
The bus carrying Iran's national football team arrives at Carson Sports Park in Los Angeles on June 14, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup football match between Iran and New Zealand. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP)
Germany thrashed World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 on June 15 while Japan fought back to grab a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands as Iran made their long-awaited arrival in the United States with a call for unity.
Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the tournament, made a bright start against four-time winners Germany in Houston when Livano Comenencia scored an early equalizer to give the Caribbean nation of 160,000 people a historic first World Cup goal.
But they were soon outclassed as Felix Nmecha opened the scoring for the Germans and Kai Havertz grabbed a goal in each half, including a penalty.
