Germany and Ivory Coast aim to seal World Cup knockout place: All to know

Who: Germany vs Ivory Coast
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match
Where: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
When: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Keep up with each updates on Al Jazeera Sport

One of the astir mouthwatering matches successful the 2nd circular of games successful the World Cup 2026 radical signifier sees four-time champions Germany facing a talented Ivory Coast outfit successful Toronto connected Saturday evening.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Messi’s household pleads for ‘humanity’ arsenic his begetter Jorge undergoes treatment
• list 2 of 4Ivory Coast’s Elye Wahi granted Canadian visa hours aft denial
• list 3 of 4Norway MP’s articulation viral World Cup ‘Viking Row’ trend
• list 4 of 4Luis Romo strikes arsenic Mexico go archetypal squad to scope World Cup knockouts

Both sides made a winning commencement to their Group E campaign, successful precise antithetic ways, arsenic Die Mannschaft overcame an aboriginal scare against Curacao to romp to a 7-1 win, portion The Elephants yet pipped Ecuador 1-0 with a last-gasp goal, aft the South Americans had deed the woodwork 3 times.

Kai Havertz has scored successful 4 consecutive large tournaments for Germany, contempt not being a recognised No 9 [Annegret Hilse/Reuters]

Germany nether the radar?

After disappointing group-stage exits successful 2018 and 2022, Germany came into this tourney somewhat nether the radar, with the perennial powerhouse ranked lone seventh-favourites to assistance their 5th World Cup.

While they turned connected the benignant acknowledgment to young stars similar Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to heap connected the goals against Curacao – the smallest federation by size and colonisation ever to person taken portion successful a World Cup – and the goals person flowed successful 10 consecutive wins, this volition beryllium a acold stiffer test.

Curacao caused the German defence a fewer problems, particularly successful the opening half-hour, and it’s their pivotal central-defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing successful beforehand of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that volition yet determine however heavy the Germans tin spell successful this tournament.

Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his caller goalscoring tally for nine and state with a treble for Germany successful the opening game, but helium volition apt find the Ivory Coast defence a harder situation than that posed by Curacao’s backline.

By winning their radical opener, Germany did what they couldn’t successful 2018 and 2022 and look definite to advancement to a archetypal knockout lucifer since the 2014 World Cup Final. Whether they beforehand arsenic radical winners, oregon limp done successful the insignificant places, mightiness good travel down to the effect successful Toronto.

A triumph against Ivory Coast would unafraid nonstop top-two qualification to the Round of 32 and would apt beryllium capable to apical Group E should Ecuador neglect to bushed Curacao 4 hours aboriginal successful Kansas City.

In an alternate scenario, adjacent with a German triumph against Ivory Coast, Ecuador – if they tin bushed some Curacao and past the Germans successful Thursday’s radical finale – would marque things precise interesting, with the imaginable for 3 teams – Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – to beryllium locked connected six points and tiebreakers needed to abstracted them.

It matters due to the fact that the squad finishing archetypal volition play a third-placed qualifier, portion the runner-up volition look the squad finishing 2nd successful the radical featuring France, Norway, Senegal and Iraq, and the squad qualifying 3rd would look a radical winner, perchance England oregon Mexico.

Pivotal lucifer arsenic Ivory Coast question history

The Elephants mightiness person ridden their luck, but ending Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten streak crossed astir 2 years successful their opening crippled caught the oculus of their instrumentality basal and volition person raised expectations.

Amad Diallo’s last-minute victor ensured Ivory Coast person present won a crippled astatine each 4 World Cups for which they person qualified, and they tin scope the knockout stages for the archetypal time, if they decision Germany.

In fact, they tin seal apical spot successful Group E should they bushed Die Mannschaft and Ecuador neglect to bushed Curacao successful the different radical crippled aboriginal connected Saturday evening.

A gully against Germany would marque for an intriguing radical finale connected Thursday night, arsenic it would apt permission each 3 teams successful with a accidental of finishing archetypal going into the last game, with Ivory Coast perchance needing to bushed Curacao by much than six goals to guarantee supremacy connected extremity difference.

How does the radical signifier work?

Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao are successful Group E.

They volition play each different erstwhile successful the archetypal signifier of the tournament. The apical 2 teams from each of the 12 groups – on with the 8 champion third-placed teams – volition proceed to the adjacent phase, the circular of 32, which has been introduced astatine the World Cup for the archetypal time.

Head-to-head

This volition beryllium conscionable the 2nd gathering betwixt Germany and Ivory Coast.

The erstwhile crippled was a affable successful November 2009, which saw Lukas Podolski people twice, including a last-gasp equaliser successful a 2-2 draw.

Form guide:

(Last 5 games, latest lucifer first)

Germany: W-W-W-W-W

Ivory Coast: W-W-W-W-L

Germany’s thumping triumph implicit Curacao past Sunday means they person won 10 consecutive games going backmost to September 2025 and person scored 2 oregon much goals successful 9 of those matches.

They have, however, struggled astatine the other extremity of the pitch, conceding goals successful 7 consecutive World Cup matches, their longest tally since 1970, and their past cleanable expanse came successful the 2014 last against Argentina successful Brazil.

Ivory Coast spell successful hunt of a 5th consecutive victory, and assurance is precocious aft some the Ecuador triumph past Sunday, which followed their 2-1 triumph against satellite number-three France successful their last warm-up crippled successful Paris connected June 4.

Their past decision came successful the AFCON quarterfinal against Egypt successful January.

Team news: Germany

Coach Julian Nagelsmann mightiness good support religion with the aforesaid XI that yet enactment Curacao to the sword, but if helium does, it mightiness beryllium pugnacious connected Deniz Undav.

The Stuttgart guardant came disconnected the seat to regenerate Jamal Musiala with 26 minutes to spell and scored and provided 2 assists arsenic Germany picked up their biggest triumph since the 2014 semifinal against Brazil. The versatile Undav has scored 7 times and added 4 assists successful conscionable 10 appearances for Die Mannschaft.

Team news: Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae apt has much decisions to make.

Elye Wahi started the triumph implicit Ecuador up beforehand earlier being replaced conscionable earlier the hr by Ange-Yoan Bonny.

He was initially denied introduction into Canada for this lucifer owed to visa complications. He was linked to a sports betting ungraded portion playing for Nice successful Ligue 1 past month, but has since been authorised to question and could yet beryllium involved.

Bonny and unused subs from the archetypal game, Oumar Diakite and Evann Guessand, are alternate options successful attack.

Diallo came disconnected the seat to triumph it, and the Manchester United attacking midfielder volition beryllium pushing to start, which mightiness mean a power of flanks for teenage starlet Yan Diomande, who stole the amusement connected the close against Ecuador and volition beryllium anxious to enactment connected a amusement against the federation successful which helium plays for RB Leipzig.

Germany predicted XI:

Neuer (goalkeeper); Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz.

Ivory Coast predicted XI:

Y. Fofana (goalkeeper); Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, S. Fofana, Diomande; Bonny, Toure.

You tin travel the enactment connected Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with each the latest news, lucifer build-up and unrecorded substance commentary and support up to day with radical standings, real-time lucifer results and schedules.