Who: Germany vs Ivory Coast
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup Group E matches
Location: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Date and time: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get all the latest updates on Al Jazeera Sports
One of the most mouth-watering matches of the second group stage of the 2026 World Cup will see four-time champion Germany take on a talented Ivorian team in Toronto on Saturday night.
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Both teams made winning starts to their Group E campaigns in very different ways, as Die Mannschaft overcame an early scare to win 7-1 against Curaçao, while the South American side came back three times before the Elephants finally beat Ecuador 1-0 with a late goal.
Is Germany under the radar?
After disappointing group stage exits in 2018 and 2022, Germany entered the tournament somewhat under the radar, with the perennial powerhouse only favorites for seventh place as they bid for their fifth World Cup appearance.
Thanks to young stars like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, they pivoted to a goal-scoring style against Curacao (the smallest and most populous country to have ever participated in a World Cup), finishing with a 10-game winning streak, but this will be a much tougher test.
Curaçao caused some problems for the German defense, especially in the first 30 minutes, but ultimately it will be the central defensive duo of Jonathan Tarr and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing in front of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that will determine how deep the Germans can go in this tournament.
Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his recent scoring streak for club and country by scoring a double for Germany in the opening game, but he will probably find the Ivorian defense to be a tougher challenge than that posed by Curaçao’s backline.
With a win in their opening group match, Germany achieved what they were unable to do in 2018 and 2022, and are now certain to advance to the finals for the first time since the 2014 World Cup final. The result in Toronto could determine whether they advance as group winners or hobble through in the minor leagues.
If they win against Ivory Coast, the top two will qualify directly for the Round of 32, and even if Ecuador fails to beat Curaçao in Kansas City four hours later, there is a good chance they will finish first in Group E.
In another scenario, even if Germany wins against Ivory Coast, things could get very interesting if Ecuador can beat both Curaçao and the Germans in Thursday’s final group match. Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador are locked on six points, with a tie-break likely needed to separate them.
This is important because the team that finishes first will play the third-place qualifier, the second-place team will face the second-place team in the group consisting of France, Norway, Senegal and Iraq, and the third-place finish will face the group winner (possibly England or Mexico).
Important match as Ivory Coast seek history
The Elephants may have been riding on their good fortune, but the fact that they ended Ecuador’s almost two-year undefeated streak in 19 games in the opening game will grab the attention of the fan base and raise expectations.
Amad Diallo’s last-minute goal ensured Ivory Coast won all four World Cups they qualified for, and if they defeated Germany they would advance to the knockout stages for the first time.
In fact, if Ecuador fails to beat Curaçao in the other group match later on Saturday night, a win against Die Mannschaft could seal the top spot in Group E.
A draw with Germany would make Thursday night’s final group match an interesting one. In that case, all three teams could go into the final match in first place, with Ivory Coast potentially needing to beat Curaçao by at least six goals to secure an advantage on goal difference.
How will the group stage be played?
Group E includes Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao.
They will compete once in the early stages of the tournament. The top two teams in each of the 12 groups and the top eight teams in third place will advance to the next stage, the Round of 32, which was introduced for the first time at the World Cup.
direct confrontation
This is the second meeting between Germany and Ivory Coast.
Their last match was a friendly in November 2009, in which Lukas Podolski scored two goals, including a last-minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw.
Form guide:
(Last 5 games, latest game)
Germany: WWWWW
Ivory Coast: WWWWW
Germany’s big win over Curaçao last Sunday means they have now won 10 games in a row dating back to September 2025, scoring two or more goals in nine of those games.
However, they have struggled at the other end of the pitch, having conceded seven consecutive World Cup games, their longest run since 1970, with their last clean sheet coming in the 2014 final against Argentina in Brazil.
Ivory Coast are aiming for a fifth consecutive win and confidence is growing following last Sunday’s win over Ecuador, which included a 2-1 win over world No. 3 France in their final warm-up match in Paris on June 4.
Their last loss was in the AFCON quarterfinals against Egypt in January.
Team News: Germany
Coach Julian Nagelsmann may keep faith in the same eleven that ultimately put Curaçao to the sword, but if he does, it could be tough for Deniz Undav.
The Stuttgart forward came on from the bench for Jamal Musiala with 26 minutes remaining and scored and provided two assists as Germany secured their biggest win since the 2014 semi-final against Brazil. The versatile Unduff has made just 10 appearances for Die Mannschaft, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.
Team News: Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast coach Emers Faye is likely to have to make further decisions.
Elie Wahi started up front against Ecuador and was replaced by Ange-Yohan Bony just before the end.
He was initially denied entry to Canada for the fight due to visa issues. He was implicated in a sports betting scandal while playing for Ligue 1 side Nice last month, but has since been allowed to travel and could be implicated in the future.
Bony and the subs not used in the first game, Omar Diakite and Evan Gesand, are alternate options in attack.
Diallo came off the bench in the win and Manchester United’s attacking midfielder will be looking to start, but it could be a switch from the wing for teenage star Yann Diomande, who caught the eye on the right against Ecuador and will be keen to put on a show against his RB Leipzig compatriot.
Germany predicted the XI as follows:
Neuer (goalkeeper) Kimmich, Tarr, Schlotterbeck, Braun. Pavlovich, Nmeka. Sane, Musiala, Wirtz. Havertz.
Ivory Coast predicted their XI as follows:
Y. Fofana (goalkeeper); Due, Shingo, Agbadu, Konan. Diallo, Kessier, S. Fofana, Diomand. Bonnie, Thule.
Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page keeps you up to date with all the latest news, match developments and live text commentary, as well as group standings, real-time results and schedules.
