7-1 final
Group E opener
Nmecha scored in 6th minute
Curacao's first World Cup goal
Germany opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a dominant 7-1 win over Curacao in Group E.
The four-time champions started quickly. In the sixth minute, Florian Wirtz released Felix Nmecha, who finished calmly to give Germany an early lead and set the tone for a high-volume attacking performance.
Curacao still produced a memorable moment of their own. In the 21st minute, Juriën Gaari's side broke forward after a German defensive mistake, and Juninho Bacuna's deflected strike beat Manuel Neuer to give the tournament newcomers their first World Cup goal.
Germany responded before halftime. Nico Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner in the 38th minute, and Kai Havertz converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-1.
The second half became one-way traffic. Jamal Musiala scored shortly after the restart, Nathaniel Brown added a fifth, Nick Woltemade made it six, and Havertz completed his brace late on.
Curacao left with a piece of history despite the heavy defeat, while Germany's depth, pace and finishing made an immediate statement in Group E.