Germany opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 7-1 win over Curaçao at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday, matching the 7-1 margin from their 2014 semifinal win over Brazil. Kai Havertz’s brace, a first international goal for Nathaniel Brown, and a measured Jamal Musiala finish turned a Group E opener that briefly threatened to wobble into a rout.
A 7-1 That Sounds Familiar
The scoreline sat in plain view on the stadium scoreboard, and the historical echo reached the German bench almost immediately. Germany had not scored seven goals in a World Cup match since the 7-1 win over Brazil in the 2014 semifinals, per Wikipedia’s Group E page. Their only larger World Cup win was an 8-0 against Saudi Arabia in 2002, per a German-broadcast recap of the opener. The World Cup record margin stands at nine goals, set three times and most recently by Hungary’s 10-1 win over El Salvador in 1982.
The four-time champions, dumped out at the group stage in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, had spent the buildup answering questions about the health of Manuel Neuer’s calf, the reliability of their defense, and the form of Leroy Sané. A 7-1 against the smallest country ever to appear at a World Cup answered some of them and sharpened the rest. The last 7-1 was their high-water mark, the 2014 semifinal that has hung over the team since.
We really needed this convincing win. We needed this self confidence. It was there but it definitely grew.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann delivered the line to reporters in Houston after the match, his side three points clear at the top of Group E. The 38-year-old is the youngest coach in the 2026 tournament, and his opposite number on Sunday, Curaçao’s 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, is the oldest coach in World Cup history.
How Germany Built the Win
Felix Nmecha needed six minutes to make the case that the buildup questions were overblown. He curled a right-footed finish inside the near post from the edge of the box after trading passes with Florian Wirtz. The 68,021-strong crowd at NRG Stadium, overwhelmingly pro-Germany with a vocal pocket of Curaçaoan support in the corner, settled in for what they expected would be a long night of attack.
Curaçao, a tournament debutant ranked 82nd in the world, hit back in the 21st minute through Livano Comenencia, whose left-footed strike from the center of the box took a deflection and sailed past Neuer. It was Curaçao’s first World Cup goal, and the Caribbean bench emptied onto the touchline. The 1-1 stand ended at the 38th minute, when Nico Schlotterbeck, otherwise solid at center-back, nodded in Nathaniel Brown’s in-swinging corner. Havertz converted a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time after Riechedly Bazoer tripped Nmecha in the box.
Germany came out of the second half sharper, with the lead extended at the restart. Musiala ran onto Joshua Kimmich’s through-ball and finished across Eloy Room, and the tempo did not drop. Leroy Sané shot wide when he was given a clear sight of goal, and Brown latched onto a Deniz Undav flick to volley in his first international goal in the 68th minute.
Undav added the sixth in the 78th minute, before Havertz dinked the seventh over Room in the closing stages. The eight goals split across the match landed in this order:
- 6′: Felix Nmecha (Germany) curled a right-footed finish from the edge of the box, assisted by Florian Wirtz.
- 21′: Livano Comenencia (Curaçao) sent a left-footed shot from the center of the box past Neuer via a deflection for Curaçao’s first World Cup goal.
- 38′: Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany) headed in Nathaniel Brown’s corner kick at the back post.
- 45+5′: Kai Havertz (Germany) converted a penalty after Riechedly Bazoer fouled Nmecha in the box.
- 47′: Jamal Musiala (Germany) finished a right-footed shot across Eloy Room, played in by Joshua Kimmich’s through-ball.
- 68′: Nathaniel Brown (Germany) volleyed in his first international goal after Deniz Undav flicked the ball into his path.
- 78′: Deniz Undav (Germany) tapped in after Joshua Kimmich teed him up.
- 88′: Kai Havertz (Germany) dinked the ball over Room after running onto Undav’s pass.
The Trio Behind the Tempo
Goal.com’s player ratings from NRG Stadium handed the three midfield creators the top marks in a Germany shirt, as the outlet’s Germany’s full player ratings from Houston show. Nmecha and Musiala each took 8/10, with Brown, the left-back, a surprise 8/10 for an attacking display that included an assist and a goal. Havertz and Wirtz settled for 7/10, with both having produced the moments that mattered most.
The two quietest figures in the lineup were the most discussed. Goal.com handed Leroy Sané a 4/10, the lowest mark of the night, for a display that included an ill-advised backheel, a gilt-edged second-half chance wasted, and very little else coming off, while Jonathan Tah took 5/10 after a deflected goal he could not prevent and a few ropey touches in possession.
Wirtz, who set up the opener with a lovely touch and pass, was at the heart of most of Germany’s best moves and went close to capping his performance with a goal. Pavlovic, Nmecha’s central partner, recycled possession smartly in midfield and saw plenty of the ball. Undav, the Stuttgart substitute, scored a goal and added two assists from the bench. The full ratings from the night:
| Player | Section | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Neuer | Goalkeeper | 6/10 |
| Joshua Kimmich | Defence | 7/10 |
| Jonathan Tah | Defence | 5/10 |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | Defence | 7/10 |
| Nathaniel Brown | Defence | 8/10 |
| Felix Nmecha | Midfield | 8/10 |
| Aleksandar Pavlovic | Midfield | 6/10 |
| Jamal Musiala | Midfield | 8/10 |
| Leroy Sané | Attack | 4/10 |
| Kai Havertz | Attack | 7/10 |
| Florian Wirtz | Attack | 7/10 |
| Deniz Undav | Sub | 7/10 |
| Antonio Rüdiger | Sub | 6/10 |
| Leon Goretzka | Sub | 6/10 |
| David Raum | Sub | 6/10 |
| Waldemar Anton | Sub | N/A |
| Julian Nagelsmann | Manager | 7/10 |
A First Goal for the Smallest Nation
Curaçao, a Caribbean nation of roughly 200,000 people, arrived in Houston as the smallest country ever to appear at a World Cup finals. The 1-1 stand their goal produced ended at the 38th minute.
The memory, judging by the bench reaction, will last considerably longer. The entire Curaçao bench emptied onto the touchline after the goal, and their fans in the corner of NRG Stadium erupted, according to the full match recap from NRG Stadium. The team wilted as the scoreline grew, and 37-year-old goalkeeper Eloy Room finished with more work than any other player on the pitch.
Even though it wasn’t me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody. We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy.
Curaçao forward Jearl Margaritha delivered the line to The Associated Press after the match, his side bottom of Group E on goal difference after one match. The 78-year-old Advocaat, who has managed the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, and Serbia across a long coaching career, became the oldest coach in World Cup history on Sunday. Nagelsmann, the 38-year-old, is the youngest coach in the 2026 tournament.
Comenencia’s goal, a left-footed shot through traffic that deflected off Joshua Kimmich’s knee on its way past Neuer, gave the Curaçaoan supporters behind the goal a moment they will trade for decades. NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans, was hosting its first match of the 2026 tournament, and Curaçao’s supporters in the corner kept singing through the rest of the match. The age gap between the two dugouts, the largest in World Cup history, set its own record of sorts.
Brown’s Emergence, Neuer’s Return, Klopp’s Warning
Jürgen Klopp had suggested in the buildup that Musiala should not start his first World Cup match after a long injury layoff, comments that made the rounds in the German press. They were noted by the German-broadcast breakdown of Sunday’s match. The Bayern Munich forward answered with a 47th-minute finish from Kimmich’s through-ball, and earned Goal.com’s 8/10 for picking up pockets of space, putting Curaçao on the back foot, and a fleet-footed style that did not dim all night.
Brown, the 22-year-old Frankfurt defender with an American father, delivered the most eye-catching display of the night on the left flank, his cross picking out Schlotterbeck for the second goal before he volleyed in the fifth himself. He told German broadcaster ARD after the match that scoring in his first World Cup game was indescribable, and his emergence at left-back, a position Nagelsmann has struggled to settle, would be a major lift for the four-time champions if it holds.
Manuel Neuer, 40, came out of international retirement for the tournament and made his first Germany appearance in almost two years, per the ESPN report from Houston. He touched the ball rarely until Comenencia’s equalizer, and the one save Goal.com credited him with kept the first half from tipping further off script. Nagelsmann’s decision to start him over the calf concerns of the buildup now looks like a settled call.
Toronto Will Be the Real Test
Germany face Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20 in Toronto, with Curaçao meeting Ecuador the same day in Kansas City. Both Germany and Ivory Coast have three points after one match in Group E, with the African side sitting second on goal difference after a 1-0 win over Ecuador that finished with a 90th-minute Amad Diallo goal, per Wikipedia’s Group E page.
The top two teams advance from the group, with the third-placed side possibly joining them. Nagelsmann was careful not to over-claim. ‘We are on the right path but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents,’ he said, per the ESPN report. Ivory Coast, ranked 33rd in the latest FIFA ranking, drew 2-2 with Germany in their only previous meeting, a 2009 friendly. The 7-1 closes one set of questions for the four-time champions. Saturday’s match in Toronto, against the African side that drew the 2009 friendly, is the harder test.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score between Germany and Curaçao?
Germany beat Curaçao 7-1 in their opening Group E match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at NRG Stadium in Houston. Kai Havertz scored twice for Germany, with Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Deniz Undav each adding one. Livano Comenencia scored Curaçao’s first ever World Cup goal.
When does Germany play next at the 2026 World Cup?
Germany’s second Group E match is against Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Toronto. The final group fixture is against Ecuador on June 25, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Who is the oldest coach ever at a World Cup?
Curaçao’s Dick Advocaat set the record on Sunday at 78 years old, the oldest coach ever to take charge of a World Cup match. Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann, at 38, is the youngest coach in the 2026 tournament. The age gap between the two dugouts is the largest in World Cup history.
How old is Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer?
Manuel Neuer is 40 years old, per the ESPN match report, and came out of international retirement to play in the 2026 World Cup. The Group E opener against Curaçao was his first international appearance in almost two years.
Has Germany ever played Curaçao in a World Cup match before?
The two sides had never met before, per the Group E Wikipedia page, meaning the 7-1 in Houston is the first meeting of any kind recorded at a World Cup finals. Germany have won the tournament four times, in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014.
