Germany started their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 7-1 win over Curaçao in Houston, but it was still a historic night for the Caribbean debutants. Curaçao scored their first World Cup goal in their first match at the tournament.
Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead after six minutes and pushed the match toward a one-sided Group E result. Curaçao responded through Livano Comenencia, whose first-half equaliser gave the island nation a moment that will stay in its football history.
Curaçao score on World Cup debut
Curaçao arrived at the tournament as World Cup newcomers and one of the smallest nations ever to qualify. Their equaliser against Germany gave the team its first goal on football’s biggest stage.
Comenencia’s goal briefly made the match level and brought a strong reaction from Curaçao’s players and supporters. Even after Germany took control, the goal gave the debutants an important moment from their first World Cup appearance. The result also showed the gap between a four-time world champion and a first-time finalist. Curaçao competed with energy early, but Germany’s depth and finishing soon became too much.
Germany take control before half-time
Germany regained control before the break after Curaçao’s equaliser. Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz scored to give Julian Nagelsmann’s side a 3-1 half-time lead.
Havertz later added a second goal as Germany kept pushing after the interval. Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav also scored in the second half as Germany turned the match into the highest-scoring result of the tournament so far.
The win gave Germany a strong start after difficult World Cup exits in 2018 and 2022. It also improved their goal difference early in a group that includes Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Group E starts with goals
Germany’s result came on the same day Ivory Coast opened Group E with a 1-0 win over Ecuador. That leaves Germany and Ivory Coast with early wins before the second round of group matches.
Germany will next face Ivory Coast in Toronto on June 20. Curaçao will play Ecuador the same day, with both teams looking for their first points in the group.
The expanded 48-team format gives more debutants a route into the tournament. Curaçao’s heavy defeat showed the challenge, but their first World Cup goal still gave the team a place in tournament history.
