TEXAS: A ruthless German side opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a statement 7-1 victory over debutants Curacao at Houston Stadium on Sunday.
The victory marked Germany’s first win in an opening match of the World Cup since their triumphant 2024 campaign in Brazil.
Felix Nmecha converted a well-weighted pass from Florian Wirtz in the sixth minute to score the first goal for Germany and received loud applause from a crowd of more than 68,000.
However, Livano Comenencia scored an equalizer in the 21st minute with an impressive deflection goal. This remained the only silver lining for Curacao, who remained at the receiving end till the end of the game.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
Germany retook the lead in the 38th minute as Nico Schlotterbeck glanced Nathaniel Brown’s corner into the net. They maintained their aggressive approach and controlled possession, with Kai Havertz adding another goal before half-time.
The break did not halt Germany’s momentum as they continued their dominant run, with attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala finding the bottom corner to make it 4-1.
Catch all FIFA World Cup 2026 live updates here!
The misery continued for Curacao when left-back Nathaniel Brown volleyed in after a Deniz Undav flick on the edge of the box to make it 5-1.
Substitute Deniz Undav and Kai Havertz closed the play with further goals to make it a commanding performance. The final goal replicated the famous scoreline which they recorded against hosts Brazil in the 2014 semi-finals.
With seven goals in the match, Germany became the all-time top scorers at the World Cup (239), surpassing Brazil (238) in the goal charts.
READ: Somali referee Omar Artan to receive full World Cup fee
