Germany Defeats Curaçao 7-1 in 2026 World Cup Opener

Germany defeated Curaçao 7-1 on June 14, 2026, in a FIFA World Cup match in Houston. Curaçao took a 1-0 lead through a goal by Livano Comenencia that marked the first World Cup goal in the island nation's history. Germany responded with six unanswered goals.

Felix Nmecha scored the opening goal for Germany and drew the penalty converted by Kai Havertz. Nico Schlotterbeck scored the go-ahead goal with a 38th-minute header from a corner. Havertz added a second goal from the spot to make the score 3-1 at halftime.

Jamal Musiala scored early in the second half. Havertz completed his brace with an 88th-minute breakaway goal. Musiala created two chances, won nine of 14 ground duels, drew two fouls, and completed three tackles.

Nmecha recorded three shots on target, completed 36 of 38 passes, and made three tackles. The match attendance was 68,021. Curaçao entered the match ranked 82nd in the FIFA world rankings and was one of four first-time qualifiers in the expanded 48-team tournament, alongside Cape Verde, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.

Germany previously recorded World Cup wins of 6-0 over Mexico in 1978, 8-0 over Saudi Arabia in 2002, and 7-1 over Brazil in 2014. "After the game there was a song, 'The Train Has No Brakes' ('Der Zug hat keine Bremse')," Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann said. " Comenencia's early equalizer gave Germany a chance to prove their resilience.

"[Curaçao] got the equalizer with I think the first shot on our goal, and then it was interesting to see how we can deal with that," Nagelsmann said. " "I thought he played very well," Nagelsmann said of Musiala. " "We have a lot of German fans," Nagelsmann said, "but also the Curaçao fans were really brilliant.

It was a kind of emotional start into the World Cup. " Curaçao manager Dick Advocaat stressed the need to move on and continue to play with confidence. "We have to realize that we're simply putting together a good campaign, with perhaps a surprise in the second or third match," he said.