Four-time champions Germany opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a statement 7-1 demolition of Curaçao at Houston Stadium Saturday, punishing the tournament’s smallest nation after a brief first-half scare.
Felix Nmecha set the tone after just 6 minutes, linking with Florian Wirtz before curling a right-foot strike into the far corner.
But Curaçao, playing their first ever World Cup game, hit back instantly. Livano Comenencia latched onto a quick counter and fired home via a deflection — Curaçao’s first World Cup goal in history — to make it 1-1.
Germany regained control before halftime.
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Nico Schlotterbeck glanced Nathaniel Brown’s corner past Eloy Room, then Kai Havertz converted a stoppage-time penalty after Riechedly Bazoer fouled Nmecha. 3-1 at the break.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side blew the game open after restart. Jamal Musiala scored less than 2 minutes into the second half, squeezing a shot from a tight angle. Brown made it 5-1 with a close-range finish from Deniz Undav’s flick, before Undav himself tapped in after Joshua Kimmich’s cross.
Havertz capped the rout late, racing onto Undav’s pass and lifting a composed finish over the keeper for his second and Germany’s seventh.
–What it means–
The win puts Germany top of Group E with a massive goal-difference boost. For Curaçao, the record books have their first World Cup goal, but the defending reality check was brutal.
Next up: Germany face Ecuador, Curaçao take on Côte d’Ivoire.
