Germany Crushes Curaçao 7-1 in World Cup Opener

Germany showed up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup like they had a point to prove — and they absolutely did. In their Group E opener on June 14 in Houston, Texas, they dismantled World Cup debutants Curaçao 7-1, sending a message to every other team in the tournament: Germany is back.

If you haven't been following German football lately, here's the backstory that makes this matter: Germany has flopped in the last two World Cups, getting knocked out in the group stage both in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) after winning the whole thing in 2014. So this is a team that has serious unfinished business.

The game was essentially over before halftime. Felix Nmecha opened the scoring just six minutes in — the tournament's fastest goal at that point — when he combined with Florian Wirtz and fired a first-time finish into the far corner. Curaçao actually hit back in the 21st minute through Livano Comenencia, a 15-meter strike that got the loudest cheer of the night from the 68,000-strong crowd (more on that in a second). But Germany quickly got back to business: Nico Schlotterbeck headed in a second goal in the 38th minute, and Kai Havertz slotted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to put Germany up 3-1 at the break.

The second half was a procession. Jamal Musiala added a fourth just two minutes after the restart, Nathaniel Brown made it five in the 68th minute, Deniz Undav got in on the act in the 78th, and Havertz wrapped up his brace with a late eighth goal. Final score: 7-1.

Now, about that crowd reaction when Curaçao scored — that's actually the most heartwarming detail of the whole story. Curaçao is a tiny Caribbean island nation of around 150,000 people, and this is their first-ever World Cup. The stadium erupted for their consolation goal like it was a tournament winner. As one Curaçao player put it after the match: "We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy." A nation of underdogs getting their moment on the biggest stage in football — that's sport doing what sport does best.

The coaching matchup also made history. Curaçao's manager, Dutch legend Dick Advocaat, is 78 years old — the oldest coach in World Cup history. On the other sideline, Germany's Julian Nagelsmann is just 38. That's the largest age gap between opposing coaches in World Cup history.

As for 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer — who came out of international retirement specifically for this tournament — he had just one save to make all game. Not exactly a workout, but a symbolic return for one of Germany's all-time greats.

For Curaçao, the result stings, but it's not the end. They still have two group games left, against Ecuador and potentially winnable opponents. Their coach put it plainly: "This is not a disgrace; we can still be proud." For Germany, the next test is a much stiffer one — Ivory Coast in Toronto on Saturday. That's where we'll find out if this performance was a statement or just a warm-up against a minnow.