CORNERFLICK
Germany open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Curaçao in a match that will test their mentality as much as their quality. The four-time world champions are back at the tournament after painful exits in 2018 and 2022, with a new generation tasked with restoring them to the top table.
Julian Nagelsmann has built a side centred on Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, with Leroy Sané adding depth and Kai Havertz again offering a finishing option. If that attacking unit finds its rhythm, it should trouble most defences.
The bigger question for Germany is whether they can finally settle into a more stable level of performance. That has been the missing piece in recent years.
Curaçao arrive for their first World Cup in history, a major step for a small nation that has reached this stage without the resources or domestic structure of the game’s bigger powers. Dick Advocaat has tried to create order from a squad made up of dual-national players and scattered European experience.
Their threat comes on the break through Tahith Chong and Kenji Gorré, but they are likely to spend long spells under pressure. Opta gives Germany a 90.7% chance of victory, with a draw at 5.7% and a Curaçao win at 3.6%.