After 7-1 Thrashing, Germany Faces a Much Stiffer Test

After a resounding 7-1 victory over debutants Curaçao, Germany faces a much tougher challenge tonight in their second match of the 2026 World Cup. The Bundestteam takes on Ivory Coast, who secured a 1-0 win against Ecuador in their opening fixture. The Group E clash will be held at BMO Field in Toronto, kicking off at 11:00 PM Bulgarian time.

The two teams have met only once before, in a 2009 friendly that ended in a 2-2 draw, with Lukas Podolski scoring a late equalizer.

Germany enters this encounter on a ten-match winning streak, which began in September 2025. Julian Nagelsmann's side has scored two or more goals in nine of those matches. However, the Bundestteam has conceded in four of their last five games, and they haven't kept a clean sheet at a World Cup in their last seven outings, with the last one dating back to the 2014 final against Argentina.

Having failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Ivory Coast earned three points in their opening match this summer, securing a late victory over Ecuador. Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute, after Ecuador had hit the woodwork three times.

Ivory Coast has now won a match in each of their four World Cup appearances and is in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time. They need at least one point from their remaining two matches to secure a top-three finish.

The "Elephants" have won only one of their previous four World Cup matches against European opponents (1 draw, 2 losses), while Germany has been defeated only once by an African nation on the world stage (5 draws, 2 losses).

It remains to be seen if Julian Nagelsmann will make any changes after the 7-1 victory. The big question seems to be whether Deniz Undav will get a starting nod. The striker is in fantastic form, scoring a goal and providing two assists after coming on as a substitute against Curaçao. His goal contributions now stand at 11 (seven goals and four assists) in just 10 appearances for Germany. However, it's unlikely Kai Havertz will be benched, as he has become the only German player to score in each of the last four major tournaments.

Ivory Coast will be able to field Elye Wahi, after the forward was initially denied a visa to enter Canada but was later granted access to the country. He is now expected to start against Germany. Following his goal against Ecuador, Amad Diallo will likely start ahead of Nicolas Pépé. In that scenario, Yan Diomande, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, would be shifted to the left flank.