World Cup 2026: Group E Preview
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Florian Wirtz may have had a rough start to life at Liverpool, but he's still looked every bit the star man when playing for Germany. Can he help lead a new-look Germany squad unburdened by weighty expectations to a deep World Cup run for the first time since they last lifted the trophy?
Germany 🇩🇪
FIFA Rank: 10th
Qualified as: UEFA Group A winners
The Skinny
One of the most famous quotes about Germany ironically came from an Englishman, as legendary striker Gary Lineker once said "Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." So it was, for much of World Cup history: even though Deutschland "only" won 3 more trophies after their stunning first triumph in 1954, they just always seemed to be at or near the top of the conversation, perennial favorites until someone, anyone could prove to be just better. Their team name Die Mannschaft literally translates to "The Team," but it sounds like it would be "The Machine," which would be just as fitting. But suddenly, over the last decade or so, that all changed. After finally re-scaling the mountaintop and winning in 2014, Germany's fates quickly tumbled amidst a generational change; a Euros in 2021 that was partially played on home soil saw a tepid Round of 16 exit, and even more damningly, they've failed to get out of the group stage in each of the last two World Cups. But a new generation of German talent is at the forefront now, with an esteemed manager ('next-gen' in his own right) in Julian Nagelsmann. And after a promising Euros two summers ago--they were eliminated in the quarterfinals, but it was pretty clear to all that clash with eventual champions Spain was a matchup of the two best teams in the tournament --and a dominant qualifying performance, optimism abounds in Deutschland.
The Best XI
I don't think Nagelsmann tends to opt for this 5-2-3 setup, but given the respective depth at Germany's various positions, it would probably be for the best. The manager made headlines when he shockingly selected 40-year old Manuel Neuer for his 5th World Cup, but the legendary keeper is likely to take a back seat to Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann (a veteran in his own right). Regardless of who starts at keeper, a formidable trio of CBs could play in front of them, in the talismanic Antonio Rüdiger and Nico Shlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah, starters at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, respectively. Captain Joshua Kimmich has played more in the midfield at Bayern, but to help bolster the minimal depth at fullback, will likely slide to right-back, leaving the responsibility of the defensive midfield to his Bayern teammates Leon Goretzka and Aleksandr Pavlović. There's less depth in this Germany attack than usual, too, but the welcome return from injury for both Jamal Musiala and Arsenal's Kai Havertz, who recently scored the opener in a Champions League Final for the second time, will be a huge boon. And the attack still seems to be flowing through young star Florian Wirtz, who may have had a frustrating debut season at Liverpool, but has looked every bit at home in the '10' role for Germany.
Curaçao 🇨🇼
FIFA Rank: 83rd
Qualified as: CONCACAF Group B winners
The Skinny
In yesterday's preview, I talked about Haiti might be the most unlikeliest participant in this World Cup, given their domestic situation and state of their football structure. That said, there's perhaps no more surreal qualifier for this expanded tournament than debutantes Curaçao. The tiny island nation with the approximate population of Savannah, Georgia is by far the smallest country (or territory) to ever qualify for this prestigious tournament. And they did it in amazingly straightforward fashion: The Blue Wave topped their qualifying group of all Caribbean neighbors Jamaica, Trinidad and Bermuda, forgoing the need for the bonus playoff round. Given their baseline status and the difficulty of this group, Curaçao will perhaps have the longest odds of any team to get out of group stage. But with an accomplished manager in Dick Advocaat, and a track record of punching well above their weight, I bet they relish the challenge.
The Best XI
Unsurprisingly for a team largely comprised of Dutch dual-nationals, this squad is predominantly based in the Dutch Eredivisie system. That said, their starting XI could disproportionately feature the players from other leagues, like the American USL! Miami FC teammates Jürgen Locadia and Eloy Room are likely starters at the north and south poles of the pitch, and Locadia is likely to be joined in attack by a couple players from England, in Sheffield United's Tahith Chong and Middlesbrough's Sontje Hansen. An odd quirk of this player pool is that it's extremely heavy on one position: no less than 6 right-backs are included this squad, but fortunately, many of them are versatile enough to play in midfield, like FC Zürich's Livano Comenencia. He will likely be joined there by longtime Premier League vet and captain Leandro Bacuna.
Côte d'Ivoire 🇨🇮
FIFA Rank: 34th
Qualified as: CAF Group F winners
The Skinny
There was a good decade or so in my lifetime where the Ivory Coast were truly the class of Africa. Unsurprisingly, it correlated strongly with the career of Dider Drogba, one of the greatest African players of all time. But it wasn't just him: an incredible generation of talent around him made Côte d'Ivoire a constant competitor on the world stage, and a two-time African Cup of Nations champion. And yet, somehow, those teams were never able to break through the group stage to the knockout rounds-- in fairness, a not-insignifcant reason for that was the misfortune of getting drawn in brutal groups every time. But still, after the third successive failure in the 2014 World Cup (the most painful of them all), and failing to even qualify for the last two tournaments after, you wouldn't fault Ivorians for wondering if their window had passed. Yet, all of a sudden, Les Éléphants are not only back in the World Cup, but are entering it as a popular pick to make a surprise deep run again. It's been a rapid return to this standard for the West Africans, starting with the unlikeliest of African Cup of Nations triumphs two years ago on home soil-- in case you missed it, the hsots lost their first two matches, were on the brink of elimination, fired their manager during the tournament, and then proceeded to win 5 straight matches and the trophy. From there, they followed up with another quarterfinal run in this past January's African Cup, and edged Gabon for the automatic qualification from their group to book their first World Cup ticket in 12 years. With a squad suddenly once again chock full of top European talent, this is a side nobody would have wanted to see in their group.
The Best XI
One only needs to look at Ivory Coast's attacking options to figure out why they're such a trendy dark horse pick in this tournament; so deep are their options, this hypothetical "front 5" formation doesn't even have room for recent Conference League champion Evann Guessand. It's entirely possible he will in fact start under manager Emerse Faé, but I think the boss could instead opt to pair Inter Milan youngster Ange-Yoan Bonny with veteran forward Nicolas Pépé. Either way, you can expect to see Monaco's Simon Adingra and RB Leipzig's 19-year old Yan Diomande patrolling the wings; the latter is all the buzz right now, collection attention this offseason from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool. Manchester United's wonderboy Amad Diallo is likely to spearhead an email that will include Nottingham's Ibrahim Sangaré and AC Milan vet and captain Franck Kessié. And to be clear, this hypothetical defense is no slouch either: Ousmane Diamonde (no relation) starts at Sporting Lisbon, and Kossouno and Singo the same at fellow Champions League Round of 16 qualifiers Atalanta and Galatasaray.
Ecuador 🇪🇨
FIFA Rank: 24th
Qualified as: 2nd place in CONMEBOL
The Skinny
Plucky footballing nation that broke through at the 2006 World Cup. Made their last World Cup in 2014, where they narrowly missed out on the Round of 16, then underwent a decade or so of futility. Resurfaced with a strong 2024 continental tournament showing, were impressive throughout qualifying, and enter this World Cup as many a "ball-knower"'s pick to crash the latter stages of the knockout rounds. No, I'm not talking about Côte d'Ivoire again... it's their groupmates, Ecuador! Yes, La Tri's profile looks very different to the Ivorians, but they enjoy a similar dark horse status thanks to a sudden influx of talent in recent years, and a very impressive qualifying performance, finishing second only to Argentina in the vaunted South America gauntlet. Speaking of "second only to Argentina," it doesn't hurt expectations that we saw Ecuador in a major tournament in the United States just two years ago, and they performed very well; La Tri escaped a group stage that included hosts Mexico with a draw on the last matchday, and then became the only team to take eventual champions Argentina to penalty kicks. They've impressed for a couple years now, they're battle-tested, and they've got the same core filled with players at some of the best clubs in the world. What's not to like?
The Best XI
If there's a weakness in this Ecuador side, it's their depth at forward, which is why it's likely veteran striker Enner Valencia, who's got 5 World Cup goals to his name-- the latter 3 in Qatar four years ago --will start again. (As I type that, I'm realizing I said above that Ecuador last made the tournament in 2014. I was wrong, okay? It happens. I got too far into the comparison with Ivory Coast and decided there was a point of no return.) Still, with Sunderland's Nilson Angulo and Stuttgart's Jeremy Arévalo in the mix, they've got options. And the pieces only get more impressive the further back you get: Chelsea' Moises Caicedo might be one of the best DMs in the game right now, and that back 4 legitimately might be one of the best in this tournament. Veteran Ángelo Preciado is a star at right-back for Brazil giants Atletico Mineiro, and his fullback partner Pervis Estupiñán starts at AC Milan. And how many national teams can claim a pair of CBs that started in the Champions League final? Well, Ecuador can, as Arsenal's Piero Hincapié and PSG's Willian Pacho just did battle in Budapest last Saturday.
Group Schedule (all times ET)
6/14, 1 PM: Germany v Curaçao (Houston)
6/14, 7 PM: Côte d'Ivoire v Ecuador (Philadelphia)
6/20, 4 PM: Germany v Côte d'Ivoire (Toronto)
6/20, 8 PM: Ecuador v Curaçao (Kansas City)
6/25, 4 PM: Ecuador v Germany (New York City) / Curaçao v Côte d'Ivoire (Philadelphia)
Group Prediction
I'll admit, this is the group I'm most excited to watch, and it's not even particularly close. Curaçao will be worth watching just for the storyline, even if they do seem likely to be the whipping boys of this group, and the other 3 are a traditional favorite that I think might be a tad overrated, and two teams that are popular Cinderella picks in this tournament. Of the latter pair, I'm more bullish on Ecuador and bearish on Côte d'Ivoire; I just think the youth and inexperience might be a bit of an impediment for them, while Ecuador's familiarity with the terrain and more physical play sets them up well for this tournament. All in all, while I do expect Germany and Ecuador to be a slight cut above in this collection, I'd be pretty shocked if at least 3 matches in Group E aren't highly competitive.
Comments