Germany Crushes Curaçao 7–1, Netherlands and Japan Draw 2–2 in World Cup Group Stage
Germany cruised past Curaçao 7–1 while the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2–2 draw on Sunday. Scotland beat Haiti, Australia defeated Turkey, Brazil and Morocco shared the points, and Ivory Coast snatched a late win over Ecuador.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage continued on Sunday with several key matches.
Dominant Germany and Other Results
Germany eased past debutants Curaçao 7–1. Despite the heavy loss, Curaçao – the smallest nation ever to qualify – scored their first World Cup goal. In the same group, Ivory Coast beat Ecuador 1–0 thanks to a late strike from Amad Diallo in the 90th minute, moving into second place behind Germany.
In Group C, five-time champions Brazil faced Morocco. Morocco took the lead through Ismael Saibari in the 21st minute, but Vinicius Junior equalised in the 32nd minute after a quick one-two with Bruno Guimarães. The match ended 2–2. Later, Scotland beat Haiti 1–0 with a goal from John McGinn in the 28th minute, topping the group.
Group D saw what some consider the tournament's first upset: Australia defeated Turkey 2–0. Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring in the 27th minute, and Connor Metcalfe secured the win in the 75th minute. Australia sits second behind the United States, who also have three points but a better goal difference.
Thrilling Draw Between the Netherlands and Japan
In Group E, the Netherlands and Japan played an exciting 2–2 draw. Virgil van Dijk put the Dutch ahead in the 51st minute, but Japan's Keito Nakamura levelled in the 57th. Crysencio Summerville restored the lead for the Netherlands in the 64th minute, but Japan equalised again in the 89th minute from a corner.
Looking ahead, Monday and Tuesday feature more matches: Spain vs Cape Verde, Belgium vs Egypt, Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, and Iran vs New Zealand.
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