by Craig Laycock
Original article:
Group E Preview
Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
World Rankings:
Germany 10th
Ecuador 23rd
Ivory Coast 34th
Curaçao 82nd
GROUP STRENGTH
Group E is ranked 10th of the 12 groups for average rating
On paper, you would anticipate that Germany, four time World Cup winners, would triumph quite easily in what seems to be a favourable draw. But are there any unexpected banana skins in their path?
***
Germany
Titans of the game, monoliths of international football. Germany arrive at the cup in their usual pre-tournament position: underestimated, down a little in the world rankings; and yet… is it really safe to bet against them?
Plenty have in the past, of course, and have been left with egg on their faces as DFB have ended up producing some vintage performances.
But in recent years the misplaced confidence of some has equally backfired. In 2014, Germany won the cup. But in 2018 and 2022 they exited at the group stage both times. You could argue they had tough draws - against the likes of Mexico, South Korea, Sweden, Spain and Japan.
But this year’s draw SURELY is more favourable for them.
They sailed through qualifying to get here, too, in another favourable group, featuring Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. After an initial surprise defeat to Slovakia, they went on to win their remaining 5 games to qualify at a canter, with 16 goals scored and just the three conceded.
Play style:
Head Coach Julian “the professor” Nagelsmann has them playing a positive, flexible and quite aggressive pressing style. A gegenpress, if you like. They play with a mix of pretty technical positional play and that hounding, proactive style we know and love from German football. Expect centre-backs to blend solidity with getting forwards to build from the back, attacks coming from wide areas.
During the build up they’ll typically have a midfielder sit deep to receive the ball from the back line, with their number 10 providing an outlet for progression onwards from there.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-2-3-1 merging into something like a 3-4-3 in attack. They’ll play a high block with the aim of causing turnovers quickly. They’ll sometimes defend in a solid 4-4-2 in a mid block, with their forwards initiating the press.
Chances:
You can never rule Germany out. While I don’t think they’ll win the tournament, their pedigree should see them into the R16 or even the QFs. They’ll win this group.
***
Ecuador
Ecuador had an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing second in the CONMEBOL standings, behind Argentina. In doing so, they finished ahead of other qualified nations Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Not an easy task.
Their points tally highlights the way they managed this, with 8 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses showcasing their pragmatism. They boasted the best defence in the whole of South American qualifying, letting in only 5 (vs 10 even for group winners Argentina).
It’s even more impressive when you consider they started the campaign on -3 points after fielding an ineligible player, Byron Castillo, in the 2022 cycle.
Play style:
As the numbers do indeed suggest, Ecuador are a defensive powerhouse. They don’t play with South American flair or fluidity, instead relying on a low block and compact shape. Their two key players are undoubtedly centre-backs Willian Pacho of PSG and Piero Hincapié of Bayern Leverkusen, the complete package at the back of aerial prowess, recovery pace, tackling and positional awareness.
In midfield, Moisés Caicedo, who will be familiar to fans in England, helps the whole system gel and settle. He provides cover to the defence in an extremely effective capacity.
When Ecuador win the ball back, they attack like a coiled spring, using wide areas in particular to expose the spaces left by opposition full backs.
In possession, they’re patient and smart, refusing to hit the ball long and building up in phases from the goalkeeper, through the defence, with Caicedo acting as a distribution link.
Goals aren’t abundant in the forward direction, but they’re practically non-existent against them. This is deliberate, intelligent football making the absolute most of their creative and defensive resources.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. The two banks of four provide total stability at the back and allow the shape to become compact or quickly expand outwards when in possession. It’s not gung-ho, or particularly stylish, but it is extremely effective at keeping the opposition at bay and of all the South American nations, they undoubtedly do this the best.
Chances:
The fact that they concede so few goals is a warning to other teams in the tournament that they will be an extremely difficult team to play against. They may frustrate Germany. They will likely frustrate their other competition in the group, too.
Opposition attacks could suffer from impatience, and with expectant crowds hoping for the best, may find themselves getting desperate to break through late in games, which might leave the door open.
Expect a lot of draws. Their match vs Ivory Coast will be key.
***
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. They qualified for the 2026 edition as the undefeated winners of CAF Group F, with 10 played, 8 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats coupled with an astonishing goal difference of 25 GF / 0 GA.
They and Tunisia are the only two teams in history to have achieved the feat of 0 goals conceded in their entire CAF campaigns.
They finished ahead of Gabon, Gambia and Kenya, with Gabon giving them the closest run for their money, 5 points behind. Seko Fofana was the difference maker in the head to head, with a 1-0 win giving them the gap in that all-important “6 pointer”.
Play style:
It’s another case of “keep the back door firmly shut”, and physical dominance from players like Evan Ndicka. Ten clean sheets in a row in qualifying against any team is impressive, and I can’t see them changing a good thing now that they’re coming in to the tournament proper.
Franck Kessié, Seko Fofana, and Ibrahim Sangaré will combine to hunt the ball down and get back up the pitch quickly, and they’ll also rely on wide areas to make things happen, with their shape giving them the flexibility in either direction with or without the ball.
Target man Sébastien Haller remains key to how they set up, so expect him to drop back to pick up the ball and link up the midfield and the attack as they probe for space.
One question is how they will manage a lack of creativity in the final third, with their qualification record suggesting goals are naturally easier to keep out than put in for this team. Against the likes of Ecuador we may see a frustrating matchup of two sides struggling to break each other down.
Expected formation:
4-3-3. Compact, generally, with a focus on defensive and central solidity. Their full backs will play inverted and come inside during the build up, or drop back if needed on turnovers to counter wide or central threats.
Their midfield is key: if they’re firing on all cylinders and moving the ball quickly vertically into attacking threats we could see a strong tournament side emerge.
Chances:
Honestly, this is a tough one to call. You would expect them to be fighting it out with Ecuador for the 2nd and third spots. But which of these two miserly defences will triumph? It could come down to either of the two sides keeping enough draws and clean sheets to get the goal difference required to qualify in third, but only one of these two teams will be able to manage it.
I’m going for Ecuador 2nd, based on the relative strength of their qualifying group and think Ivory Coast will finish third in the group with an ok chance of finishing in the top 8 to qualify for the new Round of 32.
***
Curaçao
We’ve only been writing this site for a week, and already we’ve had some breaking news from Curaçao, the smallest nation (156,000) to ever qualify for a World Cup. Fred Rutten, Curaçao’s coach, has stepped down leaving the door open for a potential return of an international management legend - Dick Advocaat - who would become the oldest World Cup coach ever at 78.
Curaçao seem to be gunning for the record books.
Advocaat led the team through most of qualifying, but had to step away due to his daughter’s health. Now the former Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Iraq and Curaçao boss is back and ready to be installed in the hotseat.
We’ll see them, and perhaps Advocaat, in action on May 30 as they take on Scotland in a pre-tournament warm-up.
To get here, they trounced their Second Round qualifying opponents, making mincemeat of Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti (who have also qualified) along the way. Their 5-1 defeat of Haiti is particularly impressive in that context.
In the final round, they bested Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. Their 7-0 demolition of Bermuda was a particular highlight for them.
Play style:
They like to let the opposition keep the ball, and when they get the ball back they smash it into wide areas or into the target man.
It’s the kind of effective football you would expect from a manager as experienced as Advocaat who has been there, seen everything and done it all in world football, working with rich and meagre resources along the way.
The two Bacunas (Leandro and Juninho) are the heartbeat of the team, while Tahith Chong of Sheffield United provides a direct wing threat.
They’re perhaps lacking a bit of cutting edge quality which will likely be the difference maker for their chances.
Expected formation:
4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Against top teams they will shift into a very low block, sometimes with five at the back in order to protect their box.
Chances:
Honestly not great. While they qualified well, I think the World Cup itself will be a bridge too far for Curaçao, even though them getting out of the group would make for a great story. The lack of quality across the pitch will be exposed against elite opposition, and they could be on the end of a very poor scoreline against Germany that could destroy their goal difference and any meagre chances of qualifying as a third placed team.
There are no expectations for them, so it’s down to them to surprise us.
The Tournament Scout’s Prediction
Germany should win this group at a canter
I think Ecuador will seal 2nd and Ivory Coast will hope their clean sheet potential can seal a 3rd placed Round of 32 berth
Curaçao will in all probability not make it out of the group
23 min read
Group E Preview
Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
World Rankings:
Germany 10th
Ecuador 23rd
Ivory Coast 34th
Curaçao 82nd
GROUP STRENGTH
Group E is ranked 10th of the 12 groups for average rating
On paper, you would anticipate that Germany, four time World Cup winners, would triumph quite easily in what seems to be a favourable draw. But are there any unexpected banana skins in their path?
***
Germany
Titans of the game, monoliths of international football. Germany arrive at the cup in their usual pre-tournament position: underestimated, down a little in the world rankings; and yet… is it really safe to bet against them?
Plenty have in the past, of course, and have been left with egg on their faces as DFB have ended up producing some vintage performances.
But in recent years the misplaced confidence of some has equally backfired. In 2014, Germany won the cup. But in 2018 and 2022 they exited at the group stage both times. You could argue they had tough draws - against the likes of Mexico, South Korea, Sweden, Spain and Japan.
But this year’s draw SURELY is more favourable for them.
They sailed through qualifying to get here, too, in another favourable group, featuring Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. After an initial surprise defeat to Slovakia, they went on to win their remaining 5 games to qualify at a canter, with 16 goals scored and just the three conceded.
Play style:
Head Coach Julian “the professor” Nagelsmann has them playing a positive, flexible and quite aggressive pressing style. A gegenpress, if you like. They play with a mix of pretty technical positional play and that hounding, proactive style we know and love from German football. Expect centre-backs to blend solidity with getting forwards to build from the back, attacks coming from wide areas.
During the build up they’ll typically have a midfielder sit deep to receive the ball from the back line, with their number 10 providing an outlet for progression onwards from there.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-2-3-1 merging into something like a 3-4-3 in attack. They’ll play a high block with the aim of causing turnovers quickly. They’ll sometimes defend in a solid 4-4-2 in a mid block, with their forwards initiating the press.
Chances:
You can never rule Germany out. While I don’t think they’ll win the tournament, their pedigree should see them into the R16 or even the QFs. They’ll win this group.
***
Ecuador
Ecuador had an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing second in the CONMEBOL standings, behind Argentina. In doing so, they finished ahead of other qualified nations Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Not an easy task.
Their points tally highlights the way they managed this, with 8 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses showcasing their pragmatism. They boasted the best defence in the whole of South American qualifying, letting in only 5 (vs 10 even for group winners Argentina).
It’s even more impressive when you consider they started the campaign on -3 points after fielding an ineligible player, Byron Castillo, in the 2022 cycle.
Play style:
As the numbers do indeed suggest, Ecuador are a defensive powerhouse. They don’t play with South American flair or fluidity, instead relying on a low block and compact shape. Their two key players are undoubtedly centre-backs Willian Pacho of PSG and Piero Hincapié of Bayern Leverkusen, the complete package at the back of aerial prowess, recovery pace, tackling and positional awareness.
In midfield, Moisés Caicedo, who will be familiar to fans in England, helps the whole system gel and settle. He provides cover to the defence in an extremely effective capacity.
When Ecuador win the ball back, they attack like a coiled spring, using wide areas in particular to expose the spaces left by opposition full backs.
In possession, they’re patient and smart, refusing to hit the ball long and building up in phases from the goalkeeper, through the defence, with Caicedo acting as a distribution link.
Goals aren’t abundant in the forward direction, but they’re practically non-existent against them. This is deliberate, intelligent football making the absolute most of their creative and defensive resources.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. The two banks of four provide total stability at the back and allow the shape to become compact or quickly expand outwards when in possession. It’s not gung-ho, or particularly stylish, but it is extremely effective at keeping the opposition at bay and of all the South American nations, they undoubtedly do this the best.
Chances:
The fact that they concede so few goals is a warning to other teams in the tournament that they will be an extremely difficult team to play against. They may frustrate Germany. They will likely frustrate their other competition in the group, too.
Opposition attacks could suffer from impatience, and with expectant crowds hoping for the best, may find themselves getting desperate to break through late in games, which might leave the door open.
Expect a lot of draws. Their match vs Ivory Coast will be key.
***
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. They qualified for the 2026 edition as the undefeated winners of CAF Group F, with 10 played, 8 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats coupled with an astonishing goal difference of 25 GF / 0 GA.
They and Tunisia are the only two teams in history to have achieved the feat of 0 goals conceded in their entire CAF campaigns.
They finished ahead of Gabon, Gambia and Kenya, with Gabon giving them the closest run for their money, 5 points behind. Seko Fofana was the difference maker in the head to head, with a 1-0 win giving them the gap in that all-important “6 pointer”.
Play style:
It’s another case of “keep the back door firmly shut”, and physical dominance from players like Evan Ndicka. Ten clean sheets in a row in qualifying against any team is impressive, and I can’t see them changing a good thing now that they’re coming in to the tournament proper.
Franck Kessié, Seko Fofana, and Ibrahim Sangaré will combine to hunt the ball down and get back up the pitch quickly, and they’ll also rely on wide areas to make things happen, with their shape giving them the flexibility in either direction with or without the ball.
Target man Sébastien Haller remains key to how they set up, so expect him to drop back to pick up the ball and link up the midfield and the attack as they probe for space.
One question is how they will manage a lack of creativity in the final third, with their qualification record suggesting goals are naturally easier to keep out than put in for this team. Against the likes of Ecuador we may see a frustrating matchup of two sides struggling to break each other down.
Expected formation:
4-3-3. Compact, generally, with a focus on defensive and central solidity. Their full backs will play inverted and come inside during the build up, or drop back if needed on turnovers to counter wide or central threats.
Their midfield is key: if they’re firing on all cylinders and moving the ball quickly vertically into attacking threats we could see a strong tournament side emerge.
Chances:
Honestly, this is a tough one to call. You would expect them to be fighting it out with Ecuador for the 2nd and third spots. But which of these two miserly defences will triumph? It could come down to either of the two sides keeping enough draws and clean sheets to get the goal difference required to qualify in third, but only one of these two teams will be able to manage it.
I’m going for Ecuador 2nd, based on the relative strength of their qualifying group and think Ivory Coast will finish third in the group with an ok chance of finishing in the top 8 to qualify for the new Round of 32.
***
Curaçao
We’ve only been writing this site for a week, and already we’ve had some breaking news from Curaçao, the smallest nation (156,000) to ever qualify for a World Cup. Fred Rutten, Curaçao’s coach, has stepped down leaving the door open for a potential return of an international management legend - Dick Advocaat - who would become the oldest World Cup coach ever at 78.
Curaçao seem to be gunning for the record books.
Advocaat led the team through most of qualifying, but had to step away due to his daughter’s health. Now the former Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Iraq and Curaçao boss is back and ready to be installed in the hotseat.
We’ll see them, and perhaps Advocaat, in action on May 30 as they take on Scotland in a pre-tournament warm-up.
To get here, they trounced their Second Round qualifying opponents, making mincemeat of Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti (who have also qualified) along the way. Their 5-1 defeat of Haiti is particularly impressive in that context.
In the final round, they bested Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. Their 7-0 demolition of Bermuda was a particular highlight for them.
Play style:
They like to let the opposition keep the ball, and when they get the ball back they smash it into wide areas or into the target man.
It’s the kind of effective football you would expect from a manager as experienced as Advocaat who has been there, seen everything and done it all in world football, working with rich and meagre resources along the way.
The two Bacunas (Leandro and Juninho) are the heartbeat of the team, while Tahith Chong of Sheffield United provides a direct wing threat.
They’re perhaps lacking a bit of cutting edge quality which will likely be the difference maker for their chances.
Expected formation:
4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Against top teams they will shift into a very low block, sometimes with five at the back in order to protect their box.
Chances:
Honestly not great. While they qualified well, I think the World Cup itself will be a bridge too far for Curaçao, even though them getting out of the group would make for a great story. The lack of quality across the pitch will be exposed against elite opposition, and they could be on the end of a very poor scoreline against Germany that could destroy their goal difference and any meagre chances of qualifying as a third placed team.
There are no expectations for them, so it’s down to them to surprise us.
The Tournament Scout’s Prediction
Germany should win this group at a canter
I think Ecuador will seal 2nd and Ivory Coast will hope their clean sheet potential can seal a 3rd placed Round of 32 berth
Curaçao will in all probability not make it out of the group
Group E Preview: Is this the real Germany?
Should be German-easy.
Original article:
Last updated:
Group E Preview
Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
World Rankings:
Germany 10th
Ecuador 23rd
Ivory Coast 34th
Curaçao 82nd
GROUP STRENGTH
Group E is ranked 10th of the 12 groups for average rating
On paper, you would anticipate that Germany, four time World Cup winners, would triumph quite easily in what seems to be a favourable draw. But are there any unexpected banana skins in their path?
***
Germany
Titans of the game, monoliths of international football. Germany arrive at the cup in their usual pre-tournament position: underestimated, down a little in the world rankings; and yet… is it really safe to bet against them?
Plenty have in the past, of course, and have been left with egg on their faces as DFB have ended up producing some vintage performances.
But in recent years the misplaced confidence of some has equally backfired. In 2014, Germany won the cup. But in 2018 and 2022 they exited at the group stage both times. You could argue they had tough draws - against the likes of Mexico, South Korea, Sweden, Spain and Japan.
But this year’s draw SURELY is more favourable for them.
They sailed through qualifying to get here, too, in another favourable group, featuring Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. After an initial surprise defeat to Slovakia, they went on to win their remaining 5 games to qualify at a canter, with 16 goals scored and just the three conceded.
Play style:
Head Coach Julian “the professor” Nagelsmann has them playing a positive, flexible and quite aggressive pressing style. A gegenpress, if you like. They play with a mix of pretty technical positional play and that hounding, proactive style we know and love from German football. Expect centre-backs to blend solidity with getting forwards to build from the back, attacks coming from wide areas.
During the build up they’ll typically have a midfielder sit deep to receive the ball from the back line, with their number 10 providing an outlet for progression onwards from there.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-2-3-1 merging into something like a 3-4-3 in attack. They’ll play a high block with the aim of causing turnovers quickly. They’ll sometimes defend in a solid 4-4-2 in a mid block, with their forwards initiating the press.
Chances:
You can never rule Germany out. While I don’t think they’ll win the tournament, their pedigree should see them into the R16 or even the QFs. They’ll win this group.
***
Ecuador
Ecuador had an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing second in the CONMEBOL standings, behind Argentina. In doing so, they finished ahead of other qualified nations Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Not an easy task.
Their points tally highlights the way they managed this, with 8 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses showcasing their pragmatism. They boasted the best defence in the whole of South American qualifying, letting in only 5 (vs 10 even for group winners Argentina).
It’s even more impressive when you consider they started the campaign on -3 points after fielding an ineligible player, Byron Castillo, in the 2022 cycle.
Play style:
As the numbers do indeed suggest, Ecuador are a defensive powerhouse. They don’t play with South American flair or fluidity, instead relying on a low block and compact shape. Their two key players are undoubtedly centre-backs Willian Pacho of PSG and Piero Hincapié of Bayern Leverkusen, the complete package at the back of aerial prowess, recovery pace, tackling and positional awareness.
In midfield, Moisés Caicedo, who will be familiar to fans in England, helps the whole system gel and settle. He provides cover to the defence in an extremely effective capacity.
When Ecuador win the ball back, they attack like a coiled spring, using wide areas in particular to expose the spaces left by opposition full backs.
In possession, they’re patient and smart, refusing to hit the ball long and building up in phases from the goalkeeper, through the defence, with Caicedo acting as a distribution link.
Goals aren’t abundant in the forward direction, but they’re practically non-existent against them. This is deliberate, intelligent football making the absolute most of their creative and defensive resources.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. The two banks of four provide total stability at the back and allow the shape to become compact or quickly expand outwards when in possession. It’s not gung-ho, or particularly stylish, but it is extremely effective at keeping the opposition at bay and of all the South American nations, they undoubtedly do this the best.
Chances:
The fact that they concede so few goals is a warning to other teams in the tournament that they will be an extremely difficult team to play against. They may frustrate Germany. They will likely frustrate their other competition in the group, too.
Opposition attacks could suffer from impatience, and with expectant crowds hoping for the best, may find themselves getting desperate to break through late in games, which might leave the door open.
Expect a lot of draws. Their match vs Ivory Coast will be key.
***
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. They qualified for the 2026 edition as the undefeated winners of CAF Group F, with 10 played, 8 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats coupled with an astonishing goal difference of 25 GF / 0 GA.
They and Tunisia are the only two teams in history to have achieved the feat of 0 goals conceded in their entire CAF campaigns.
They finished ahead of Gabon, Gambia and Kenya, with Gabon giving them the closest run for their money, 5 points behind. Seko Fofana was the difference maker in the head to head, with a 1-0 win giving them the gap in that all-important “6 pointer”.
Play style:
It’s another case of “keep the back door firmly shut”, and physical dominance from players like Evan Ndicka. Ten clean sheets in a row in qualifying against any team is impressive, and I can’t see them changing a good thing now that they’re coming in to the tournament proper.
Franck Kessié, Seko Fofana, and Ibrahim Sangaré will combine to hunt the ball down and get back up the pitch quickly, and they’ll also rely on wide areas to make things happen, with their shape giving them the flexibility in either direction with or without the ball.
Target man Sébastien Haller remains key to how they set up, so expect him to drop back to pick up the ball and link up the midfield and the attack as they probe for space.
One question is how they will manage a lack of creativity in the final third, with their qualification record suggesting goals are naturally easier to keep out than put in for this team. Against the likes of Ecuador we may see a frustrating matchup of two sides struggling to break each other down.
Expected formation:
4-3-3. Compact, generally, with a focus on defensive and central solidity. Their full backs will play inverted and come inside during the build up, or drop back if needed on turnovers to counter wide or central threats.
Their midfield is key: if they’re firing on all cylinders and moving the ball quickly vertically into attacking threats we could see a strong tournament side emerge.
Chances:
Honestly, this is a tough one to call. You would expect them to be fighting it out with Ecuador for the 2nd and third spots. But which of these two miserly defences will triumph? It could come down to either of the two sides keeping enough draws and clean sheets to get the goal difference required to qualify in third, but only one of these two teams will be able to manage it.
I’m going for Ecuador 2nd, based on the relative strength of their qualifying group and think Ivory Coast will finish third in the group with an ok chance of finishing in the top 8 to qualify for the new Round of 32.
***
Curaçao
We’ve only been writing this site for a week, and already we’ve had some breaking news from Curaçao, the smallest nation (156,000) to ever qualify for a World Cup. Fred Rutten, Curaçao’s coach, has stepped down leaving the door open for a potential return of an international management legend - Dick Advocaat - who would become the oldest World Cup coach ever at 78.
Curaçao seem to be gunning for the record books.
Advocaat led the team through most of qualifying, but had to step away due to his daughter’s health. Now the former Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Iraq and Curaçao boss is back and ready to be installed in the hotseat.
We’ll see them, and perhaps Advocaat, in action on May 30 as they take on Scotland in a pre-tournament warm-up.
To get here, they trounced their Second Round qualifying opponents, making mincemeat of Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti (who have also qualified) along the way. Their 5-1 defeat of Haiti is particularly impressive in that context.
In the final round, they bested Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. Their 7-0 demolition of Bermuda was a particular highlight for them.
Play style:
They like to let the opposition keep the ball, and when they get the ball back they smash it into wide areas or into the target man.
It’s the kind of effective football you would expect from a manager as experienced as Advocaat who has been there, seen everything and done it all in world football, working with rich and meagre resources along the way.
The two Bacunas (Leandro and Juninho) are the heartbeat of the team, while Tahith Chong of Sheffield United provides a direct wing threat.
They’re perhaps lacking a bit of cutting edge quality which will likely be the difference maker for their chances.
Expected formation:
4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Against top teams they will shift into a very low block, sometimes with five at the back in order to protect their box.
Chances:
Honestly not great. While they qualified well, I think the World Cup itself will be a bridge too far for Curaçao, even though them getting out of the group would make for a great story. The lack of quality across the pitch will be exposed against elite opposition, and they could be on the end of a very poor scoreline against Germany that could destroy their goal difference and any meagre chances of qualifying as a third placed team.
There are no expectations for them, so it’s down to them to surprise us.
The Tournament Scout’s Prediction
Germany should win this group at a canter
I think Ecuador will seal 2nd and Ivory Coast will hope their clean sheet potential can seal a 3rd placed Round of 32 berth
Curaçao will in all probability not make it out of the group
23 min read
Group E Preview: Is this the real Germany?
Should be German-easy.
Group E Preview
Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
World Rankings:
Germany 10th
Ecuador 23rd
Ivory Coast 34th
Curaçao 82nd
GROUP STRENGTH
Group E is ranked 10th of the 12 groups for average rating
On paper, you would anticipate that Germany, four time World Cup winners, would triumph quite easily in what seems to be a favourable draw. But are there any unexpected banana skins in their path?
***
Germany
Titans of the game, monoliths of international football. Germany arrive at the cup in their usual pre-tournament position: underestimated, down a little in the world rankings; and yet… is it really safe to bet against them?
Plenty have in the past, of course, and have been left with egg on their faces as DFB have ended up producing some vintage performances.
But in recent years the misplaced confidence of some has equally backfired. In 2014, Germany won the cup. But in 2018 and 2022 they exited at the group stage both times. You could argue they had tough draws - against the likes of Mexico, South Korea, Sweden, Spain and Japan.
But this year’s draw SURELY is more favourable for them.
They sailed through qualifying to get here, too, in another favourable group, featuring Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. After an initial surprise defeat to Slovakia, they went on to win their remaining 5 games to qualify at a canter, with 16 goals scored and just the three conceded.
Play style:
Head Coach Julian “the professor” Nagelsmann has them playing a positive, flexible and quite aggressive pressing style. A gegenpress, if you like. They play with a mix of pretty technical positional play and that hounding, proactive style we know and love from German football. Expect centre-backs to blend solidity with getting forwards to build from the back, attacks coming from wide areas.
During the build up they’ll typically have a midfielder sit deep to receive the ball from the back line, with their number 10 providing an outlet for progression onwards from there.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-2-3-1 merging into something like a 3-4-3 in attack. They’ll play a high block with the aim of causing turnovers quickly. They’ll sometimes defend in a solid 4-4-2 in a mid block, with their forwards initiating the press.
Chances:
You can never rule Germany out. While I don’t think they’ll win the tournament, their pedigree should see them into the R16 or even the QFs. They’ll win this group.
***
Ecuador
Ecuador had an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing second in the CONMEBOL standings, behind Argentina. In doing so, they finished ahead of other qualified nations Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Not an easy task.
Their points tally highlights the way they managed this, with 8 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses showcasing their pragmatism. They boasted the best defence in the whole of South American qualifying, letting in only 5 (vs 10 even for group winners Argentina).
It’s even more impressive when you consider they started the campaign on -3 points after fielding an ineligible player, Byron Castillo, in the 2022 cycle.
Play style:
As the numbers do indeed suggest, Ecuador are a defensive powerhouse. They don’t play with South American flair or fluidity, instead relying on a low block and compact shape. Their two key players are undoubtedly centre-backs Willian Pacho of PSG and Piero Hincapié of Bayern Leverkusen, the complete package at the back of aerial prowess, recovery pace, tackling and positional awareness.
In midfield, Moisés Caicedo, who will be familiar to fans in England, helps the whole system gel and settle. He provides cover to the defence in an extremely effective capacity.
When Ecuador win the ball back, they attack like a coiled spring, using wide areas in particular to expose the spaces left by opposition full backs.
In possession, they’re patient and smart, refusing to hit the ball long and building up in phases from the goalkeeper, through the defence, with Caicedo acting as a distribution link.
Goals aren’t abundant in the forward direction, but they’re practically non-existent against them. This is deliberate, intelligent football making the absolute most of their creative and defensive resources.
Expected formation:
Typically 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. The two banks of four provide total stability at the back and allow the shape to become compact or quickly expand outwards when in possession. It’s not gung-ho, or particularly stylish, but it is extremely effective at keeping the opposition at bay and of all the South American nations, they undoubtedly do this the best.
Chances:
The fact that they concede so few goals is a warning to other teams in the tournament that they will be an extremely difficult team to play against. They may frustrate Germany. They will likely frustrate their other competition in the group, too.
Opposition attacks could suffer from impatience, and with expectant crowds hoping for the best, may find themselves getting desperate to break through late in games, which might leave the door open.
Expect a lot of draws. Their match vs Ivory Coast will be key.
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Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. They qualified for the 2026 edition as the undefeated winners of CAF Group F, with 10 played, 8 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats coupled with an astonishing goal difference of 25 GF / 0 GA.
They and Tunisia are the only two teams in history to have achieved the feat of 0 goals conceded in their entire CAF campaigns.
They finished ahead of Gabon, Gambia and Kenya, with Gabon giving them the closest run for their money, 5 points behind. Seko Fofana was the difference maker in the head to head, with a 1-0 win giving them the gap in that all-important “6 pointer”.
Play style:
It’s another case of “keep the back door firmly shut”, and physical dominance from players like Evan Ndicka. Ten clean sheets in a row in qualifying against any team is impressive, and I can’t see them changing a good thing now that they’re coming in to the tournament proper.
Franck Kessié, Seko Fofana, and Ibrahim Sangaré will combine to hunt the ball down and get back up the pitch quickly, and they’ll also rely on wide areas to make things happen, with their shape giving them the flexibility in either direction with or without the ball.
Target man Sébastien Haller remains key to how they set up, so expect him to drop back to pick up the ball and link up the midfield and the attack as they probe for space.
One question is how they will manage a lack of creativity in the final third, with their qualification record suggesting goals are naturally easier to keep out than put in for this team. Against the likes of Ecuador we may see a frustrating matchup of two sides struggling to break each other down.
Expected formation:
4-3-3. Compact, generally, with a focus on defensive and central solidity. Their full backs will play inverted and come inside during the build up, or drop back if needed on turnovers to counter wide or central threats.
Their midfield is key: if they’re firing on all cylinders and moving the ball quickly vertically into attacking threats we could see a strong tournament side emerge.
Chances:
Honestly, this is a tough one to call. You would expect them to be fighting it out with Ecuador for the 2nd and third spots. But which of these two miserly defences will triumph? It could come down to either of the two sides keeping enough draws and clean sheets to get the goal difference required to qualify in third, but only one of these two teams will be able to manage it.
I’m going for Ecuador 2nd, based on the relative strength of their qualifying group and think Ivory Coast will finish third in the group with an ok chance of finishing in the top 8 to qualify for the new Round of 32.
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Curaçao
We’ve only been writing this site for a week, and already we’ve had some breaking news from Curaçao, the smallest nation (156,000) to ever qualify for a World Cup. Fred Rutten, Curaçao’s coach, has stepped down leaving the door open for a potential return of an international management legend - Dick Advocaat - who would become the oldest World Cup coach ever at 78.
Curaçao seem to be gunning for the record books.
Advocaat led the team through most of qualifying, but had to step away due to his daughter’s health. Now the former Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Iraq and Curaçao boss is back and ready to be installed in the hotseat.
We’ll see them, and perhaps Advocaat, in action on May 30 as they take on Scotland in a pre-tournament warm-up.
To get here, they trounced their Second Round qualifying opponents, making mincemeat of Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti (who have also qualified) along the way. Their 5-1 defeat of Haiti is particularly impressive in that context.
In the final round, they bested Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. Their 7-0 demolition of Bermuda was a particular highlight for them.
Play style:
They like to let the opposition keep the ball, and when they get the ball back they smash it into wide areas or into the target man.
It’s the kind of effective football you would expect from a manager as experienced as Advocaat who has been there, seen everything and done it all in world football, working with rich and meagre resources along the way.
The two Bacunas (Leandro and Juninho) are the heartbeat of the team, while Tahith Chong of Sheffield United provides a direct wing threat.
They’re perhaps lacking a bit of cutting edge quality which will likely be the difference maker for their chances.
Expected formation:
4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Against top teams they will shift into a very low block, sometimes with five at the back in order to protect their box.
Chances:
Honestly not great. While they qualified well, I think the World Cup itself will be a bridge too far for Curaçao, even though them getting out of the group would make for a great story. The lack of quality across the pitch will be exposed against elite opposition, and they could be on the end of a very poor scoreline against Germany that could destroy their goal difference and any meagre chances of qualifying as a third placed team.
There are no expectations for them, so it’s down to them to surprise us.
The Tournament Scout’s Prediction
Germany should win this group at a canter
I think Ecuador will seal 2nd and Ivory Coast will hope their clean sheet potential can seal a 3rd placed Round of 32 berth
Curaçao will in all probability not make it out of the group
23 min read