Germany aims to begin its FIFA World Cup campaign with a decisive victory over Curacao, seeking to restore its standing following early eliminations in the previous two tournaments. The four-time champions, who secured their last title in 2014, are targeting a fifth world championship, though they do not consider themselves among the top favorites in this year’s competition.

Germany will face Curacao in their opening match of Group E, which also includes Ecuador and Ivory Coast. Curacao is the smallest nation to qualify for the tournament, and its squad mainly consists of players active in the Netherlands and lower-tier European leagues.

Under the leadership of 78-year-old veteran coach Dick Advocaat—the oldest coach in World Cup history—Curacao approaches the fixture with optimism despite the clear disparity in experience and quality. Advocaat acknowledged Germany’s status as group favorites but expressed enthusiasm about testing his team’s level against such a high-profile opponent at the start of the tournament.

Germany, coached by Julian Nagelsmann, enters the competition on a nine-match winning streak. Their recent results include a 4-0 victory over Finland on May 31 and a 2-1 win against co-host nation the United States six days later. The German squad boasts several world-class talents such as Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz, and Manuel Neuer, whom they hope to leverage to secure a strong start.

Rudi Voeller, Germany’s national team director and a member of the 1990 World Cup-winning squad, emphasized the critical importance of an opening victory. While acknowledging that other teams remain favored to win the tournament, Voeller stressed Germany’s objective to top the group and advance confidently into the knockout rounds. “We want to be a team that is difficult to beat,” he commented.

A failure to win against Curacao could complicate Germany’s path forward and increase pressure at an early stage, especially given the high expectations of their supporters. Voeller highlighted recent friendly wins as a positive indicator but warned that the first match is no guarantee of tournament success. “There is no discussion about that. That is our goal,” he said, underscoring the team’s commitment to progressing from the group as the leading side.