Four-time World Cup winners Germany face African side Ivory Coast in their second Group E contest at Toronto Stadium in Canada.
Group E
Sunday, 21 June | Toronto Stadium
Kick-off time
04:00 (GMT+8)
The match
In their Group E fixture in Toronto, Germany and Ivory Coast will meet for the first time on the FIFA World Cup™ stage. Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany should be full of confidence given their 7-1 opening victory over Curaçao while Ivory Coast should have been buoyed by their 1-0 win over Ecuador, their first in the World Cup against South American opponents. Whoever wins can start planning for the Round of 32.
Germany possible starting XI
Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Wirtz, Musiala, Sane; Havertz
Ivory Coast possible starting XI
Fofana; Konan, Singo, Agbadou, G Doue; Kessie, Fofana; Diallo, Pepe, Diomande; Wahi
What they said …
“There’s no obvious reason for me to change the starting eleven. But we’ll sleep on it first. We won’t overhaul our approach completely, there will only be a few tweaks to prevent the odd turnover and to be well positioned when it comes to guarding against counter-attacks. We spent a session and a half working on that, and the lads did a really good job. “In World Cup qualifying and at the Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast always lined up in a different system. So we don’t know exactly what to expect. We’ve prepared for a variety of scenarios. They are physically very strong, which could cause us problems. Their pace and their quality in one-on-one situations are their biggest strengths.” Julian Nagelsmann, Germany coach
[Playing against the country where my father was born] will be more special for me than any other match. But aside from that, I try to focus more on our goals during this World Cup. Jonathan Tah, Germany defender
“It has helped that we won the first match, it has given us a piece of mind. We have come here to beat Germany and to qualify for the round of 32. Our clear goal is to go back to the basecamp in Philadelphia with six points and the assurance that we’ll finish top of the group. We have a team that has been working together for two and a half years and we’ll do everything the same as in the past. Nothing changes just because the opponent is Germany.” Emerse Fae, Ivory Coast
“We want to win every match; we want to make our mark on history and that’s what we’re all trying to do together.” Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast
Toronto Stadium
Toronto Stadium was purpose-built as Canada hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007™. The venue, which has an English Premier League-style roof canopy and steep stands on either end of the ground, has been confirmed as the venue for Canada’s opening World Cup 2026 fixture on Friday, 12 June, and will host four further group games and one Round of 32 tie.