Alemania opened its World Cup 2026 campaign this Sunday against Curazao, and Julian Nagelsmann named a starting XI that included Neuer, Kimmich, Musiala, Sané, Wirtz and Havertz.
Nagelsmann’s line-up read: Manuel Neuer in goal; Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck and Raphael A. Brown across the back; Lukas Nmecha, Aleksa Pavlović and Jamal Musiala in midfield; Leroy Sané, Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz up front.
On the other side, Dick Advocaat selected Curazao’s starters as Room; Floranus, Bazoer, Obispo and Fonville in defence; Bacuna, Comenencia and Chong in midfield; Bacuna and Hansen out wide; and Locadia leading the attack.
The match is Germany’s first game of the tournament in Group E, the group that also contains Ecuador and Costa de Marfil; Germany—four times world champion—now seeks the first three points that would set the tone for its path through the group.
Practical timing matters: Ecuador and Costa de Marfil meet later in the early schedule, with that fixture set for 1.00 this morning on DAZN, completing the opening slate of Group E matches and giving immediate context to whatever result emerges from Alemania’s debut.
Notable inclusions for Alemania: Nagelsmann entrusted Neuer in goal and paired Kimmich with Tah, Schlotterbeck and Brown in a back four, while Musiala starts as part of a three-man midfield that feeds a frontline of Sané, Wirtz and Havertz—names that signal an intent to control possession and press high from the outset.
Curazao’s XI, announced by Advocaat, presents a compact spine with Room in goal and Locadia as a focal point up front; the selection reflects a coach opting for familiar personnel against a heavyweight opponent.
The context after the lineups is stark: the build-up frames Alemania as one of the tournament favourites and Curazao as one of the weakest teams in the field. That framing imposes a clear expectation on Germany—Nagelsmann’s side is obliged to win with margin rather than merely scrape by—to avoid an early, unnecessary complication in a group that contains tougher opposition.
What the lineups do not answer is the single most consequential fact from the day: the score. The available information confirms who started and when the Ecuador–Costa de Marfil match kicks off, but it does not include the final result of Alemania’s debut or a confirmed next fixture for the German side.
The unresolved gap matters: without the match score and without confirmation of Germany’s next opponent in the schedule, the immediate effect of Nagelsmann’s selections on Group E standings and on player management remains unknown. The lineups set the scene; the score will decide whether those selections look prudent or overdue.
