Germany locked up first place in Group E of the 2026 World Cup after their dramatic win over Ivory Coast.
Die Mannschaft were overwhelming favourites to win the group before the tournament and got off to a flying start with an emphatic win over minnows Curacao.
A 2-1 win over Ivory Coast leaves Julian Nagelsmann’s team on six points, a tally that can’t be bettered by any other side after Ecuador failed to beat the Blue Wave in Kansas City.
World Cup 2026 Group E outright odds
Get the latest odds for each team to win Group E below.
World Cup 2026 Group E fixtures and results
Here are the fixtures for Group E at the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup 2026 Group E table
Germany Group E odds
Germany were unsurprisingly the favourites to win Group E and are the only nation in the group with any real World Cup pedigree. Die Mannschaft have won the World Cup four times, most recently in 2014, and been runners up four times, highlighting the dominance they have enjoyed on the world stage over the years. They made it all count and guaranteed first place.
However, thinking long-term, Germany don’t look to be the all-conquering outfit they once were and Julian Nagelsmann may find it harder to get his side to the final with the current crop of players. There’s still plenty of quality within the squad but the golden age looks to be behind the Germans.
The midfield is packed with talent, with veterans such as Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka guiding a crop of elite attacking options in Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry are also available and represent excellent options for Nagelsmann.
The weak spots of the squad appear at the front and the back, though, with Germany lacking a truly elite star striker and any goalkeeper being a downgrade after years of Manuel Neuer between the sticks. Nick Woltemade is a really good option for the German side but the depth beyond him leaves a lot to be desired. Marc-André ter Stegen has been frozen out at Barcelona and hasn’t played much football in the past 18 months, while no other goalkeeper available has more than 10 caps for their country.
Ecuador Group E odds
Ecuador finished second in the CONMEBOL qualification group, with only Argentina amassing more points than La Tri. It was a very tight group, though, with just one point separating the five nations below Argentina that finished in the qualifying places.
This will be just the fifth time that Ecuador have qualified for the finals and they’ve only made it out of the group stages on one occasion, in 2006. With the new World Cup format seeing several third placed teams making it out of the group stage, this could be a great chance for Ecuador to advance and make their mark on the competition.
However, they have been severely underwhelming, conceding a late goal that lost them the game to Ivory Coast and then failing to beat Curacao. An unlikely win against Germany is there only chance to have a real shot at advancing.
Ivory Coast Group E odds
Ivory Coast made light work of their CAF qualifying group, dropping just four points on their way to topping Group F. To make things all the more impressive, Les Éléphants didn’t concede a goal in their 10 games, with their only missteps coming in 0-0 draws against Kenya and Gabon.
Ivory Coast have only qualified for three previous World Cups, making the finals in each of the tournaments from 2006 to 2014. They were eliminated from the group stage at all three competitions and will look to 2026 as the year they make the knockout stages for the first time.
Their chances are looking much better this time not only after beating Ecuador, but seeing them drop two points against Curacao. Now, a simple draw against the Blue Wave would be enough to see Les Éléphants advance in second.
Curacao odds
Curacao make their World Cup debut this year and hope to make a big impression after a very impressive qualification campaign. They topped Group B in the CONCACAF qualification process, going unbeaten in a group containing Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda.
The Blue Wave are the smallest nation to have qualified for the World Cup, with a population of around 160,000, and the odds are certainly against them. They have a number of players plying their trade in Europe, especially in the Netherlands owing to their historical links to the European nations, but they only have one player likely to be in the squad who plays his football in England, with Sontje Hansen currently playing for Middlesbrough.
However, they have gotten to round three of the group stage still with a chance of advancing. Should Ecuador lose to Germany, a win over Ivory Coast would leave them in second place. It’s a tough task and Les Éléphants are not only heavily favoured but should in fact beat the Blue Wave. But World Cups are always full of surprises, so who knows.
Read more:
