The 2026 World Cup is reaching crunch time, with countries battling to secure their place in the knockout stage.
Some have already booked their spot in the last-32, while others face a decisive final round of group matches to decide their fate.
In this piece, we break down Group E to see what each of Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Curacao need to join Germany, who have already been confirmed as group winners, in the next round.
Below, we outline every permutation, along with potential next-round opponents.
Group E remaining fixtures
- Curacao vs Ivory Coast – Thursday 25th June (2am, UK time)
- Ecuador vs Germany – Thursday 25th June (2am, UK time)
How could Group E finish?
| Result A | Result B | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Germany win | Ivory Coast win | 1. Germany (9 points) 2. Ivory Coast (6 points) 3. Ecuador (1 point) 4. Curacao (1 point) |
| Germany win | Ivory Coast/Curacao draw | 1. Germany (9 points) 2. Ivory Coast (4 points) 3. Curacao (2 points) 4. Ecuador (1 points) |
| Germany win | Curacao win | 1. Germany (9 points) 2. Curacao (4 points) 3. Ivory Coast (3 points) 4. Ecuador (1 point) |
| Germany/Ecuador draw | Ivory Coast win | 1. Germany (7 points) 2. Ivory Coast (6 points) 3. Ecuador (2 points) 4. Curacao (1 point) |
| Germany/Ecuador draw | Ivory Coast/Curacao draw | 1. Germany (7 points) 2. Ivory Coast (4 points) 3. Ecuador (2 points) 4. Curacao (2 points) |
| Germany/Ecuador draw | Curacao win | 1. Germany (7 points) 2. Curacao (4 points) 3. Ivory Coast (3 points) 4. Ecuador (2 points) |
| Ecuador win | Ivory Coast win | 1. Germany (6 points) 2. Ivory Coast (6 points) 3. Ecuador (4 points) 4. Curacao (1 points) |
| Ecuador win | Ivory Coast/Curacao draw | 1. Germany (6 points) 2. Ivory Coast (4 points) 3. Ecuador (4 points) 4. Curacao (2 points) |
| Ecuador win | Curacao win | 1. Germany (6 points) 2. Ecuador (4 points)* 3. Curacao (4 points)* 4. Ivory Coast (3 points) * decided on tiebreakers |
As mentioned, Germany have already secured top spot in Group E, whatever happens in their third and final match against Ecuador.
Ivory Coast current sit in the second automatic spot with three points from two matches. Their victory was over Ecuador, a result that could prove crucial ahead of their final game against Curacao. To put it simply, win that match and Ivory Coast finish as runners-up on six points, while a draw (four points) would also be enough. If they lose to Curacao they will finish third, providing Ecuador don’t beat Germany.
Ecuador headed into the tournament as one of the dark horses following an excellent qualification campaign. However, the Tri suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opening game, followed by a goalless draw against Curacao, during which they had 74.6% possession, 27 shots, and 15 on target, but couldn’t make the breakthrough.
As a result, in order to finish second, Ecuador now need to beat group winners Germany and hope that Curacao defeat the Ivory Coast – but even then it will come down to goal difference between themselves and Curacao. If that’s level, second will be decided on goals scored, then team conduct score, and finally FIFA world rankings.
Finally, we have Curacao, who also have one point to their name but are fourth on goal difference due to that heavy 7-1 defeat to Germany. The tournament debutants must beat the Ivory Coast and hope that Ecuador fail to overcome Germany, in order to secure second.
But if both Curacao and Ecuador win, they will be level on four points and level in head-to-head, but – unless there’s a major shift – Curacao will finish third on goal difference.
Who could the teams from Group E face in the next round?
As Group E winners, Germany are waiting to see which third-place finisher they will lock horns with from Group A/B/C/D/F, with the match taking place in Boston on Monday 29th June (9.30pm UK time).
Whoever finishes second in Group E will face the runner-up in Group I in Arlington on Wednesday 1st July (2am UK time), which is a rather daunting clash against either World Cup favourites France or in-form Norway.
Whoever finishes third in Group E will have to wait and see how things pan out in other groups, as there are over 495 possible combinations as to what could happen…
Read more:
