By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-06-19 11:50:19 | Updated at 2026-06-19 13:28:06
1 hour ago
Can anyone maintain a 100% start in Group E? We look ahead to Saturday’s FIFA World Cup showdown in Toronto with our Germany vs Ivory Coast prediction and preview.
Germany vs Ivory Coast: The Key Insights
- Germany have won their last 10 matches in all competitions and are the Opta supercomputer’s favourites here, extending that streak with a win over Ivory Coast in 44.4% of the simulations.
- Ivory Coast have never won multiple games in a single edition of the World Cup.
- Germany have failed to register a clean sheet in any of their last seven World Cup matches.
Germany and Ivory Coast are both aiming to make it back-to-back wins in World Cup Group E when they face off at Toronto Stadium on Saturday.
The four-time world champions produced the most emphatic performance across the opening round of fixtures, providing a baptism of fire for tournament debutants Curaçao, who they beat 7-1 to extend their rich vein of form.
By contrast, it was smash and grab from Ivory Coast, as they snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador thanks to Amad Diallo‘s 90th-minute winner.
Germany seem to be peaking at exactly the right moment, with the 7-1 rout of Curaçao their 10th straight victory in all competitions. It is their longest winning streak since a 12-game run between May 1979 and June 1980 under Josef Derwall.
On Matchday 1, Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav were all on target for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, while Kai Havertz added a brace.
The Arsenal forward is the only player to score for Germany at each of the last four major tournaments (Euro 2020, 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup), with his tally of eight goals in that span twice as many as any of his teammates (Musiala and Niclas Füllkrug on four each).
At the other end of the field, though, Germany have now gone seven successive World Cup matches without keeping a clean sheet. Only between 1934 and 1954 (nine) have they endured a longer streak of failing to register a shutout at the finals.
Meanwhile, not since hosting the tournament in 2006 – when they opened with victories over Costa Rica and Poland – have Die Nationalelf won their first two games.
That will encourage an Ivory Coast side bidding to record multiple wins at a single World Cup edition for the very first time.
Also, never before have the Elephants registered successive clean sheets at the finals. Indeed, despite facing 12 shots against Ecuador – their most in a World Cup match without conceding – Emerse Faé’s side withstood the pressure, before snatching all three points late on.
Amad was the hero in Philadelphia, coming off the bench to brilliantly guide home Wilfried Singo’s square pass. Timed at 89 minutes and 32 seconds, his winning goal was the latest scored by a substitute at the World Cup (excluding extra-time and own-goals) since Francesco Totti struck from the penalty spot after 94 minutes and 26 seconds of Italy’s last-16 clash with Australia 20 years ago.
Fresh from his vital cameo against Ecuador, Amad will hope for the opportunity to start against Germany. If he does, the Manchester United winger will hope to become only the second Ivorian to score in successive World Cup matches, after Gervinho in 2014.
Germany vs Ivory Coast Head-to-Head
This will be only the second meeting between the two nations, and first in a competitive clash.
Their sole previous encounter came when they played out a 2-2 friendly draw back in November 2009.
Lukas Podolski, who opened the scoring in Gelsenkirchen, also netted a stoppage-time equaliser, after goals from Emmanuel Eboué and Seydou Doumbia had swung the contest in Ivory Coast’s favour.
Otherwise, Germany have only lost one of their eight World Cup matches against African opposition (W5 D2), going down 2-1 against Algeria in 1982 – though they went on to reach the final that year.
As for the Ivorians, they have won just one of their four World Cup games against European nations (D1 L2), beating Serbia & Montenegro 3-2 from 2-0 down in the 2006 group stage – albeit their elimination from the tournament had already been confirmed.
Germany vs Ivory Coast Prediction
The Opta supercomputer favours an 11th straight Germany victory in all competitions, with Nagelsmann’s side winning 44.4% of the 25,000 pre-match simulations.
Ivory Coast’s chances of claiming three points are rated at 30.0%, with a draw at 25.6%.
However, history does not favour the Elephants, who have never previously won two matches in a single edition of the World Cup – neither have they registered clean sheets in successive games at the tournament.
Germany vs Ivory Coast Squads
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel, Antonio Rüdiger, Waldemar Anton, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, Nathaniel Brown, David Raum, Malick Thiaw, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala, Pascal Groß, Angelo Stiller, Florian Wirtz, Nadiem Amiri, Felix Nmecha, Assan Ouédraogo, Kai Havertz, Jamie Leweling, Nick Woltemade, Maximilian Beier, Leroy Sané, Deniz Undav.
Ivory Coast: Yahia Fofana, Mohamed Koné, Alban Lafont, Ousmane Diomande, Ghislain Konan, Wilfried Singo, Odilon Kossounou, Christopher Opéri, Guéla Doué, Emmanuel Agbadou, Evan Ndicka, Jean Michaël Seri, Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangaré, Parfait Guiagon, Christ Inao Oulaï, Ange-Yoan Bonny, Simon Adingra, Yan Diomande, Elye Wahi, Oumar Diakité, Amad Diallo, Nicolas Pépé, Evann Guessand, Bazoumana Touré.
Germany vs Ivory Coast Predicted Lineups
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