Germany vs Curacao LIVE: Manuel Neuer starts as World Cup contenders open campaign against tournament debutants

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The Independent

·14. Juni 2026

Germany vs Curacao LIVE: Manuel Neuer starts as World Cup contenders open campaign against tournament debutants

World Cup hopefuls Germany kick off their campaign against tournament debutants Curacao in a clash of contrasts in Group E.

The Germans are perennial competition powerhouses and will be eyeing a deep run over the next few weeks, although have a fair bit of recent World Cup pain to banish after premature exits from the last two tournaments. A talented squad has a high-profile manager in Julian Nagelsmann and plenty of options across the side, with Manuel Neuer out of retirement and seemingly set to start in goal.

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For Curacao, this could a tough first taste of World Cup football after securing an improbable qualification for the tournament. An overseas territory of the Netherlands, most of Dick Advocaat’s squad are Dutch-born and there is plenty of high-level European experience within the ranks. Can they pull off an almighty shock?