Germany have become the third team to book their place in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after producing a late turnaround to defeat Côte d’Ivoire 2–1 in Group E action on Saturday, June 20.
The four-time world champions maintained their perfect start to the tournament, registering back-to-back victories to move onto six points and guarantee progression to the knockout stage with a group match still to play.
The contest, however, did not begin in Germany’s favour. Côte d’Ivoire struck first in the 30th minute when Franck Kessié reacted quickest to a rebound inside the box, punishing Germany after a defensive lapse.
Despite controlling much of the first half and having two goals disallowed, Germany went into the break trailing and had to dig deep after the restart. Their persistence paid off in the 68th minute when substitute Deniz Undav arrived at the right moment to volley home from a cross delivered by Nadiem Amiri, restoring parity.
The comeback was completed deep into stoppage time, with Undav once again the hero. In the 94th minute, he latched onto a decisive assist from Felix Nmecha to seal all three points and extend his remarkable scoring run for the national team to nine goals in his last eight appearances.
Germany had entered the fixture on the back of a dominant 7–1 opening win over Curaçao, while Côte d’Ivoire had started their campaign with a narrow 1–0 victory against Ecuador.
The result confirms Germany as one of the earliest qualifiers for the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining Mexico and the United States in the knockout phase. Côte d’Ivoire, meanwhile, remain on three points and will need a result against Curaçao in their final group fixture, while Germany will conclude their group campaign against Ecuador.
