Who: Germany vs Ivory CoastWhat: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E matchWhere: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, CanadaWhen: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT)How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera SportOne of the most mouthwatering matches in the second round of games in the World Cup 2026 group stage sees four-time champions Germany facing a talented Ivory Coast outfit in Toronto on Saturday evening.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBoth sides made a winning start to their Group E campaign, in very different ways, as Die Mannschaft overcame an early scare against Curacao to romp to a 7-1 win, while The Elephants eventually pipped Ecuador 1-0 with a last-gasp goal, after the South Americans had hit the woodwork three times. Kai Havertz has scored in four straight major tournaments for Germany, despite not being a recognised No 9 [Annegret Hilse/Reuters]Germany under the radar?After disappointing group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, Germany came into this tournament somewhat under the radar, with the perennial powerhouse ranked only seventh-favourites to lift their fifth World Cup.While they turned on the style thanks to young stars like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to pile on the goals against Curacao – the smallest nation by size and population ever to have taken part in a World Cup – and the goals have flowed in 10 straight wins, this will be a far stiffer test.Curacao caused the German defence a few problems, especially in the opening half-hour, and it’s their pivotal central-defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing in front of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that will ultimately decide how deep the Germans can go in this tournament. Advertisement Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his recent goalscoring run for club and country with a double for Germany in the opening game, but he will likely find the Ivory Coast defence a harder challenge than that posed by Curacao’s backline.By winning their group opener, Germany did what they couldn’t in 2018 and 2022 and appear certain to progress to a first knockout match since the 2014 World Cup Final. Wheth …
