Germany Defeat Ivory Coast 2-1 to Reach World Cup Knockout Stage

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Germany national football team secured a comeback victory over Ivory Coast in the second round of the World Cup group stage. The match, held in Toronto, Canada, ended 2-1 in favor of the European team. During the first half, referees disallowed two goals against the Ivorians following rule infractions.

Franck Kessie, a midfielder for the Ivory Coast national team, opened the scoring in the 30th minute of the match. The German team managed to turn the game around in the second half of the meeting thanks to precise strikes from forward Deniz Undav, who scored in the 68th minute and sealed the victory with a brace in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

With this success, Germany accumulated six points and took sole possession of first place in the Group E standings, guaranteeing its participation in the round of 32 ahead of schedule. The German players have advanced past the group stage of the world championship for the first time since 2014, when the team won its fourth world title. In the subsequent World Cups in 2018 and 2022, Germany ended its performance at the conclusion of the group stage. Germany became the third team in the current tournament to secure a place in the knockout stage, following the United States and Mexico.

The Ivory Coast national team temporarily retains second place in the quartet with three points. The other members of Group E, Ecuador and Curacao, will play their head-to-head second-round match on the night of 21 June 2026.

In the final matches of the group round, scheduled for 25 June 2026, Germany will play against Ecuador, while Ivory Coast will face Curacao.

The current World Cup, which features 48 national teams competing for the first time in history, is taking place across stadiums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and will conclude on 19 July 2026.