Côte d’Ivoire still have a chance to reach knockout stage despite Germany defeat

Côte d’Ivoire’s hopes of progressing to the next round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain alive despite a painful 2-1 defeat to Germany in their second Group E match at Toronto Stadium in the USA on Saturday night.

The Elephants led for much of the match through Franck Kessié’s first-half goal and delivered a brave, disciplined and energetic performance against the four-time world champions.

However, the African football giants will regret losing concentration in the dying minutes of the fast-flowing encounter. After taking the lead in the first half, they allowed Germany back into the game when Deniz Undav scored the equaliser in the second half.

The VfB Stuttgart striker then completed his brace with a heartbreaking winner in the 94th minute of added time, securing Germany’s place in the knockout stage.

Despite the defeat, Côte d’Ivoire remain second in Group E on three points behind Germany and are still in a strong position to qualify for the tournament’s last-32 knockout stage. Should they progress, they would become the second African team to reach that stage.

Their chances were boosted after the other Group E match between Curaçao and Ecuador ended in a goalless draw in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Ecuador, who lost their opening match 1-0 to Côte d’Ivoire, are third on the log with one point and a goal difference of minus one. Curaçao are bottom of the group with one point and a goal difference of minus six after suffering a 7-1 defeat to Germany in their opening match.

The group stage will conclude on Thursday, when Curaçao face Côte d’Ivoire at Philadelphia Stadium at 8pm, while Ecuador take on Germany at New Jersey Stadium in New York at 10pm. The two matches will be played simultaneously.

Two more World Cup matches will be played on Sunday night. Spain will face Saudi Arabia in Group H at Atlanta Stadium at 6pm, while Belgium and Iran meet in Group G at SoFi Stadium in California at 9pm.