World Cup 2026 — Group E

World Cup 2026 Group E has a clear favorite and three teams competing for survival. Germany come in as one of the pre-tournament favorites — Florian Wirtz at Liverpool, Jamal Musiala at Bayern, Kai Havertz leading the line — this is a Mannschaft rebuilt for attack. Ecuador are the group's dark horse. Moisés Caicedo at Chelsea and Piero Hincapié at Leverkusen anchor a side that is younger and more technically gifted than their FIFA ranking suggests. Côte d'Ivoire, reigning Africa Cup of Nations winners, bring real quality through Franck Kessié and Simon Adingra. They could easily finish second. Curaçao make their World Cup debut here — a historic moment for the island nation, though group advancement will be an enormous ask against this company. Germany win comfortably. The Ecuador vs Côte d'Ivoire clash will be the defining match for second place.