FIFA World Cup 2026 draw — Who will face debutant Curaçao in the group stage?

Curaçao will make its first appearance at the FIFA World Cup and the country met its group stage opponents during the draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday.

Curaçao, the smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup, starts its campaign with a match against four-time champions Germany. In Group E, the country also faces Ecuador and Ivory Coast.

Who will Curaçao face at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

• Germany

• Ivory Coast

• Ecuador

The World Cup, which started in 1930 as an invitation-only tournament, has grown from just 13 to 32 teams, becoming the biggest competition in international football. Next year’s World Cup will have a larger roster – 48 teams – making it the largest iteration of the tournament.

So far, 42 teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the remaining six places, two countries will qualify via inter-confederation play-offs, while the remaining four will be winners of the European qualifying play-offs.

The increased number of teams also introduces an extra round. The top two teams from each group, along with the top eight third-place teams, will advance to the round of 32.

Round of 32 matches are single-leg knockouts, involving 90 minutes of regular play, followed by 30 minutes of extra time if the result is not known. If the match is still undecided after 120 minutes plus injury time, the winner will be determined by penalty kicks.

Published on December 6, 2025