FIFA World Cup 2026 – We will know how good we are at the end of the group stage, says Germany’s Kimmich

Germany’s defeat to Curacao in the World Cup opener has sparked a wave of enthusiasm among success-starved fans, but captain Joshua Kimmich said on Tuesday the team needs its next two group matches to see exactly where it stands.

The Germans defeated Curaçao 7-1 on Sunday to take control of Group E. The country will play Ivory Coast on Saturday, also within three points of their 1-0 win over Ecuador, before completing the group matches against Ecuador next week.

“It was an expected win for us, but the way it happened was very dominant,” Kimmich told a news conference. “But we have seen that it is not expected (in this tournament) to win with such a score.”

While the four-time champions easily won their opening match against the World Cup newcomers from the Caribbean, European champions Spain limped to a 0-0 draw against tiny Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia also grabbed a draw against Uruguay.

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Germany is desperate to rebuild its international reputation after a shock first-round defeat at the previous two World Cups in 2018 and 2022. The country is now on a 10-match winning streak, but Kimmich said the team would have a much better idea of ​​their chances in the tournament after the group stages.

“Both teams (Ivory Coast and Ecuador) are physically very strong and can handle the conditions well,” said Kimmich.

«We played the first match against an opponent who is certainly not world class. Now there will be some challenges where we can see where we stand. We have great qualities to hurt opponents. We have to work on stability and reduce the number of goals we concede, even against a small opponent.»

As the Germans look to gradually reach top form at the right time after more than a decade without any impact on the international stage, Kimmich warned they need to be more consistent in their play.

Former German national coach Joachim Loew, who led the team to its last World Cup title in 2014, told a sports show in Germany that although the team had a lot of quality, it still did not have the necessary stability to win the title.

“Let’s play the next two games, then all the experts can better assess where we are,” Kimmich said. «We have now won ten games in a row. I feel like we are on the right track.»

Published on June 16, 2026