Germany trailed 1-0 to Ivory Coast in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match in Toronto on Saturday.
The four-time winner had two goals ruled out from Aleksander Pavlovic and Kai Havertz and saw Frank Kessie fire the African side into the lead in the 30th minute.
A turnaround in the second match would mark a drastic downturn for Germany, who had started their campaign with a resounding 7-1 victory over Curacao.
Group stage defeats are becoming a regular occurrence for Germany. The previous edition had also seen the country lose in the first leg of the World Cup, with a 1-2 defeat to Japan. The loss ultimately led to Germany being eliminated in the group stage.
Even in 2018, Germany, as defending champions, lost 0-1 to Mexico and then suffered a 0-2 defeat to South Korea in a must-win match.
Published on June 21, 2026
