Germany routs Curaçao 7-1 in World Cup opener; Netherlands and Japan draw 2-2
Axios—Germany opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a dominant 7-1 victory over debutants Curaçao, with Kai Havertz scoring twice and Musiala, Schlotterbeck, Brown, and Undav also on the scoresheet. Curaçao briefly equalized before Germany pulled away. In the same day's other featured match, the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw in Dallas, with both teams sharing a sense of disappointment at the result. The U.S. also won their own opener, beating Paraguay 4-1.
- Axios — US routs Paraguay 4-1 in dominant World Cup opener on home soil
- Euronews — Germany thrashed Curaçao 7-1 while Netherlands and Japan drew 2-2 in World Cup group play.
- Al Jazeera — World Cup Day 4: Germany demolishes Curacao; Netherlands draw with Japan
- NBC News — Japan and Netherlands drew 2-2 in Dallas; Kamada and Van Dijk both expressed frustration after the hard-fought stalemate.