On Thursday night, Mexico became the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On Saturday, there is a chance for a team in Group E to join them.
Entering Saturday’s two group stage matches, both Germany and the Ivory Coast have a chance to book a spot in the Round of 32. And, as the scheduling gods would have it, those two sides will meet in Toronto Saturday afternoon.
Here are the clinching scenarios for Group E.
What are the Group E standings?
Entering Saturday’s two Group E matches, here are the current standings.
Team |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 3 |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Curaçao | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
What are the next Group E matches?
Four matches remain in Group E, starting with a pair on Saturday, June 20. All times listed are Eastern.
Germany vs. Ivory Coast, 4:00 p.m.
Ecuador vs. Curaçao, 8:00 p.m.
Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast, 4:00 p.m.
Ecuador vs. Germany, 4:00 p.m.
What are the current scenarios for Group E?
Here is what you need to know entering the matches on Saturday, June 20, starting with the tilt between Germany and the Ivory Coast.
Germany can book a spot in the Round of 32 with a win, and could win the group with a win and some help. If Germany beats the Ivory Coast, they will book a spot in the Round of 32 as one of the top two teams in the group.
However, if they win, they will clinch the group if Ecuador draws or loses to Curaçao. More on this when we discuss the tiebreaker scenarios. The winner of Group E will play a third-place team from Groups A, B, C, D or F in the Round of 32.
The Ivory Coast has a similar path to winning the group on Saturday. If they win on Saturday, they are into the Round of 32 as they are guaranteed to finish in the top two of the group. If they beat Germany, then they will clinch Group E and take on a third-place team from Groups A, B, C, D or F provided Curaçao does not beat Ecuador.
On the other side of the coin, Curaçao can be eliminated on Saturday with a loss to Ecuador, and an Ivory Coast win or draw against Germany.
Ecuador also faces elimination on Saturday. If they lose to Curaçao, and Germany wins or draws against the Ivory Coast, then Ecuador is eliminated.
Now we get to the tiebreaker scenarios that come into play with Group E, starting on Saturday, June 20.
Here is how tiebreakers work at the World Cup this year. If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points following the group stage, a three-step process will be followed to determine tiebreakers.
In the first step, the greatest number of points in the group matches between the tied teams will be applied. Then, the superior goal difference from the group matches between the tied teams will be applied, and finally, the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the tied teams will be applied.
If that cannot determine a tiebreaker, then the teams that are still equal will advance to step two. In this stage, the first step is the goal difference in all group matches, then the greatest number of goals in all group matches, and finally the highest team conduct score (relating to yellow and red cards) will be applied.
If that does not break the tie, then the teams still equal on points will be ranked according to the most recent FIFA World Rankings.
That first step, which reads “greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned” according to FIFA, effectively turns into a head-to-head tiebreaker in the case of ties between two teams.
That brings us to the scenarios entering play on June 20, and we will use Germany as the first example. As noted above, Germany clinches Group E with a win against the Ivory Coast, provided Ecuador does not beat Curaçao. With a win against the Ivory Coast, Germany would move to six points in Group E play.
But if Ecuador beats Curaçao, they would have three points, and since Germany and Ecuador play in the final match of Group E play, under these tiebreakers Ecuador could still win the group. In this scenario, if Ecuador goes on to beat Germany, both teams would have six points in group play, but Ecuador would have the “greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned,” and would win the group. But if Ecuador loses or ties against Curaçao, then this tiebreaker cannot come into play.
This is also why the Ivory Coast needs a win, plus a Curaçao loss or tie, to clinch Group E.
