DFB team faces Curaçao in World Cup opener: Nagelsmann warns of underdog

Curaçao: World Cup debut with a Dutch flavor

According to Transfermarkt, the Caribbean squad has a total value of €25.78 million, making it only the fourth-lowest at the tournament. Armando Obispo of PSV Eindhoven is the most valuable player at €4 million, followed by Tahith Chong (Sheffield United) and Sontje Hansen (FC Middlesbrough) at €3.5 million each. Numerous members of the squad were born in the Netherlands or are under contract there, giving the team a strong Dutch flavor.

The German squad, valued at €947 million, is worth 37 times that of its opponent. Despite being four-time world champions, Germany is still not the big favorite for this year's finals. DFB managing director Andreas Rettig urged restraint: "Wir wollen einfach erfolgreich ins Turnier starten und nicht über ein 5:0 schwadronieren."

In goal, Manuel Neuer will make his comeback after calf problems and earn his 125th international cap. "Manu wird beginnen," said Nagelsmann. Neuer, 40, is Germany's record-cap goalkeeper and is taking part in his fifth World Cup, having retired from the national team two years ago and now making his comeback.

Personnel decisions: Neuer returns, Brown starts

At left-back, Nathaniel Brown gets the nod over David Raum. The new Eintracht Frankfurt player will mark his appearance two days before his 23rd birthday in a roofed, air-conditioned stadium. "Er wird spielen und in dem schönen Stadion beginnen," announced Nagelsmann. In defensive midfield, Felix Nmecha replaces Leon Goretzka, with Leroy Sané initially pencilled in on the right of the attack.

Despite not yet being fully recovered from a serious leg injury, Jamal Musiala is also in the starting lineup. "Aber die kann er nur gehen, wenn wir ihn spielen lassen. Wir vertrauen ihm total," Nagelsmann explained the decision. The coach conceded that the attacking player still had "noch ein paar Schritte zu gehen," but agreed with Lothar Matthäus's assessment: "wir brauchen Jamal, um eine richtig gute WM zu spielen."

Forward Deniz Undav stated the team's objective unequivocally: "Wenn ich sagen würde, ich will ins Achtelfinale kommen, dann wäre ich falsch hier." Nagelsmann set out his personal goal for the season, with his first World Cup match as Germany coach in mind: "die ersten drei Punkte."

Clash of the generations: Advocaat vs. Nagelsmann

Curaçao's final warm-up before the tournament, a 4:0 win over Aruba (world-ranked 189th), was mixed, after heavy defeats against Scotland (1:4) and Australia (1:5) earlier in 2026. Manuel Veth, Area Manager US & North America at Transfermarkt, put the underdog role in context: "Sie sind der absolute Underdog bei diesem Turnier und das kleinste Land, das sich jemals für eine WM qualifiziert hat."

Advocaat, the oldest coach at the tournament facing Nagelsmann as the youngest, is up for the fight: "Wir wollen es jedem Gegner so schwer wie möglich machen. Und wir sind sicherlich nicht chancenlos. Jeder kann überraschen. Warum nicht Curaçao? Und eine Überraschung kann schon reichen, um weiterzukommen." He cited "die gute Stimmung und den Teamspirit" as the team's strengths.

After the match, the German squad will travel back to its World Cup base camp in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before preparations begin on Tuesday for the second group game on 20 June in Toronto against Ivory Coast. Germany's Group E is completed by Ecuador, whose squad is valued by Transfermarkt at €369 million, while Ivory Coast is assessed at €522 million.

In the other group matches over the weekend, Australia beat Turkey 2:0 in Vancouver in Group D. In Group E, Brazil and Morocco drew 1:1, and Scotland beat Haiti 1:0. Germany's opening match will be broadcast live in Germany on ARD and MagentaTV.